McNair Scholars Journal Volume 19 | Issue 1 Article 4 2015 "They Do Not Treat Us Like Human Beings": Latino-Police Relations in 1960's Chicago Crisol G. Beliz Grand Valley State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mcnair Recommended Citation Beliz, Crisol G. (2015) ""They oD Not Treat Us Like Human Beings": Latino-Police Relations in 1960's Chicago," McNair Scholars Journal: Vol. 19 : Iss. 1 , Article 4. Available at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mcnair/vol19/iss1/4 Copyright © 2015 by the authors. McNair Scholars Journal is reproduced electronically by ScholarWorks@GVSU. http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/ mcnair?utm_source=scholarworks.gvsu.edu%2Fmcnair%2Fvol19%2Fiss1%2F4&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages “They Do Not Treat Us Like Human Beings”: Latino-Police Relations in 1960’s Chicago Instances of police brutality against even though the issue of police brutality unarmed African-Americans dominate continued to negatively affect the the news and media outlets. Stories community. Their efforts were not in vain; of police brutality against unarmed instead, their actions were able to bring citizens across the United States have the Latino community of Chicago into garnered the attention of a worldwide the larger national conversation about the audience. Names such as Eric Garner mistreatment of marginalized groups in and Rodney King were embedded in the 1960’s. people’s memories, but what about names like Manuel Ramos? Members Puerto Ricans in Chicago of the Latino1 community have also Puerto Ricans have been migrating to been victims of police brutality, even Chicago since the early years of the though this community is often left twentieth century. After World War II out of the conversation. The Puerto there was a surge in migration from Rican community in Chicago during Puerto Rico. Between the years of 1946- the 1960’s experienced first-hand the 1950 an average of 30,000 Puerto Ricans Crisol Beliz effects of police brutality, most notably were migrating to the US annually.2 Due McNair Scholar in the cases of Celestino González to deplorable economic conditions on the and Silvano Burgos, Arcelis Cruz, and island, Puerto Ricans left for the United Manuel Ramos and Rafael Rivera. The States in search of jobs. These economic Latino community attempted to bring conditions were brought on by the United attention to the state of Latino-police States’ takeover of Puerto Rico. The relations in the 1960’s through various island’s multi-crop economy switched to a means because there was a lack of single cash crop.3 Sugar companies took awareness of their struggle with police over Puerto Rican land and paid workers brutality and excessive use of force. some of the lowest agricultural wages How did the Puerto Rican community in Latin America. In Puerto Rico sugar respond to police brutality and the use plantation workers were paid an average of excessive force in 1960’s Chicago? daily wage of 67 cents while in Cuba and Police brutality, in combination with Honduras the average daily wage was other factors (i.e., poverty, discrimination, over $1.20.4 Some Puerto Ricans believed segregated housing, etc.), gradually led jobs in the United States could provide to the development of a Latino political steady employment and better wages. consciousness beginning with a letter- Although unemployment information David Stark writing campaign, a violent protest, is unavailable during this time, there Faculty Mentor and eventually a call for unity among is data on the economically inactive marginalized—specifically Blacks and population. In 1935, 24.2 percent of men Latinos—groups who raised their were economically inactive compared collective voices for action. With their to 65.7 percent of women.5 Without the combined efforts, these communities opportunity to migrate to the United were able to bring attention to police States the unemployment rate would have brutality against the Latino community, been unmanageably high.6 1. Paul Taylor et al., “When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics and Their Views of Identity,” Pew Research Center: Hispanic Trends, April 4, 2012, http://www.pewhispanic.org/2012/04/04/when-labels-dont-fit-hispanics- and-their-views-of-identity/ . Latinos are persons of Latin American ancestry living in the United States. Latino is often used interchangeably with Hispanic. The Pew Hispanic center uses the terms interchangeably in articles. There is frequent debate regarding the interchangeability of these terms. Hispanic is the preferred term used by most Hispanics/Latinos according to a survey conducted by Pew Hispanic center. 2. Felix M. Padilla, Puerto Rican Chicago, (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1987), 56. 3. Felix M. Padilla, Latino Ethnic Consciousness, (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1985), 39. 4. Dietz, James L., Economic History of Puerto Rico: Institutional Change and Capitalist Development, (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1986), 111. 5. Ibid., 131. 6 GVSU McNair Scholars Journal Mass migration to Chicago was Puerto Ricans had a different culture, Ricans as valuable community members the result of two things. First, there was spoke a different language, and did not Puerto Ricans faced various types a private job recruiting agency called quite have the physical characteristics of of discrimination in Chicago. For Castle, Barton, and Associates set up in Whites or Blacks; they were somewhere example, they faced discrimination in Puerto Rico in 1946 to recruit workers in between these two categories. Unable housing. Upon their arrival they were for the Chicago area.7 Recruits were to fit within either community made it relegated to some of the most run-down hired for domestic work and to work in hard for them to navigate their space in neighborhoods in the city. Most of them heavy industry, like the steel mills. Second, Chicago. Puerto Ricans couldn’t live in moved into areas like the Lincoln Park Puerto Ricans felt Chicago offered more white neighborhoods because they weren’t neighborhood (See figure 1, number 3). economic opportunity than cities like White and there was still much prejudice In an interview with José “Cha Cha” New York. New York had previously against Hispanics. These migrants also Jimenez, the founder of the YLO, been the destination of choice for Puerto came from a remarkably different culture said there were certain neighborhoods Rican migrants to the U.S., but this with its own cuisine, traditions, and values. Puerto Ricans could not go in, and even changed in the 1940’s when fewer jobs Most Latino groups, including certain streets they could not go past.13 were available.8 This led Puerto Ricans Puerto Ricans, tended to socialize Job discrimination was another concern to look for other options, and they began among themselves which distanced them for many Latinos and Puerto Ricans in migrating to cities in the Midwest like from other ethnic groups, contributing Chicago. Certain hiring practices such Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Chicago. 9 to their isolation. Many communities as strict educational requirements kept Once they arrived Puerto Ricans often divided themselves along ethnic many Puerto Ricans in working-class jobs had a hard time finding their place in lines, which is evident in many social as busboys, janitors, waiters, and other Chicago’s racial hierarchy. In 1940, organizations created by Latinos and similar positions.14 The most pressing Chicago’s Black population was 278,000 other marginalized groups. Examples of of their concerns was police brutality. and its White population was 3,115,000, this include the Brown Berets and the Police officers viewed Latinos and other while Chicago’s total population was Young Lords Organization (YLO) and marginalized communities with hostility 3,396,808. By 1950 Chicago’s Black gangs like the Latin Kings or the Mexican because of their different backgrounds. population had doubled to 492,000 and Mob. In socializing among their own This hostility was often reflected in continued to increase each subsequent ethnic groups Latinos found support with relations between the police and Latinos. decade reaching 1,197,000 (or 40 percent other Puerto Ricans and Mexicans who The Puerto Ricans of 1960’s Chicago of the total population of Chicago) were able to sympathize as there is strong often did not feel protected by police, by 1980, while the White population kinship developed among the Pan-ethnic and responded to instances of police declined accounting for only 50 percent Latino groups. This is likely because brutality in different ways that eventually of Chicago’s total population at nearly ethnic groups share the same language led to the development of their political 1.5 million.10 The 1960 census first and culture, enabling them to talk consciousness. enumerated Puerto Ricans in Chicago; about their homelands with those who it revealed the Puerto Rican population understand and share common traditions Latino-Police Relations of Chicago to be 32,371, which would and beliefs. After migrating to a foreign Police brutality can be defined as any double in the next decade.11 As Puerto country many ethnic groups follow this hostile action an officer makes against Ricans began arriving in large numbers, similar pattern because being reminded a citizen. For example, this might they struggled to fit within Chicago’s of home provides comfort. Another include using derogatory language racial hierarchy. This difficulty was a result problem for Puerto Ricans is that they when addressing minorities or using of the Black-White binary in the United often returned to the island – since Puerto excessive force in the handling or arrest States, whereby race is seen largely as Rico is a part of the U.S. they can come of citizens. At the Democratic National Black or White and everything in between and go as they please, and many did.