Carlos Montes is a nationally respected leader in the Chicano, immigrant rights, and anti-war movements. He was a co-founder of the Brown Berets, a

Chicano Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity for many Mexican Americans in the United States. The label ''Chicano'' is sometimes used interchangeably with ''Mexican American'', although the terms have different meanings. While Mexican-American ident ...

working class youth organization in the United States in the late 1960s and 1970s. The Brown Berets were inspired by and often compared to the Black Panther Party. Montes was one of the leaders of the

Chicano Blowouts The East Los Angeles Walkouts or Chicano Blowouts were a series of 1968 protests by Chicano students against unequal conditions in Los Angeles Unified School District high schools. The first walkout occurred on March 5, 1968. The students who organ ...

, a series of

walkout In labor disputes, a walkout is a labor strike, the act of employees collectively leaving the workplace and withholding labor as an act of protest. A walkout can also mean the act of leaving a place of work, school, a meeting, a company, or an ...

s of

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles ( es, Este de Los Ángeles), or East L.A., is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 118,786, a drop of 6.1% from 2010, when it was 126,496. For statistical purpo ...

high schools to protest against racism and inequality in Los Angeles-area high schools. He is portrayed by Fidel Gomez in the 2006 HBO movie ''

Walkout In labor disputes, a walkout is a labor strike, the act of employees collectively leaving the workplace and withholding labor as an act of protest. A walkout can also mean the act of leaving a place of work, school, a meeting, a company, or an ...

''. He has been facing charges since 2011 on a firearms violation that he and supporters insist is unsubstantiated and politically motivated, intended to stifle dissent.

Early political work

The agenda of the Brown Berets was to fight police harassment, inadequate public schools inadequate health care, inadequate job opportunities, minority education issues, the lack of political representation, and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. It had a 13-point program that included self-determination for Chicanos. It set up branches in Texas, New Mexico, New York, Florida, Chicago, St. Louis and other metropolitan areas with Chicano populations. Montes was indicted twice for the ELA Blowout (he was one of the East LA 13) and later with ten others for conspiracy to commit arson by the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

at a demonstration against then Governor Ronald Reagan in 1969. After threats against his life and beatings by the police and many arrests on false charges, he went underground and lived in Juarez, Mexico, and later in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

, where he did organized labor. He was rearrested in Monterey Park, California in May 1977 and tried. However, with a competent legal defense (provided by attorneys Miguel Garcia and Steve Sanora), community support and a defense committee he was found not guilty of all charges. The Walkout indictment was dismissed as unconstitutional.

Recent political work

Montes remains an activist and is a leader of Latinos Against War, a

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 ...

anti-war organization based in Los Angeles and a member of the immigrant advocacy group the Southern California Immigration Coalition. With the 2003 Bush administration war and occupation of Iraq, Montes helped form and lead L.A. Latinos Against War. He helped to organize protests against the September 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. In December 2008, Montes was a founding member of the Southern California Immigration Coalition, to fight against

Immigration and Customs Enforcement The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration th ...

(ICE) and police repression; and to organize the yearly May 1 marches and rallies to demand full legalization. He continues to fight to defend public education and helped to lead the fight to keep Garfield High School public, his ''alma mater'' in ELA. He is also currently active in the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. On May 7, Montes along with other members of the Legalization for All Network announced their support for the Dump Trump protest. This continues Montes work to support the anti-war movement as well as to continue his fight towards equality and justice for all. His announcement came along with a powerful statement, "Dump Trump and his racist attacks must be our call to action! His rhetoric of hate is blaming immigrants, especially Latinos, for the suffering of the working people. This suffering is in fact caused by the billionaire class that Trump represents. We say 'Dump Trump' and march on the RNC", that reassures the fight against oppression and inequality.

Current political activity

Montes has been organizing against unnecessary

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

raids which tend to focus on dismantling and preventing activist group activity through intimidation.

Arrest

On 17 May 2011, Montes was arrested following an FBI raid in his

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

home. According to reports, his home was ransacked and his computer, cell phones and hundreds of documents such as photographs, diskettes and mementos of his current political activity were removed by FBI. He was arrested on one charge of dealing with a firearm code, and released the following morning. A court appearance was scheduled for June 16, 2011.

References

External links