Brown, Not White: School Integration and the Chicano Movement in Houston

7. All Hell Broke Loose

chapter 7 All Hell Broke Loose The school board disruption of Monday, September 14, 1970, was a significant event in MAEC’s struggle for recognition. It took place in the context of increasing intimidation of parents and students involved in the boycott and illustrated the willingness of youth to use violent tactics to effect change. Although MAEC was effectively utilizing “radical” methods to achieve its goal of board recognition, it had not resorted to violence. Violence , however, was tolerated and even accepted by youth-based organizations and by youths within MAEC. This became apparent at the regularly scheduled monthly school board meeting when young people from MAYO and the Chicano Student Committee (CSC) used force to get board attention . This disruption in the school board meeting eventually led to property destruction and the arrest of fourteen individuals, including nine MAYO members. Most members of MAEC disagreed with the youths’ tactics but they supported them nonetheless. Many of them also blamed school board officials for this incident. The use of violence by the young people clashed with MAEC’s philosophy of peaceful negotiation and indicated how youths were ready and willing to use violence to accomplish their goals. It illustrated, in stark terms, the impatience of young Mexican Americans with established authorities. The following provides a detailed look at the events leading to what the media labeled a “mini-riot” at the school board meeting and its political consequences on MAEC’s struggle for recognition and on school reform in general. requesting time to speak MAEC’s intention was to speak before the school board members on Monday evening and commend them for engaging in a good-faith effort to meet its demands. MAEC leaders also wanted to encourage the board to pursue an appeal of the pairing plan to the U.S. Supreme Court. The initial preparation for this school board meeting occurred the week of September 7. During the early part of this week Abe Ramírez, legal counsel for MAEC, phoned the secretary of the school board’s president and requested time on the agenda. There was no official response to his request.1 Over the weekend Leonel Castillo approached the superintendent about speaking at the board meeting. Garver told him that the school board normally did not honor requests from neighborhood groups because “to honor one would have meant to honor all and board meetings would be prolonged indefinitely.”2 Castillo responded that “this policy might best be changed in view of the specific problems faced by the Mexican American children and parents who were on boycott.” Garver said that this matter had to be considered by the school board president and that he did not believe a change would be forthcoming.3 On Sunday several MAEC leaders met and voted to wire telegrams to the school board members requesting that they allow Castillo ten minutes on the agenda. Board members Mrs. H. W. Cullen and Mr. J. W. McCullough , Jr., both supported MAEC’s right to be heard at the meeting. Mrs. Cullen argued that “people who have grievances should be heard.”4 On Monday, Abe Ramírez sent a written request to the secretary of the school board president asking for time on the agenda. There was no of- ficial response to this request either.5 Thus by Monday afternoon, when Mexican Americans began arriving for the meeting, the matter of speaking before the board was unresolved. In an effort to resolve this matter, at around 6:00 p.m., Leonel Castillo went to the superintendent’s office to meet with him and to request some time on the agenda. At approximately 6:40 p.m., Gregory Salazar interrupted their meeting so that he could speak to Castillo. Outside the superintendent’s meeting room he asked Castillo to look at a new list of demands drafted by junior and senior high student members of the Chicano Student Commmittee. Salazar asked him if this list could be presented as part of MAEC’s agenda or separately. Castillo explained , “I indicated to Gregory that I had serious doubts about the possibility of their being allowed time and also about the possible disallowance of time for MAEC.”6 Castillo then finished the meeting with Garver. Later 120 The Struggle for Recognition, 1970–72 he reported that agreement had been reached on some matters but that there was still “no change...