KTLA News: "Demonstration protesting high unemployment among Chicanos in East Los Angeles" (1971)

(unidentified protestors, off-camera )The government, the press, they don't believe their own laws that they make. that they make. Stop the freeze on jobs! (multiple footsteps, milling about) [Stan Chambers] What is the reason you're picketing here today? (Rufino Lopez) We're trying to focus on the high rate of unemployment among the Chicanos. As you know we have about twenty three percent. Which is the highest minority. Plus, we have the largest minority. Another thing is that the county of Los Angeles has the highest unemployment rate in the nation. And yet, nothing really has been done We feel a lot of lip service that was given by politicians during this recent election. Yet, we see nothing that has alleviated this high (un)employment problem (footsteps, chanting) We want jobs! Decent jobs. We want decent jobs! No fake progress. We want many jobs!! More money! No part-time jobs. We want to get off welfare. (footsteps, protestors mingling) One of them is for the office of, we call it, unequal opportunity, to really concentrate on making sure that the percentage of Chicanos are represented in government and private industry. We feel that this office is the biggest offender of it's own self-called law, because it has the lowest percent of Chicanos in its employment. [Chambers] What success have you had in conversations with them? (Lopez) We have no success at all. I understand that Senator Roible... (name/spelling not corroborated) ...put in some legislation to force this agency to actually get down and do what it's supposed to. We haven't seen one of these people from Washington down here, really get into the barrio. We have never seen them. They only come around when there's something in it for them. For example, Senator Muskie was over here... to help another politician. Yet nobody comes down to help people that really are unemployed, and need jobs, and has serious problems. [Chambers] These demonstrations have been almost continuing demonstrations. Do you think they will bring results? [Lopez] We hope so. We hope that at least the people themselves realize that they are being short-changed. We have only one thing we can do and that is to inform our people that they also are really required, and have a right to have jobs. And that they have to stand up and demand these jobs, because apparently nobody is going to do anything for them. Thank you. [Chambers] About thirty persons demonstrated in front of the human resources... About 30 persons demonstrated today in front of the Human Resources & Development office in East Los Angeles. They call themselves unemployed Chicanos. Rufino Lopez is a spokesman (chanting continues) [Chambers] The Demonstrators have demanded that the HRD director meet with their representatives Stan Chambers... Action News... East Los Angeles. you