Brown Berets (Watsonville)

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The Brown Berets are a youth organization based in Watsonville, California modeled after the Brown Berets of the Civil Rights Movement. A group of students from Watsonville, inspired by the legacy of the Hispanic nationalist-tinged community activism of the original Brown Berets, decided to resurrect the movement on April 6, 1994. They felt that similar conditions existed there in 1994 that had existed in 1967, and they also wanted to respond to the gang related murders of two young people, 9-year-old Jessica Cortez and her 16-year old brother, George.

Luis Alejo, one of the group’s founding members, said of the new Brown Berets "We were a group of young people who were tired of injustices in our community and the lack of political representation. We decided to educate and take power for ourselves." In order to address the increasing gang violence, the Watsonville Brown Berets organized an annual march that passed through all the different barrios of Watsonville in order to bring the message of Peace and Unity. In doing this, the Brown Berets believed that young people involved in gangs could redirect that energy into more constructive avenues — cultural awareness and social-political activism leading to grassroots local change.

Since then, the group has established firm relations with other left-wing community organizations such as Students Against War (UCSC), Barrios Unidos, and the Resource Center for Non-Violence of Santa Cruz. In 2004, the Watsonville Brown Berets opened "Liberation School", which provides tutoring and career guidance as well as an extensive revolutionary library.

Watsonville city council member Oscar Rios said, “The Watsonville Brown Berets have been one of the strongest youth organizations in this community and have led by example by providing our young people with constructive alternatives and the tools to make progressive change.”

On May 27, 2005, the Watsonville Brown Berets organized their fourth annual Youth and Power event, which took place at the Vets Hall in Watsonville. Over 400 young people were in attendance. The event featured counter-military recruitment activist Fernando Suarez del Solar. Over 20 organizations hosted information tables providing literature about college opportunities as well as political, community and environmental activism. There were musical performances by La Plebe, Here Kitty Kitty, Universal Language and Watsonville’s own punk rock band Los Dryheavers. “It is events like this that empower our young people and remind them that their voice is a powerful weapon,” said Brown Beret member Jennifer Laskin.

Watsonville's Brown Berets have recently become enough of a political force to have been featured in several prominent news media sources in the United States.