Ruben Salazar
Ruben Salazar | |
---|---|
Born | March 3, 1928 Ciudad Juárez, Mexico |
Died | August 29, 1970 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 42)
Occupation(s) | Journalist and civil rights activist |
Years active | 1956–1970 |
Ruben Salazar (March 3, 1928 – August 29, 1970)[1] was a civil rights activist and a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, the first Mexican journalist from mainstream media to cover the Chicano community.[2]
Salazar was killed during the
Early life
Born in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, March 3, 1928, Salazar was brought to the United States with his family in 1929. Salazar began his U.S. naturalization process on October 15, 1947, when he submitted his application for a certificate of arrival and preliminary form for a declaration of intention of citizenship.
Career
After high school, he served in the
Salazar was a
When Salazar returned to the US in 1968, he focused on the Mexican-American community and the Chicano movement, writing about
In January 1970, Salazar left the Times to become
During Salazar's time as the news director for KMEX, which is a Spanish-language station since 1962, he became more outspoken on Chicano issues and gave priority to cases that were important to the Chicano Movement. This included the killing of the Sánchez cousins by police which brought forth a community-wide protest as well as covering the Chicano Moratorium which ultimately led to his death.[5]
Support for Chicano movement
Salazar's strong support for the
Due to his support of the
Death
On August 29, 1970, Salazar was covering the
The riot started when the owners of the Green Mill liquor store, located around the corner from the Silver Dollar Bar on Whittier Boulevard, called in a complaint about people stealing from them. Deputies responded and a fight broke out. Later on that day, cadets from the nearby Sheriff's Academy were bussed to the area and marched into the park. A fight ensued, with the untrained cadets being beaten up. This led to more rioting. The Green Mill liquor store is still located at the same place on Whittier Boulevard. The owners later denied contacting the Sheriff's Department.
Salazar was resting in the Silver Dollar Bar after the protest became violent. According to a witness, "Ruben Salazar had just sat down to sip a quiet beer at the bar, away from the madness in the street," when a deputy fired a tear gas projectile through a curtain hanging at the entrance of the bar, hitting Salazar in the head and killing him instantly. Deputy Wilson fired a 10-inch wall-piercing type of tear gas round from a tear gas gun of the type intended for barricade situations, rather than rolling in a tear gas canister, which produces a much larger cloud of gas and is generally used to disperse crowds.
The story of Salazar's killing was the subject of "Strange Rumblings in Aztlan," a 1971 article by gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson for Rolling Stone magazine.[10] On February 22, 2011, the Office of Independent Review released a report of its examination of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department records on the death of Salazar. After reviewing thousands of documents, the civilian watchdog agency concluded there is no evidence that sheriff's deputies intentionally targeted Salazar or had him under surveillance.[11]
Deputy Wilson, after being identified as responsible for Salazar's death, stated that "he did not know, and under the circumstances was not concerned about, what kind of tear gas projectile he fired".[12] Salazar's death captured the attention of many activists within the Chicano movement as his death occurred at the hands of those whom the movement felt was a large cause of the marginalizing of Chicano communities. During meetings with the district attorney in regard to the incident that led to Salazar's death, many Chicanos attended to voice their support as well as show a united force against police brutality.[5] After several days of testimony, a coroner's jury returned with a split verdict, and no charges were filed by the District Attorney. Nevertheless, three years after Salazar's death, Los Angeles County reached a settlement of $700,000 with Salazar's family as a result of the sheriff's department not using "proper and lawful guidelines for the use of deadly force" during the march.[9][13] At the time, this was the highest settlement recorded in Los Angeles county history.[citation needed]
He was survived by his wife, Sally (née Robare), and their daughters, Lisa Salazar Johnson and Stephanie Salazar Cook, and son, John Salazar.[citation needed]
Legacy and honors
- Salazar was a two-time winner of the Greater Los Angeles Press Club Award and in 1965 was presented with an award from the Equal Opportunity Foundation.[14][15]
- In 1971, Salazar was posthumously awarded a special Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award.[16]
- After the controversy related to his death had subsided, Laguna Park, site of the 1970 rally and subsequent police action, was renamed Salazar Park in his honor.[17]
- Salazar is depicted under the name "Roland Zanzibar" in Oscar Zeta Acosta's 1973 novel The Revolt of the Cockroach People.[18]
- In 1979, Sonoma State University re-named its library in honor of Salazar. Subsequently, in 2002 the library moved into a new building, and the former library building was renamed Salazar Hall. [19]
- In 1996, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., acquired the painting Death of Rubén Salazar, a 1986 oil on canvas by artist Frank Romero.[20]
- His death was commemorated in a corrido by Lalo Guerrero titled "El 29 de Agosto".[21]
- A classroom building at California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) was named for him in 1976. On October 12, 2006, Salazar Hall was rededicated with the unveiling of his portrait by John Martin.[22]
- On October 5, 2007, the journalists of the 20th century with first-class rate postage stamps, to be issued on Tuesday, April 22, 2008: Martha Gellhorn, John Hersey, George Polk, Ruben Salazar, and Eric Sevareid.[23]
- A documentary about Salazar by Phillip Rodriguez titled Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle was broadcast on PBS television on April 29, 2014.[24][25]
See also
- History of the Mexican Americans in Los Angeles
- List of journalists killed in the United States
References
- ^ "NNDB". NNDB.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-29. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
- ^ a b c d e Juan Gonzalez (August 31, 2010). "Slain Latino Journalist Rubén Salazar, Killed 40 Years Ago in Police Attack". DemocracyNow.org. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
- ^ Gustavo Reveles Acosta (August 29, 2010). "Ruben Salazar killing left impact on Hispanics, journalism". El Paso Times. Archived from the original on January 10, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
- ^ Pilar Marrero, "Homenaje al periodista angelino Rubén Salazar," La Opinión Newspaper, 22 April 2008.
- ^ a b c García, M. T. (2015). The Chicano generation: Testimonios of the movement. University of California Press
- ^ "Who Is A Chicano? And What Is It The Chicanos Want?". Los Angeles Times. February 6, 1970. p. B7.
- ^ a b c Vigil, E. B. (1999). The crusade for justice: Chicano militancy and the government's war on dissent. The University of Wisconsin Press
- ^ Chavez, Ernesto (2002). Mi Raza Primero! (My People First!): Nationalism, Identity, and Insurgency in the Chicano Movement in Los Angeles, 1966-1978. University of California Press. p. 70.
- ^ a b Lopez, Robert J. (November 18, 1999). "FBI Files Shed Little Light on Ruben Salazar's Death". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 21, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ISBN 1-56025-605-2.
- ^ Robert J. Lopez (February 19, 2011). "No evidence Ruben Salazar was targeted in killing, report says". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2011-02-24. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
- ^ Dave Smith and Paul Houston, "Deputy Says He Did Not Know Kind of Missile," Los Angeles Times, October 6, 1970.
- ^ AELE Law Enforcement Legal Liability Reporter. Law Enforcement Legal Defense Center, Americans for Effective Law Enforcement. 1973. p. 22.
- ^ "Three Times Reporters Win Awards". Los Angeles Times. June 25, 1965. p. A8.
- ^ "Times Assigns Second Reporter to Vietnam". Los Angeles Times. August 8, 1965. p. A1.
- ISBN 0-313-29105-5
- ISBN 9780520270817.
- ISBN 9780679722120.
- ^ "Ruben Salazar, 1928 - 1970". University Library. 2017-09-22. Archived from the original on 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
- ^ "Death of Rubén Salazar | Smithsonian American Art Museum". americanart.si.edu. Archived from the original on 2020-08-27. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
- ^ "Radio station KPCC". 30 August 2010. Archived from the original on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
- ^ "Portrait renews legacy at Salazar Hall" (PDF). California State University, Los Angeles. Fall 2006. Retrieved September 1, 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Sheryl Kornman (September 28, 2007). "UA educator succeeds in getting stamp for Hispanic journalist". Tucson Citizen. Archived from the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
- ^ Documentary on Life, Not Death, of Ruben Salazar Archived 2014-05-02 at the Wayback Machine ABC News, 2014-04-29.
- ^ Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle Archived 2017-09-27 at the Wayback Machine PBS, 2014-04-29.
External links
- Mario T. Garcia, ed., Ruben Salazar: Border Correspondent; Selected Writings, 1955-1970 (University of California Press, 1995).
- Stamp of Salazar issued by the USPS
- Salazar Remembered as Champion of Chicano Rights - video report by Democracy Now!
- Ruben Salazar Collection Archived 2015-09-10 at the Wayback Machine at Sonoma State University Library
- Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle (documentary film)
- Los Angeles Times articles by Salazar
- Image of painting Death of Rubén Salazar at Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Portrait of Ruben Salazar, East Los Angeles, California, 1970. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
- Image of Ruben Salazar interviewing civilians in Vietnam, 1965. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.