Chicanos' protest by cruising Whittier Boulevard in memory of Ruben Salazar.

Aug 30, 2020
2 min read

Updated: Sep 23, 2021

On August 29, 2020, Unity Cruise La presented a cruise protest to remember Ruben Salazar and the victims of police abuse. The gathering took place on Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles, California.

50 years ago an anti-Vietnam War movement took place where Chicano anti-war activists organized protest to oppose the Vietnam War. Activist group “Brown Berets” staged a walkout in 1968 and protested on August 29, 1970. At that time thousands demonstrated and marched. It was known to be one of the largest marches by Mexican-Americans. In 1970, the march took place at Laguna Park which is now known as Ruben F. Salazar Park. Over 30,000 people participated on Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles. The protest was broken up by local police indicating reports that a nearby liquor store was robbed. Situations got worst were 150 arrests were made and four were killed. One award-winning Journalist, Ruben Salazar was among those killed.

Few members of the “Brown Beret” attended to assist with a peaceful protest. Many people walked the street and came out of their shops to see. A DJ played music to get the cruise vibe.

Many events happened in 2020 to protest against police abuse. This protest gathered many people who brought their classic cars to cruise Whittier Boulevard on this day. We the people believe change has to be made due to all the violence and killing of Latinos and blacks in the community. Stand up, protest, vote and make a change.

About Ruben Salazar

Ruben Salazar was a civil rights activist and report for the Los Angeles Times. He was the first Mexican-American journalist to cover the Chicano community. Mr. Salazar supported the Chicano movement in his early journalist life in the mainstream. He was killed on August 29, 2019 due to a National Chicano Moratorium march in East Los Angeles, California.