The Revolt of the Cockroach People

1. The Revolt of the Cockroach People Chapters 17-19 Including the Afterword By: Peter Pham Rex Baquiran Joni Nguyen

2. Chapter 17 -Subpoenas 133 judges to cross examine “…We are claiming that this court has no jurisdiction to proceed b/c the indicting body was w/o legal power to bring these defendants to trial… b/c the judges who selected the Grand Jury discriminated against the class of persons to whom the defendants pertain.” (218) -Brings in Doctor Joan Moore to establish the definition of a Chicano, and that they are subject to discrimination -Brown goes through all the judges and believes they all are lying yet he continues to go through them for 6 hours a day for months -It comes down to Judge Older but he refuses to answer any questions and says he only puts “qualified” people to be on Grand Jury -Brown gets to then select the jury for Zanzibar’s trial “I can fight like hell… but that far, to forget everything else, my life… I don’t know either.” (233)

3. Chapter 18: Zanzibar’s Trial -Officer Fernando Sumaya takes the stand in the beginning -States that he did not see the killing of a person at the Silver Dollar Bar when tear gas was fired. -However, he saw the tear gas next to the jukebox and heard a shot fired by a policeman named Wilson -Tom Wilson had his side of the story. He shot a bazooka into the bar that Zanzibar was in and killed him -Officer Valencia then takes the stand. Valencia arrested 26 people for “burglary” due to advice from his superiors -The judge instructs the jury to find each and every element of the offense listed

4. Chapter 18 cont.. -Brown wants to prove that Judd Davis had everything to do with the murder of Zanzibar -Ironic because Brown used to teach with Davis -Brown accused Davis of killing Zanzibar because he knew too much Cesar Chavez comes to court “His testimony, although it has nothing to do with the guilt or innocence of any defendant, has become crucial in our struggle for credibility” (250) -The judge instructs the jury to find each and every element of the offense listed

5. Chapter 19 -All of Tooner Flats 7 are innocent of all felonies -Found Corky guilty of a misdemeanor possession of a weapon even when Buffalo stated he had the right to carry a weapon. -Kisses and says goodbye to Elena, but she says she will be back. -Buffalo is headed to San Francisco. -”I was just one of a bunch of Cockroaches that helped start a revolution to burn down a stinking world. And no matter what kind of end this is, I’ll still play with matches.” -With a Chicano Handsnake for Pelon, Sailor Boy, and Gilbert; Buffalo says goodbye for now.

6. Afterword Introduction By: Marco Acosta -Wasn’t expecting to write an afterword at all -Never considered the idea until he got an idea -To express some thoughts about his father (Oscar Zeta Acosta) -Hopes that readers can understand of the very important works of Mexican-American literature and of the 1960s.

7. Marco Acosta -Son of Oscar Zeta Acosta -Age of fourteen when he disappeared -Last person (known) to talk to his dad (Oscar Zeta Acosta) before disappearance in 1974 -Disappeared from Mazatlan, Mexico using a friend’s sailing boat -Right before getting onto the boat, Oscar was planning to ride back into the States and bailing out on the boat ride

8. Marco Acosta (cont.) -He said he hoped he knew what he was doing with his life -Many rumors of what happened to Oscar: -Shot by one of the “thugs” he was hanging with in Mexico -Spotted somewhere off the coast of Hawaii or Florida -No one really knows what happened for sure, including the FBI and the U.S. Coast Guard – or they say.

9. Parent Relationship -Has the good fortune to have good parents -They were a source of strength and inspiration to whatever he did -The older he gets, the more he appreciates, respects, and understands them. -Has a very special relationship with his mother and still does -You can tell that their relationship with each is very strong and supporting

10. -Fifteen years since Oscar’s death have been a time of soul-searching, sadness, and seemingly endless philosophizing about his own mortality. -Marco’s desire was to “resurrect” Zeta, and to somehow increase the public’s awareness and understand of his life, work, and what he stood for. -First projects were to reprint: -The Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo -The Revolt of the Cockroach People -Have been told that they were collector’s items.

11. Additional Projects: -Preservation of Father’s work for future generations. -Establishment of the Oscar Zeta Acosta Collection in the Chicano studies collection at University of California, Santa Barbara. -There will be papers, letters, files, and videos that will be accessible to the public. -A motion picture based on one or both of the books, which had been negotiated. -Wants the films to be an accurate portrayal of his life and times.

12. Advertisement in Rolling Stone for his Book "Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo.” Possibly A collector’s item

13. Oscar used to always rhetorically ask Marco: “Today would be a great day to die, wouldn’t it?” It was kind of a scary thing to say back then as a child, but Marco saw him trying to say: “You’ve got to live one day at a time, and you must live each day as if it were your last.” And that was exactly how he lived his life. (Pg. 260)

14. -Every century a few individuals are born who are destined to lead the weak, to hold unpopular beliefs and, most important, who are willing to die for their cause. -Oscar’s whole life was given to fight for “the people,” as he used to say, which is very true. -Fearless and committed fighter that struggled against racism and oppression in America. -Usually always followed by the law during the violent times in Los Angeles in the early seventies, while friends of unpopular ideas are always held in suspicion.

15. -Many times where Marco was told that he should always be prepared for the possibility that he might be gunned down and shot by his adversaries, when being surrounded by violence. -On occasion, his own people even betrayed him. -Although it deeply disturbed Marco, all the riots, violence, and arguing never really seemed to bother his father, Oscar. “The search for truth and justice consumed my father’s life and it is an important part of both his books.”

16. -Zeta was never more angry and savage than when he felt he was being lied to. -The search for truth and justice had probably led to his ruin. -In the final days, there were furious riots, constant enemies following him, drugs, and the confusion of his destiny. -Many thanks were given to people who have helped his father, Oscar. -Some had given him advice, to medicine, to inspiration, etc.