Tiffney Sanford
HIST 433 Dr. Kim
Due: September 17, 2015
Lawrence E. Guillow, “Pandemonium in the Plaza: The First Los Angeles Riot, July 22, 1856,” Southern
California Quarterly, Vol. 77 No. 3 (Fall 1995): 183-197
In “Pandemonium in the Plaza: The First Los Angeles Riot, July 22, 1856” Guillow argues that historians
fail to realize the first race riot in Los Angeles took place in the plaza fifteen years prior to the Chinese
Massacre of 1871. The author uses contemporary memoirs, letters, newspapers, court records, and the
1850 census of Los Angeles to build his argument.
Guillow describes the tensions in Los Angeles between Anglo-Americans and the predominately Hispanic
population. Los Angeles’ second alcalde Enrique Avila (ancestral home=Avila adobe) resigned after his
authority was undermined by U.S. military commander Colonel Jonathan Stevenson. The subsequent
elected alcaldes were deemed anti-Anglo by Stevenson who in turn wrote Governor Richard Mason and
had them replaced with American Stephen C. Foster as alcalde. The Hispanic population was upset with
the decision.
An influx of rowdy Anglo-American miners who failed to make it rich during the gold rush, mixed with a
surge of new immigrants from Mexico, made the tensions worse. It was during this period that deputy
marshal William Jenkins was dispatched to repossess a large Spanish guitar from a man named Antonio
Ruiz. A misunderstanding occurred when Ruiz tried to retrieve a letter he had safeguarded in the body
of the guitar, was shot by Jenkins and died of his wounds that night. Jenkins turned himself in and was
released on his own recognizance by the Anglo Justice of the Peace. A District Judge issued a warrant
for his arrest but the Under Sheriff refused to honor it and allowed Jenkins to remain free.
Again the Hispanic population called for justice. They decided to take matters into their own hands and
began assembling in the surrounding hills of Los Angeles to plan a riot. Under sheriff’s orders
prominent Californios were sent into the hills to reason with the mob with varying degrees of success.
Upon returning, two of the men claimed an African American man who spoke perfect Spanish was one
of the instigators. Oddly the author dismisses the claim as improbable because no one could identify
the man and the fact that the black population was so small according to the 1850 census. Ultimately
Andres Pico (himself of African descent) is credited as the one to put an end to the riotous behavior.
The article is relevant to the exhibit because the incident took place in the Plaza, very close to the
exhibit space. Additionally it demonstrates that the historical contributions of Angelenos of African
descent are still not being told, and that there is a long precedent of the public’s reluctance to trust law
enforcement and government.