Landscape Information
Anchored by the East Los Angeles Civic Center and Ruben Salazar Park, this relatively level, 44-acre historic district traces the 3.7-mile-long route of the National Chicano Moratorium March, held on August 29, 1970. The event was organized by the Chicano Moratorium Committee following a successful 1.1-mile-long march, held nearby in 1969.
The 1970 march included 20,000 to 30,000 participants and was intended to raise concerns about the high casualty rate of Latino soldiers in Vietnam, police violence, poor working conditions, and other issues. Following confrontations between participants and police, the protest devolved into chaos, resulting in the death of three people, including prominent journalist Ruben Salazar.
Beginning at the civic center at South Fetterly Avenue, the route proceeds east along Third Street, turning south at Atlantic Boulevard. The district veers 90-degrees west at Whittier Boulevard, edged by an irregular row of deciduous and palm trees, and low-rise commercial buildings (ca, 1920s-1960s). Significant resources associated with the march include El Barrio Free Clinic (now Mission Furniture Manufacturing) and the Silver Dollar Café (now Sounds of Music Record Store). The former, founded by the Brown Berets in 1968, hosted Moratorium Committee meetings, and the latter is the site Salazar’s death. Passing under Long Beach Freeway, and past two cemeteries (Calvary to the north and Home of Peace Memorial Park and Mortuary to the south) the route continues along the boulevard, terminating at Salazar Park. The park is edged to the north and east by an allée of palm trees, well established before the demonstration.
While streetscape features, including lamps, have been replaced since the event, the orientation of the streets along the route, the scale of the building envelope, and the character of the boulevards have not been significantly altered. The district was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.
