Sleepy Lagoon Riot

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Since the creation of prison and the legal courtroom many innocent citizens have gone to prison for a crime they didn’t commit or sentenced to a ridiculous amount of time for a crime that doesn’t fit the time. This can be seen in Sleepy Lagoon Trail and the current incarceration system we have. With unfair justice comes chaos and wanting to change the system as seen by the Zoot Suit Riots in 1940’s and the Black Lives Matter movement in 2016. I will be comparing and contrasting these two topics and the effects it has on citizens lives.

The Sleepy Lagoon Trial is a horrific incident that takes place in commerce, California on August 2, 1942, Jose Diaz brutally beat up by Louie a white male and Jose was left to die. Later Jose was found and died from a fractured skull. Louie was integrated but
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These groups are sentenced to prison for absurd amount of time, while whites as seen in the film “13th” by Ava DeVernay, get less time in prison for crimes that are worse or at below the average of African-American sentence.

The Zoot Suit Riots and Black Lives Matter movement was a reaction of the public after years of being oppressed by the government. For example, the Zoot Suit Riot began over the result of the Sleepy Lagoon Trial because the public knew that the men convicted were not the attackers but just innocent. Same goes for the Black Lives movement, young black men are unfairly given unnecessary charges and sentences. Both resulting in people rallying to get justice.

In conclusion, men in the justice system are treated as animals and so are sentenced to absurd sentences especially minority groups that can not do anything else than rally to force public officials to take a look at the situation. Like the Zoot Suit riot that was forced to be dealt as is the Black Lives Matter movement at this very