My parents were old school..most of their decisions in life were based on the values that were implanted in them by their parents and by the cultural and societal norms of their time. Like most emigrants who came to this country..they were in search of a better life for themselves and there loved ones. My parents never really immersed themselves in the American culture or assimilated into mainstream society. You see when you live far from home with different customs a strange language and a frenetic pace of life .. one tries desperately to maintain an intimate connection with ones roots. It is difficult if not impossible to completely disconnect yourself from the very thing that defines who you are. I think it is important to first know where you came from and to understand who you are..so that one can have a better idea of where you want to go and what you want to become. My father..Jesus Onate Leon found himself alone (like most families the father would go first to establish a stable environment and then the mother and children would follow) working in a fancy hotel somewhere in Chicago Illinois in the late 1940's. He was a dishwasher and hated every minute of it...you see my father was a smart educated man who would have made a decent living in Mexico...IF..he had stayed and continued his education. But life got in his way(as did my Mother). He fell so deeply in love with his sweetheart.. Soccoro Zermeno that he was willing to sacrifice a promising career and do whatever it took to make their life together happy and fulfilled..even if it meant spending months living without his loved ones. My Father would write to her frequently..expressing his love for her and how much he missed her. I found one of these letters as I was going through some boxes..he was a romantic at heart..such poetic words and expressions of tender love and affection.
Eventually Father brought his family to this Country.. There were five of us.. ( Elia Leon, Efrain Zermeno Leon, Emma Guadalupe Leon, Hector Domingo Zermeno Leon and Maria Elena Leon) It was 1957 when I arrived.. We eventually settled in California..I was five years old.
That's me making the face
Me on the left with my brother Efrain
Fast forward to 1969...Astronaut John Glenn is the first man to walk on the surface of the Moon...Charles Manson sends his crazed followers to kill innocent people hoping to start a race war (Helter Skelter).
Then came Woodstock ..the most historic musical festival in history. This event was not only about showcasing the worlds best bands but it served to send a message to the "establishment" that a counterculture revolution was at hand.
Woodstock Festival
The summer after graduating from Robert Louis Stevenson Jr High turned out to be a turning point in my life.
My parents had saved enough to invest in a small business ..a Mexican Food Restaurant that they would own and run for nearly thirteen years. They named it "La Primavera Restaurante" It was located in a mostly Hispanic unincorporated section of East Los Angeles County. East LA was a patchwork of small communities (or Barrios) that were defined by the freeway systems that crisscrossed there way through whole neighborhoods dividing them and creating mini barrios which street gangs used to define their turf. They say that back in the fifties when the initial planning for freeway alignment was being considered..the decision was made to run these concrete slabs through mostly poor, ethnic, and unrepresented sections of East Los Angeles..Other more wealthy nearby cities would have protested the carving up of their neighborhoods.
Most of my summer vacation was spent hanging out with the boys (and Girls)..looking for adventure and exciting things to do. My favorite hang out was Laguna Park located on Ditman Ave just off Whittier Blvd. I lived one block away on Townsend Ave just north of the Santa Ana Freeway. (there was always a Freeway nearby.. it didn't matter where you lived).
There is a bit of history attached to Laguna Park. Let me explain. By 1970 the Viet Nam war was claiming the lives of more and more young men..there was a disproportional amount of ethnic groups (mainly Blacks and Hispanics) that were being killed. This disparity was the catalyst that brought on the East LA war protest which turned into a riot. It was planned as a peaceful march down Whittier Blvd. ending up at Laguna Park. I remember vividly standing in front of the park as the protesters arrived. Most of them were running and screaming trying to flee the wave of riot police that were called out when protesters crammed into a nearby liquor store and started looting and throwing bottles at windows and at squad cars. One thing that I will never forget is the terrible burn and smell of Tear gas.
Let me back up a little and mention something here..Earlier that day after the looting and bottle throwing incident at that liquor store..something happened that would have a lasting impact on our community and bring greater scrutiny on crowd control methods of riot police. Ruben Salazar an LA Times newspaper reporter was covering the march that day. He was interviewing some protesters inside The Silver Dollar Bar located on Whittier Blvd. Riot police positioned themselves outside and called out to the crowd inside to vacate. Ruben Salazar was sitting at the bar when a tear gas projectile flew through the front door and struck him in the head killing him instantly. It was later discovered that the kind of projectile that was used was not appropriate for the circumstances. These types of projectiles were meant to pierce concrete walls and not for crowd control.
Laguna Park was renamed Ruben Salazar Park in honor of this courageous reporter.
If I were to describe my summer vacations in a few words..they would be.. "Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll "!
The sexual revolution together with mind expanding drugs and pounding hardcore Rock music was the perfect recipe for the creation of a Hippie counterculture revolution...and I found myself swept away in the wave of "Turning On" "Tuning In" and "Dropping Out". Timothy Leary a psychology professor at Berkley College promoted the use of mind expanding drugs such as LSD, Mescaline and other mind altering drugs. So I started experimenting with these types of drugs. It seemed like everyday a new version of a substance was available..each with different effects. So I kept experimenting..looking for that perfect "trip".
Griffith Park was the place to be every Sunday. There famous "Love Ins" were very exciting and attracted many youth like me who were looking for an "alternative lifestyle". Make love not war was the chant. Everywhere you looked there were groups of hippies playing instruments and girls with flowers in there hair..dancing. Couples making love openly..all types of drugs being shared..people meditating or chanting under the influence of the latest concoction. It was just a typical Sunday afternoon Love Fest...and I was right in the middle enjoying every minute. It was a wild and colorful ride!
In my search for that perfect high I started experimenting with stimulants and sedatives. Of course my "friends" had a big influence on my behavior. I was mostly a follower..and this contributed greatly to my downward spiral. There was a time when sedatives became popular..they would wrap 4 red capsules in a piece of foil and sell them to people (dummies) like ME! I usually would take them with something hot like coffee to dissolve them quicker in my system. It's like sleep walking ! Slurred speech..blurred vision..and limited mobility.
I remember one day during lunch recess at Garfield High I decided to ingest 4 "Reds". Bad decision ! Soon I couldn't walk..I had to hold on to something or someone to balance myself. I remember someone yelling "here comes coach" so I instinctively started to run..I didn't get very far.. I fell on my face. Next thing I know I am in the principles office. The pills are really starting to kick in now. I can't even sit up straight on the chair. Well the principal called my parents to pick me up. It seemed like i was in that office forever. My Dad stepped into the office.. He looked into my eyes and I turned away. I was so ashamed to be seen by my father in this condition. I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me.
There was no other way..My father had to lift me up and physically carry me down a flight of steps through the front entrance of the school and out into the campus. What made this incident more interesting was that just as my Father stepped onto the lawn area of the front campus...The Bell Rang !! School let out ! There I am..in the arms of my father in the middle of campus and students start rushing out from all directions. If I was aware of what was going on I would have been very embarrassed..but i wasn't..and I don't remember anything after that. Wow! What a powerful lesson i learned that day.
Garfield High School Campus
Stay tuned for more Lifes Lessons
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