The Revolt of the Cockroach People

1. The Revolt of the Cockroach People Chapters 6-11 By: Peter Pham Rex Baquiran Joni Nguyen

3. Meaning of “Cockroach” • The Chicanos • The undesired (particularly minorities) presence • Unwanted attention

4. Time Period: 1969 What do you think this picture means or resembles?

5. -Part of the Hippie era -Time of Vietnam War -Violence was not wanted, wanted peace to be promoted -Many protests/strikings for peace -Drugs were found more often than candy

6. Oscar Zeta Acosta A very well known and famous Chicanos Lawyer. He fought for his peoples’ rights, and at the same time, got high. Also known as an attorney, politician, minor novelist, and a Chicano movement activist.

7. Acosta took late night classes at San Francisco Law School and passed his California Bar exam in 1966, then became an antipoverty attorney. It wasn’t until 1968, when he moved to East Los Angeles to join the Chicano movement. He served as an activist attorney, defending other Chicano groups and activists.

8. Oscar Zeta Acosta disappeared in 1974 on the way to Mexico. Last person to hear from him was his son, who told him he was boarding a boat full with snow. "The body was never found, but we surmise that probably, knowing the people he was involved with, he ended up mouthing off, getting into a fight, and getting killed.” -Marco Acosta

9. Known very well back at the time • Possible high reputation in doing his job • Also could have been “infamous” • Often in bar brawls • -250 lbs. + LSD-25 • -Not much of a street fighter • -LSD-25 is known for its psychological effects • -Includes altered thinking processing and synaesthesia, altered sense of time and spiritual experiences.

10. LSD-25 • Used as an entheogen or a recreational drug. • Entheogen: • Psychoactive substance used in religious, shamanic, or spiritual context. • Supplements for healings, transcendence, and revelation which includes meditation, arts projects, psychedelic therapy. • Recreational Drug is the use of a drug, usually psychoactive, with the intention of creating or enhancing recreation experience.

11. Chapter 6 • -Buffalo does drugs with Gilbert, Black Eagle, Mangos, and Lady Feathers • -Gets 10 grand from McCarthy • -puts off trial for another year (had restraining order) • Doctor Francisco Bravo (owner of Pan America Bank) meets with Mayor Yorty, to tells them to stop trying • 6 Chicano Law Students wanted scholar ships for Loyola (cardinal shuts them down)

12. Mangos Miss Feathers Gilbert Black Eagle

13. Chapter 7 -Buffalo tries to convince people to make the church more democratic, however the groups within the community of East L.A. disagrees -Smokes with three other women named Veronica Rosalie and Madeline -Settles into a new apartment with the three women and then forces them to call their grandmother. -“…I am tired of being a legal spokesman, a leader who’s always exempt from danger.”

14. Chapter 8 -Robert gets questioned by the police and Buffalo tries to defend him Why? -Robert dies but no one knew how (possibly murder or suicide) -Buffalo tells the doctors to cut him open (including the face and head) for an autopsy -Nothing was found, so his face was sewn back -Buffalo apologizes that he couldn’t do anything about it and says goodbye to Robert

15. Chapter 9 -Brown goes to court for Robert Fernandez -Goes against the Mayer -Judge is Pitluck -The trial is major because it’s biased against Chicanos -Judge doesn’t allow Brown to object due to “invalid” testimonies of witness -Brown’s only hope was Fernandez’s cell mate, Mickey de Silva -However, Mickey doesn’t talk, therefore causing Brown to lose

16. Chapter 10 -Brown, Gilbert, and Pelan are about to lose the trial, so Brown decides to do something rash… “a movida” -They end up making molotovs and napalm a safeway since farmworkers decided to picket them -They end up getting away safely and have a party at the house with Rosalie, Madelire, and Veronica. -Each man gets a woman, but the girls are way too young. -Brown then changes his name to Zeta and decides to run for sheriff to promote justice

17. Chapter 11 “If it had been another prisoner, particularly if it had been a Chicano or some other cockroach, you can bet your bouts the sheriff would not have covered the way he did.” “‘Cockroach’ you say Mr. Brown?” “Yeah, the cockroach people… You know, the little beasts that everyone steps on.”