THE CALIFORNIA RISING

Hokitika Guardian, 10 March 1930, Page 2

THE CALIFORNIA RISING

FILIPINOS AND WHITE GIRLS

SAN FRANCISCO, February 3

Sanguinary race riots which broke out in Northern California, as the direct result of the importance of cheap labour, into the mainland industrial districts, have given tiie authorities at Washington serious perturbation and die climax was reached with the discovery of the murder of a Filipino worker, as the result of a race riot starting in Watsonville, the centre of die apple orchard district in California. So tense did the situation become that the .Santa Cruz County official.-, considered appealing to Governoi Idling fo-r State troops to quell the widespread disturbance. Ferbih Tobera, 22-year-old Filipino, was found murdered shortly after noon on the John Murphy ranch, six miles south of Watsonville. The killing added tenseness to the situation, following bloodly clashes between several hundred Filipinos and a mob of white men later in the day. Tobera’-s' body was ’.riddled with biullets. Chief of Police Robert Hastings, of Watsonville, was of the opinion that Tobera was the victim of an armed white mob that swept through the ranch firing promiscuously. Directly news of the murder became circulated, scores of Filipinos fled from the Watsonville region in fear nl their lives, while 80 others were Iveing treated in Watsonville hospitals for injuries inflicted upon them by the enraged Americans. Fifty more remained huddled all day in the Watsonville City Hall, under protection of armed guards, who later escorted them to their homes.

In l’ajaro, south of Watsonville, seven youths were arrested as alleged participants in the rioting. They were members of a mob of more than ]GO. and were captured as they fled the Storm- ranch, which employs several Filipinos in the fields.

In the meantime, leaders of the Filipino colony issued' a statement in which they insisted they had not intended to offend tlie white citizens of the region. The riots, flaring up after a group of men learned that white girls were being employed as dance partners in the Northern Monterev Filipino Club at Palm Beach, near Watsonville, climaxed a wave of resentment that had been smouldering for several weeks.

HEAVILY ARMED MOB

Ttie riot broke out shortly after eight o’clock at night, when a group of men slowly gathered numbers in the Watsonville business district as If by prearrangement. In a few minutes tiie mob had swelled to nearly 500. many of whom were armed with clubs and revolvers. Muttering threats against the Filipinos and urging the mob to “run them out of town,” the. leaders of the white crowd led the men to a Filipino community house on the ban Juan road.

Crashing through the doors and ureaking windows, the rioters drove a crowd of Filipinos into the street and beat them. Others were found hiding on the roof and in the basement of the building. They were dragged out and severely clubbed. From there the rioters advanced to a two-storey frame house at the foot of the San Juan road. Hurling large stones through the windows, the whites stormed the place and captured a number of Filipinos. At this moment police reserves reached the scene and, drawing their guns, stood guard over die house. • Mumbling defiance, the rioters slowly dispersed and disappeared, only to reform the mob a short distance away. Then, while the police were caring for the injured! Filipinos, the mob surged to n house on Van Ness Avenue, where they repeated the attack and sought to enter the place. They met unexpected resistance from the defiant Filipinos who fired shots from the windows and hurled pieces of furniture at the whites. The arrival of police reinforcements prevented bloodshed.

MORE BEATEN,

The Federal Government requested Governor Young for a full report on the American-Filipino race riots, that broke out in Watsonville and spread to San Jose, with a toll of two Filipino deaths, one American dying and scores of Filipinos injured. One Filipino fleeing from the war zone crashed into a telegraph pole in his motor car and was killed at Mountain View, between San Jose and San Francisco. In addition half a dozen Filipinos were painfully beaten in the fights precipitated in ,Sau Jose when a group of young Americans attacked Filipinos and ordered them to leave the town. The dying American was Alfred Johnson (22), who was stabbed in a riot that broke out in front of the San Jose Post Office. As lie fell unconscious, his comrades, reinforced by others who went to his assistance, attacked a score dr so of Filipinos, forcing them to flee under a shower of bricks and clubs.

In connection with the arrest of seven youths in Watsonville, owing to the killing of Terbin Tobera, the Filipino lettuce picker, one of the arrested youths stated that while he was walking on a Watsonville street with Miss Elsie Trevision on Sunday, a Filipino, youth accosted them and called vile epithets at the girl. After a battle, during which Smith struck the Filipino, the latter fled. It was after this that the organised mob went to “get” the Filipinos for “insulting a white girl,” the arrested youths said.

At this stage of the race riots Representative Arthur M. Free, of San Jose, announced in Washington that ii.e race riot situation was the result oi dens run by Filipinos. “The alleged slaughter of a Filipino in a riot between white labourers and members of the Filipino-colony was in reality the forceful expression of a community craving to rid itself of vice dens run by the Filipino colonists.” lie said. “The Filipinos of the Watsonville district are of the : very lowest type” he continued. “The socalled rioters were sorely tired by the vicious practices of the Filipinos in luring white girls into degradation.”

DEMAND INDEPENDENCE

Considerable inflammatory mattei filtered through by cable /from the Philippines, where leaders made tin riots an opportunity to revoice tlieii opinions on the independence quest'on. Acting-Speaker Antonio de La*Alas, of the Phillinpine Legislature, denounced California officials in speech, in which he said : “There is more reason than ever to fight for our independence.” In Los Angeles, where there is a large colony of Filipinos, feeling ran high, and special noli e patrols were detailed on reports that white men had been threatened they would he attacked if they entered the Filipino districts of the city.