The Pittsburgh Press (June 12, 1943)
Zoot suit war ends –
Sharpies and slick chicks seek peace with sailors
Delegation of reet pleat clan tells police word has been passed to ‘cut the rough stuff’
Los Angeles, California (UP) –
Zoot-suit rioting ended today in unanimous expressions of regret and goodwill. The sharpies and slick chicks themselves made the overtures.
Six cars, packed with 53 representatives of East Side gangs, hoisted American flags and white banners of truce above the radiators and paraded through the downtown area to central police headquarters.
They told Capt. Joe Reed, administrative officer:
We’re good Americans. We’re not Mexicans or anything else. And we want you to know we’re passing the word along to cut out the rough stuff.
Police pledge cooperation
Capt. Reed guaranteed police cooperation and took eight of them home himself when he decided their autos were overloaded.
The entire metropolitan area was quiet, with only scattered disturbances which would normally not be noted.
Symbolic of the change was Luis “The Chief” Verdusco, 27-year-old master of an eight-suit zoot wardrobe. Jailed earlier this week, he wore a reet outfit and the ducktail hairdo of a zoot clan.
Appearing yesterday for arraignment on a charge of violating the Deadly Weapon Act, he had a neat haircut and a regulation suit. He said, “I’m through with zooting.”
Army and Navy officials earlier had called off soldiers and sailors who had been ripping the clothes off the zoot-suiters in an attempt to halt the fighting.
Soldiers get warning
Maj. Gen. Maxwell, commander of the southern sector of the Western Defense Command, said adequate punishment by a military court would follow for soldiers guilty of street fighting.
The Navy strengthened shore patrols and made public a telegram from RAdm. D. W. Bagley, commandant of the 11th Naval District, to Alfredo Elias Calles, Mexican Consul here, pointing out that he had acted to cope with the “deplorable situation.”
I deeply regret that individual incidents of hoodlumism in Los Angeles have been interpreted as acts specifically involving nationals of either Mexico or the United States. For the very explicit reason in your telegram, I already have acted to cope with the deplorable situation and will continue to act within my prerogatives until matters are adjusted to our mutual satisfaction… You and I are sympathetic to each other’s position in a situation which should have been classified as simple rowdyism and handled accordingly at its inception.
Hearings begin Tuesday
The admiral also expressed admiration for Mexico, which he said had been increased through understanding of the consul’s “sincere motive.”
Public hearings were scheduled to pry into the background of the rioting. The county grand jury begins an official prove Tuesday. A citizen’s committee and State Attorney General Robert Kenny, meanwhile, pushed their investigation. Mr. Kenny officially denied any foreign motivation of the riots.