In 1991, protests erupted in D.C.’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood after police shot Daniel Gomez, an El Salvadoran immigrant. The uprising was a turning point for D.C.’s Central American communities and is the subject of the new film ‘La Manplesa: An Uprising Remembered,’ airing nationally on Thursday.
The Spark
Daniel Enrique Gómez, a dishwasher at Georgetown University, was out partying and reportedly became belligerent at a restaurant. When police tried to arrest him, he pushed away, and the officer shot Gómez in the chest. He survived, but it was the last straw for a community that had faced police harassment for years.
Understanding the Neighborhood Context
The U.S.-backed war in El Salvador led to thousands of refugees relocating to D.C., concentrating in Mount Pleasant, in the ‘90s. However, D.C. was not prepared to take care of them. Housing conditions were poor and overcrowded, mental health issues were rising, and tension with police was high. Sharon Pratt, the mayor at the time, described the neighborhood as a “powder keg.”
Mt Pleasant riots of May 6, 1991. (secorlew/Flickr)
The Uprising
Three days of protests followed Gómez’s shooting. Stores were looted, cars were set on fire, and tear gas filled the air. Over 50 people were injured and 250 arrested. On the evening of the third day, police amped up the enforcement of a new curfew and most of the violence died down.
Building Something Better
The uprising became a national story and brought attention to D.C.’s Latino community for the first time. The city set up a civil rights task force to investigate the discrimination Latinos faced in D.C. (It later delivered a scathing report.) Additionally, more funding was put into community programs for language learning and mental health and the city intentionally hired more Spanish-speaking police.
How to Watch The Film
‘La Manplesa: An Uprising Remembered’ will be broadcast nationally this Thursday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. on the WORLD Channel and will be available to stream for one month on the PBS passport app.
