Report of “Continued Disorder” in Los Angeles, 1943

‘’Hundreds of service men prowling downtown Los Angeles mostly on foot – apparently on prowl for Mexicans.’’
‘’Men found carrying hammock clues, belts, knives, and tire irons when searched by patrol after arrest.’’ Hammock clues are the lines and metal grommets used to suspend hammocks.

Report of “Continued Disorder” in Los Angeles 1943

Though in many press reports, the “zoot suiters” were seen as the instigators of the violence, the Navy’s records show a clear concern with the behavior of Naval personnel towards the Mexican community in Los Angeles.

National Archives, Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments