History of Punk in the United States with Latino people
Many of the bands coming out of the Los Angeles scene were fronted or founded by Latino and Chicano members but rarely did they identify as Latino punk bands specifically but as artists breaking boundaries amongst their white peers.
Dubbed the 'East Side Renaissance', in the 70s bands had began organizing gigs in East LA to highlight Latino and Chicano bands, as well as create a community for people who had previously not been welcomed within the punk community. The venue, The Vex, had many Latino and Chicano artists congrograte and was the center of the East LA renaissance.
Notable bands coming out during this era were The Bags, The Plugz, The Brat, The Zeros, and more. The Bags was fronted by Chicana Alicia Armendariz, better known as Alice Bag. She would go on to join other groups such Cholita! The Female Menudo, alongside famous zinester Vaginal Davis whose father is Mexican. The Plugz were composed of all Latino members. Both were featured in the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization.
The 90s
During the 90s, the Latino and Chicano punk scene exploded, with many bands coming onto the scene and proudly claming their heritage. Artists began intertwinning their culture into their music, such as the integration of Spanish into their lyrics, even if 'broken'. Bands like Los Crudos, Huasipago, Subsistencia, and Kontra Attaque were highly active during this time, and incorporated the issues they cared about into their music.
Keeping true to the punk's core of DIY, many of the bands from the 70s to the 90s did not have management agencies and were responsible for booking their own shows and creating their own merchandise. There was very little separation of band and audience with a lack of barricades and bouncers, as another form of resistence against the corporate music industry. Shows were incredibly cheap as well, ranging from free to about $5.
The reason as to why the Latino punk scene had exploded was due to the numerous political issues that were affecting the community.
Proposition 187
In California, Proposition 187, also known as the Save Our State law, was a 1994 ballot initiative that would restrict public services such as education and non-emergency healthcare for undocumented immigrants. The at-the-time governor Pete Wilson supported the ballot initiative. The issues of Proposition 187 did not solely affect Latinos, but every person who did not meet the arbitrary "standard" for being an American. Those who supported the ballot cite economic reasons due to the economic recession occuring in California at the time.
The proposed law of Proposition 187 opens with,
"The People of California find and declare as follows:
That they have suffered and are suffering economic hardship caused by the presence of illegal aliens in this state.
That they have suffered and are suffering personal injury and damage caused by the criminal conduct of illegal aliens in this state.
That they have a right to the protection of their government from any person or persons entering this country unlawfully.
Therefore, the People of California declare their intention to provide for
cooperation between their agencies of state and local government with the federal government, and to establish a system of required notification by and between such agencies to prevent illegal aliens in the United States from receiving benefits or public services in the State of California."
From the Korean Resource Center on Flickr
David Prasad from Welches, OR., United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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David Prasad from Welches, OR., United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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David Prasad from Welches, OR., United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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The ballot did, unfortunately, pass by nearly 60% but was immediately met with lawsuits. It was found unconstitutional by U.S. District Judge Mariana Pfaelzer in 1998 due to Prop 187 conflicting with federal authority in immigration laws. Proposition 187 also conflicted with the Equal Protection Clause of 14th Amendent, which entitles all children no matter their citizenship status to free public education due to a Supreme Court ruling made during Plyler v. Doe in 1982.
In 1999, the newly elected governor Gray Davis withdrew the appeal for Prop 187, effectively killing the initiative. Although Proposition 187 would've only affected California, the resistance and xenophobia against immigrants was apparent all across the country even now, with a similar bill being passed in Arizona in 2010.
Documentary
Mas Alla De Los Gritos, or Beyond the Screams, is a 1999 documentary centered on the Latino and Chicano punk movement from the 70s to the 90s. It was produced by Martin Sorrondeguy, an Uruguyan immigrant who moved to Pilsen, Illinois as a childen, and who would act as head vocalist for Los Crudos.