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Why We Went On A Mission To Find Ruben Salazar 50 Years After His Death
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LAist columnist Erick Galindo and visual journalist Chava Sanchez spent the better part of this week talking to people in East L.A. trying to find meaning and a deep connection to Aug. 29, 1970. That's the day a peaceful anti-Vietnam War march known as the Chicano Moratorium ended violently after L.A. County Sheriff's deputies declared an unlawful assembly and broke it up with batons and projectiles.
Three people died, including L.A. Times columnist Ruben Salazar, who was fatally struck by a tear gas canister fired by a deputy. While there is no evidence to prove he was intentionally targeted, there remains speculation. Still, he died at the hands of someone with a badge -- a scenario that keeps repeating itself lately.
Galindo writes:
We carried out our mission not just in the long shadow of a 50-year-old history but in the blazing daylight of a string of recent police killings of Black and Brown people all across the country that have made me feel at times angry, sad and numb to the injustice of it all.
READ THE COLUMN, SEE THE VIDEO:
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Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
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