Latino-Americans were simply looking for good times, wearing suits that they worked hard to earn money for. Bored of their lives in the barrio, these Latino-Americans showed White-Anglos how to live life and be jovial, even if that meant being “disruptive”. 

Since they were not the model citizens that most Americans strived to be, they were easy targets for xenophobic Americans to harass. Pachucos, after being accused of the attack on the sailors, were then made the victims of a series of violent encounters. 

The most horrifying part of this was the fact that law enforcement officers did nothing to assist the victims and did everything to enable the aggressors. They would make “token arrests” in which they would take the aggressor into custody for a mere few hours and then release them with zero charges placed on them. The rioting only stopped after an ordinance was passed prohibiting sailors from encroaching upon territory populated by the Pachucos.

Decades later, a formal apology was issued by the Los Angeles City Council for sensationalizing the affair but at the end of the day that means very little. The Zoot Suit Riots showed everyone just how unjust the world was for minorities who were simply wanting to indulge in the American Dream just like everyone else.

With the military influence, tensions were high between Patriotic citizens and those who merely wanted to enjoy life after working hard to contribute to the United States.