3rd of May 2016.
The purpose of this essay is to discuss one of the most influential movements in the United States. We are going to discuss its rise, expansion, its decline as well as its offensive acts that were performed to deliver particular messages. Let`s take a closer look on how it all started.
Origins, Expansion & Downfall.
The Young Lords is a Puerto Rican political movement that was remarkably active during the 1960s era in the mainland (United States). It was initially categorized as a gang, yet Jose Cha Cha Jimenez managed to lead the transition of the former gang to a legitimate political movement based in Chicago. Those people were described as follows in the We Took The Streets book “They were children of the television era, city people, formally better-educated than I’d ever been” (Melendez). The movement was categorized as a socialist-leftist political movement that rose among many other movements during this era, such as the Black Panthers, Brown Berets and Students for a Democratic Society. “The Young Lords were heavily influenced by the Black Panthers and grassroots protests against the Vietnamese War.” (Bronx Museum). The main objectives for the Young Lords were to end the police brutality and discrimination against the Puerto Ricans regarding the housing and public services as well as fighting capitalism. Their goals escalated to the point of seeking liberation of their country later on.
The new movement expanded rapidly; it established a new chapter in New York City where 80% of the Puerto Ricans who immigrated live. However, the movement came to an end in 1973 along with other social movements, as a result of the FBI COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) efforts. This program was basically illegal back then and it was based on infiltrating movements and cracking them down.
The Young Lords` Acts.
The movement was enrolled with several acts starting from riots to peaceful protests and taking over churches and hospitals for demonstration to deliver a certain message. From my own point of view, the most successful and direct offensive act was the “Garbage Offensive”. The garbage piles were neglected by the authorities in East Harlem; when the Puerto Ricans approached the Local Department of Sanitation for brooms so they can clean the neighborhood themselves, a rejection was the outcome (UMICH). As a result, the movement cleaned their neighborhood with their own brooms and moved the garbage pile in the middle of a major street and blocked the traffic as a way to grab the government`s attention. To which extent do I agree with the movement`s acts? Well, I totally support freedom of speech and demonstrations as long as it doesn’t include vandalism or pose a threat to the national security. So any act that goes under this umbrella, I see it that it is totally legitimate and actually healthy for the society. The Young Lords had a 13-Point Program (Wanzer) that perfectly sums up their vision and demands for change in the society.
In conclusion, the 1960s has witnessed a lot of social movements that were seeking change in the United States. The Young Lords had its share, whether you were against their demands or supporting them, either way no one can deny its impact in the American History as well as its effect on the Puerto Ricans immigrants who lived on the mainland back then.
Works Cited.
Bronx Museum. ¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York. 18. Oct. 2015. Web. 3. Mar. 2016.
Melendez, Miguel. We Took the Streets. New Jersey: Rutgers University, 2005. Print.
UMICH. Projects and Programs of the Young Lords. Web. 3. Mar.2016.
Wanzer, Darrel. The Young Lords. New York: New York University Press, 2010. Web.
