Los Siete (film)
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Los Siete de la Raza (The Seven of the Hispanic Community) was the label given to seven young
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
s from the
Mission District The Mission District (Spanish: ''Distrito de la Misión''), commonly known as The Mission (Spanish: ''La Misión''), is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. One of the oldest neighborhoods in San Francisco, the Mission District's name is ...
of
San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
who were involved in a 1969 altercation with police that left one officer dead. The incident and subsequent trial became a ''
cause célèbre A cause célèbre (,''Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged'', 12th Edition, 2014. S.v. "cause célèbre". Retrieved November 30, 2018 from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/cause+c%c3%a9l%c3%a8bre ,''Random House Kernerman Webs ...
'' of the Latin-American community and the
New Left The New Left was a broad political movement mainly in the 1960s and 1970s consisting of activists in the Western world who campaigned for a broad range of social issues such as civil and political rights, environmentalism, feminism, gay rights, g ...
. All seven were acquitted.


Incident

The young
Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
n men—Gary Lescallett, Rodolfo Antonio (Tony) Martinez, Mario Martinez, Jose Rios, Nelson Rodriguez, Danilo Melendez and George Lopez—were approached by plainclothes San Francisco Police Department officers Joe Brodnik and Paul McGoran while the former were moving a stereo or TV into a house at 429-433 Alvarado Street on May 1, 1969, at around 10:30 a.m. A struggle ensued and Brodnik was fatally shot with McGoran's gun. When police descended on the crime scene, they entered the house and assumed the suspects were hiding in the attic. As a police helicopter hovered overhead, they flooded the building with tear gas and sent a fire truck ladder up to the roof to facilitate the search while officer Brodnik's corpse lay untended on the sidewalk. Three days later, six of the youths were arrested for Brodnik's murder, the attempted murder of McGoran, and burglary. The seventh, George Lopez, was never apprehended. They were defended by the activist lawyers
Charles Garry Charles R. Garry (March 17, 1909 – August 16, 1991) was an Armenian-American civil rights attorney who represented a number of high-profile clients in political cases during the 1960s and 1970s, including Huey P. Newton during his 1968 capital ...
and Richard Hodge, lauded by left entities like '' Ramparts'' magazine. The young Latinos included four Salvadorans, one Nicaraguan, and one Honduran, some of whom had been involved in the youth group the Mission Rebels (founded in 1965); and later in pan-Latino organizations such as COBRA (Confederation of Brown Race for Action) at the College of San Mateo, and the
Brown Berets The Brown Berets (Spanish: ''Los Boinas Cafés'') is a pro-Chicano paramilitary organization that emerged during the Chicano Movement in the late 1960s. David Sanchez and Carlos Montes co-founded the group modeled after the Black Panther Par ...
, which was an organization founded by
David Sanchez David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
and
Vickie Castro Victoria "Vickie" Castro (born August 20, 1946) is an American educator and political activist known for her work with the Young Citizens for Community Action, Brown Berets, and the East L.A. walkouts. Castro went on to work for the Los Angel ...
.


Trial

After the initial arrests, Los Siete spent several months in prison without bail. During the pre-trial, there was outrage at the manner in which the young men had been subject to illegal
search and seizure Search and seizure is a procedure used in many civil law and common law legal systems by which police or other authorities and their agents, who, suspecting that a crime has been committed, commence a search of a person's property and confiscat ...
.
Charles Garry Charles R. Garry (March 17, 1909 – August 16, 1991) was an Armenian-American civil rights attorney who represented a number of high-profile clients in political cases during the 1960s and 1970s, including Huey P. Newton during his 1968 capital ...
served as an attorney during the case. The trial began in late June 1970. The prosecution maintained that one of the youths wrested McGoran's gun from him and shot Brodnik. Officer McGoran testified that they approached the youths and lined them up, then he struck one in the face and was jumped by "more than one assailant." The last thing he remembered hearing was Brodnik shouting, "Look out Paul, he's got your gun." The defense said McGoran pulled his gun and shot Brodnik during the struggle, and brought forth witnesses to testify to his and Brodnik's
excessive use of force Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...
in previous incidents. McGoran denied drawing his gun. The defense tried to paint McGoran as a racist and alcoholic who tended to draw his gun during arrests. His estranged wife testified that her husband carried marijuana and other drugs on that he planted on suspects to ensure their convictions. Furthermore, throughout the sixteen or so weeks of the trial, Los Siete and their team effectively defended themselves in court. Four of Los Siete, Jose Rios, Mario Martinez, Tony Martinez, and Danilo “BeBe” Melendez took the stand. Through their testimonies, they increasingly unraveled the charges made against them as each of their recollections of the incident were shown to match up. The prosecution case, which was led by District Attorney Thomas Norman, and the charges made against Los Siete were invalided. Eventually all seven defendants were acquitted.
Yolanda López Yolanda Margarita López (November 1, 1942 – September 3, 2021) was an American painter, printmaker, educator, and film producer. She was known for her Chicana feminist works focusing on the experiences of Mexican-American women, often challeng ...
was the designer for the poster that was used during the trial of Los Siete de la Raza. It is also important to note that court sessions were widely attended by other young radicals, including Black Panther
Huey P. Newton Huey Percy Newton (February 17, 1942 – August 22, 1989) was an African-American revolutionary, notable as founder of the Black Panther Party. Newton crafted the Party's ten-point manifesto with Bobby Seale in 1966. Under Newton's leadershi ...
and two of the
Chicago Seven The Chicago Seven, originally the Chicago Eight and also known as the Conspiracy Eight or Conspiracy Seven, were seven defendants—Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, John Froines, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Lee Weiner—charged b ...
.


Officer Background

The
Mission District The Mission District (Spanish: ''Distrito de la Misión''), commonly known as The Mission (Spanish: ''La Misión''), is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. One of the oldest neighborhoods in San Francisco, the Mission District's name is ...
used to be known for its Irish, Italian, and German immigrant population during the early 1900s up until the late 1940s due to the State of California's mass Latinx immigration and mass immigration in general. Both Officer McGoran and Officer Brodnik in fact grew up in the Mission District during their early years in 1930s-1940s. Both men attended Mission High, Brodnick was known for his basketball skills which ultimately lead Mission High to its first championship in 50 years. Once Brodnick married he decided to move to the outskirts of the Mission District and joined the SanFransisco Police Department in 1956. On the other hand, McGoran was a Vietanm veteran and a retired United Air Lines mechanic. McGoran and Brodnick were known to be notorious in the community. McGoran was known to be a heavy drinker and was quick to draw his gun. They were constantly harassing the people of the neighborhood, Officer Brodnick allegedly would carry a rubber hose with him although unclear if it were used during beatings. Their reputation was developed through the
San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...
Strike due to the beatings they were giving protestors along with arresting them.


Activism

The "Los Siete" Defense Committee, housed near 24th and South Van Ness, raised support for the seven Mission District youths and obtained assistance from the
Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxist-Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, Califo ...
. Th
La Raza Information Center
began operating in the summer of 1970 in the vacant storefront next to "Los Siete". It ran many programs, including Centro de Salud, which offered free bilingual services that eventually put pressure on public hospitals in the area to do the same. It also ran a free breakfast program, a community newspaper, and its main program, the "Los Siete" Defense Committee.


Connections to Other Activist Groups

Huey P. Newton Huey Percy Newton (February 17, 1942 – August 22, 1989) was an African-American revolutionary, notable as founder of the Black Panther Party. Newton crafted the Party's ten-point manifesto with Bobby Seale in 1966. Under Newton's leadershi ...
, co-founder of the
Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxist-Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, Califo ...
, frequently worked with Los Siete and the
Brown Berets The Brown Berets (Spanish: ''Los Boinas Cafés'') is a pro-Chicano paramilitary organization that emerged during the Chicano Movement in the late 1960s. David Sanchez and Carlos Montes co-founded the group modeled after the Black Panther Par ...
. In a message written in ''Basta Ya!'' Huey wrote, "I want you to know that the Black Panther Party and the Black Community is behind you in your struggle 100%... It is our intention to help you in everything possible until set free."Basta Ya! no. 2, 1969


References


Further reading

* Heins, Marjorie. ''Strictly Ghetto Property: The Story of Los Siete de la Raza'' (Berkeley: Ramparts, 1972). * Ferreira, Jason. ''Venceremos!: Los Siete de La Raza and Third World Radicalism in San Francisco'', 1969–1975. Department of Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley


External links


Los Siete de La Raza film

La Raza Community Resource Center
{{Authority control 1969 in California 1970 in California Hispanic and Latino American culture in San Francisco Race and law in the United States Mission District, San Francisco History of San Francisco San Francisco Police Department