A 140 Year Old Truth

With further research of the Chinese Massacre of 1871, I learned that this mass lynching event was caused by social and racial tensions that were neglected intentionally. The event denotes a spontaneous outbreak of not only societal pressure, but also pure hatred. Although they were new to Los Angeles, the Chinese population was feared because of their abilities to work long hours and move upward in the career field, which caused resentment to the people in the already afflicted Los Angeles economy. The Chinese were also alienated from society because of the large contrast between the Asian culture and religion and the Anglo-dominated population of Los Angeles then. This struggle between the two racial classes, as well as the moving in of Blacks, exacerbated Los Angeles’s attempt to recover from its severely declining economy from the end of the American Civil War. Moreover, Los Angeles anticipated the building of a railway from the city that connected with all parts of Southern California to promote the city. Ultimately, the city’s larger vision, to encourage individuals and families to settle in Los Angeles, slowly diminished because of the massacre.

Victims of mob event

The offenses against the Chinese became so severe that during the Civil War, the California Legislature made it illegal for a Chinese man to testify against a white man in court. This motivated a mob of 500 killers who demolished Chinatown in downtown Los Angeles and 17 Chinese individuals on the street of Calle de los Negros. More importantly, the impractical lynching of innocent individuals was not enough for the involvement of the police enforcement. In fact, it is inferred that the Los Angeles authorities and justice system deliberately concealed the news of the massacre and allowed the massacre and its effects to continue. To them, the killings, and ultimately deaths, of Chinese Americans was a shame and embarrassment to the outside world because it did little to promote Los Angeles.

Overall, this truth was buried and never publicly released to attain the greatest attention from the mass public for over 140 years.  There is not a single plaque, memorial, or statue that physically represents this horrendous massacre, and it is highly plausible that the city purposely eliminated this memory from its history.  

This newfound knowledge of the 1871 massacre led me to realize that many other historical and current events of Los Angeles are left hidden, including the Watts Riot and other following riots resembling a similar conflict. Because of its history and “habit” of forgetting the causes and effects of racially stimulated riots, Los Angeles’s culture is characterized by uncomfortable pasts and the inability to face the sorrows and pressures that the people desperately exhibit. Perhaps a solution to this problem is to expose the truths of riots and histories of Los Angeles that are hidden today in classrooms and public events, which can further spread awareness and promote a greater kind of community within this dynamic city. 

Also, I found out that one of the professors here at USC has recently edited a collection called The Blackwells of Los Angeles that includes one of the articles for the Chinese Massacre. Click here to view an online version of the article!