Chicano Revolt and Political Response: Grassroots Change in the South Texas Town of Pharr After the 1971 Riot
Abstract
“Chicano Revolt and Political Response: Grassroots Change in the South Texas Town of Pharr After the 1971 Riot,” is a study that focuses on the history of Pharr and how one event in the early 1970s, the riot, prompted change for citizens living in the city. Since the city’s founding in the early twentieth century, Anglos and ethnic Mexicans were segregated from one another, and those in power used the railroad tracks as the physical color line to keep both groups separated. Months before the riot, ethnic Mexicans living in the barrios located on the north side of the city attempted to bring attention to their horrid living conditions as well as allegations of police brutality by petitioning the mayor and city commissioners to act. However, the inaction of the local leaders strained relations between them and the people of in the barrios. This inaction, along with the death of an innocent bystander, had a role on why the riot occurred and the changes that followed in the months, and years after.
Subject Area
History
Recommended Citation
Robles, David, "Chicano Revolt and Political Response: Grassroots Change in the South Texas Town of Pharr After the 1971 Riot" (2018). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI10791843.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI10791843