Oscar Gomez Jr. was a Mexican-American Chicano[1] student activist,[2] who was active in the 1990s[3] while attending the University of California Davis. Gomez died in unexplained circumstances in 1994 while attending a student protest.

Early life and education

Gomez was raised in Baldwin Park, California.[3] He was born to father Oscar Gomez Snr.[1]

He studied Chicano Studies and Behavioural Science[1] at the University of California Davis from 1990 until his 1994 death.[3]

Gomez led protests on the anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1992, and supported students who were hunger striking to draw attention to their desire for a Chicano studies department at University of California, Los Angeles in 1993.[1] In 1994, he was critical of California's Proposition 187 initiative to prevent migrants from accessing healthcare and education.[1] Adopting the stage-name of El Bandido (English: The Bandit) Gomez hosted the La Onda Xicana (English: The Mexican Wave) radio show on university radio station KDVS that featured interviews and music.[1] El Bandito was named after the Mexican hero and American outlaw Joaquin Murrieta.[1]

Death

Gomez died at a student protest Santa Barbara on November 16, 1994.[3][1] His body was discovered by the County Sheriff's Department just after midnight on the 17th near the shoreline.[1] Police believe he fell from the cliffs, while his family suspect he was murdered.[1]

The Santa Barbara coroner attributed his death to "severe cranial trauma" but did not categorise the death as either a suicide, accident, or homicide; due to an absence of witnesses or evidence, the manner of his death is reported as unknown.[3]

Aftermath

Gomez's funeral was held at the St. John The Baptist Church, Baldwin Park.[1]

The LUCHA Foundation scholarship was launched in 2004 in tribute to Gomez.[1] Gomez was the subject of a 2012 documentary, produced by film-maker Pepe Urquijo.[1][4][5] Gomez was posthumously awarded his degree in March 2022.[1][6] Later in 2022, Gomez's death was featured in season two of LAist's podcast Imperfect Paradise.[2] During the 2022 Day of the Dead traditional holiday period, inspired by the podcast, University of California, Santa Barbara students held a vigil for Gomez and built an altar on the university's Manzanita Village campus.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "25 Years After His Tragic Death, Oscar Gomez Gets His College Degree". LAist. 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  2. 1 2 Guzman-Lopez, Adolfo; Martínez, A (1 July 2022). "Details of a Chicano activist's mysterious death are unraveled in a new podcast". NPR. ProQuest 2682886775.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Guzman-Lopez, Adolfo (2022-11-17). "Where Oscar Gomez Died, Students Have Created An Altar And Vigil For The Anniversary Of The Chicano Activist's Death". LAist. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  4. ↑ Beltran, Bianca (2012-04-18). "The Unsolved Mystery of "Radio Bandido": Documentary Reflects on Chicano Activist's Enigmatic Death at Goleta Beach". The Bottom Line UCSB. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  5. ↑ Cole Connelly, Documentarian Films on Site of 1994 Murder, Santa Barbara Independent, 27 Aug 2011.
  6. ↑ US Davis senior Oscar Gomez received posthumous degree, The Sacramento Bee
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