Hugo Espinosa

Mr. Cook
ELA
26 January 2015

What are the central conflicts and social issues in the play?

The biggest problem presented throughout the play is societys generalization of chicanos
against fact of how chicanos actually live and behave.
The society that the chicanos live in in the play think of chicanos as nobodys. Luis Valdez
has SGT Smith say,Forget it, Lieutenant. You cant treat these animals like people (32). The
quote is demonstrating how just because of how some chicanos have acted and been accused of
doing crimes that all of chicanos are bad people who do not deserve to be treated as equals to the
other races in the society.
Society does not even know what to call the chicanos that are part of the 38th Street
Gang. Valdez has the news boy announcing,EXTRA, EXTRA. READ ALL ABOUT THE
MEXICAN BABY GANGSTERS. EXTRA, EXTRA. (38). This quote provided demonstrates
how the generalization of chicanos being vicious, dangerous people cannot even be put into
thoughtful words that maybe a criminal that is another race would be called. An example would
be say a white male being a serial killer would be called a sociopath or psychopath.
The play is affected because of societys generalization of chicanos. Valdez has a scene in
which the Judge and George are in a court session involving the 38th gang members. George
says,Then if the court please, might I request that my clients be allowed to sit with me during

the trial so that I might consult with them(52). The Judge responds with,request denied(52).
The quote implies that the judge and prosecutors are not giving a fair trial and committing over a
hundred citations of misconduct by the bench. An example of this would be when George
says,If the court please.If the court please(61). The Judge disrupts George by
saying,Court is in recess until tomorrow morning(61).
The trial is not fair because the prosecutor has an immense amount of bias towards the
generalization of chicanos.