Католики против расизма и дискриминации в Лос-Анджелесе

Catholic activists fighting racism and discrimination
Católicos por La Raza is a political association organized by Ricardo Cruz in the later 1960s in Los Angeles, California. Formed in the fall of 1969, Católicos por La Raza was made up of Chicano Catholic student activists who were engaged with both "their Catholic and Chicano heritage," enabling them to name and fight against the racism in the Catholic Church and the effects on the community. The CPLR was concerned with the discrimination and hypocrisy of the church's institutional power and wealth, arguing that such should be "brought to bear in solving the current Chicano urban and rural crisis". CPLR sought to transform the Church into an institution for social change, creating projects focussed on housing development, education, and small business development; believing that the Catholic Church in Los Angeles should use its power and wealth to address the economic and social needs of Mexican Americans. The CPRL, among many other organizations in the larger Chicano Movement, served to fight police brutality, employment discrimination, and the systemic racism in religious, educational, and political institutions. While the Católicos por La Raza was only active for a few years, the association's actions propelled various other movements in the 1970s, such as PADRES, an organization of Chicano priests, and Las Hermanas, an organization of Chicana/Latinas religious women.

For the Católicos por La Raza, the Catholic Church's use of power and wealth exemplified a deep hypocrisy existing within the institution, such wealth on one hand and such poverty on the other. The church was willing to continue to invest in extravagance while many of those in its faith were suffering. The CPLR released a statement claiming, "In a word, we are demanding that the Catholic Church practice what it preaches And remember that the history of our people is the history of the Catholic Church in the Americas. We must return the Church to the poor. OR DID CHRIST Die in vain?" The CPLR was concerned that the Church continuing to abandon its Chicano population would lead to the next generation to view the church solely as an obstacle to their struggle for economic, political, and social independence. CPLR argued that the "religious dollar must be invested, without return expected, in the barrios."

Located on Wilshire Boulevard, just west of downtown Los Angeles, St. Basil's Church was considered a "magnificent statement of faith," when it was first constructed. Costing roughly 3.5 million dollars, the extravagant church quickly became an architectural pillar in the city. Growing discontent at the inequality expressed by the Church "took aim at the opulence, power, and three million dollar price tag of St. Basil's." CPLR saw the construction of St. Basil's as a clear demonstration of the Church's lack of concern with Mexican American struggles. Oscar Zeta Acosta referred to St. Basil's in The Revolt of the Cockroach People as a "monstrosity with a fantastic organ [that] pumps out a spooky religious hymn to this Christ Child of Golden Locks and Blue Eyes overlooking the richest drag in town". St. Basil's became the sight of many of CPLR's demonstrations. In June 1969, at the church's dedication service, concerned Catholics protested outside, holding signs that read: "$1,000,000 for glass and stone, but for the poor ? ??" On October 11, 1969, a group of Chicano students tried to see Cardinal James Francis McIntyre, but only Cruz and Joe Aragon were admitted. The Cardinal reportedly treated Cruz and Aragon "like trash," and threatened to arrest the other CPLR members that had entered. Again, in December, many attempts were made to discuss the CPLR's demands with the Cardinal, all of which were unsuccessful. A plan was made to peacefully disrupt the Christmas Eve midnight mass, organizing a list of demands for the Catholic Church that "included the use of church facilities for community work, for shared governance with religious leaders, housing and educational assistance, and for the development of healthcare programs." The following day the LAPD launched an investigation of the protest, resulting in the arrest of twenty one CPLR activists charged with "disrupting a religious service."