“We have to change the mentality,” he says. “We are looking to ally with other organizations to hit the streets and register voters. In Lincoln Heights, only 3% of potential voters register. We have to push the city.” (Vincent ‘Chente’ Montalvo)
He has a powerful, confident, transparent voice. And when appropriate, his laughter bursts through the phone line as we speak.
“Do you speak Spanish?” I asked him.
“In English or Spanish, whichever you prefer,” he confidently replies.
I explain that I am surprised by his career as an activist, his passion for social movements, and the way he does not shy away from disseminating information in person, in meetings, or on social media.
He is Vincent ‘Chente’ Montalvo.
I forget to ask him if that desire to make Chente stand out has anything to do with the ranchera music singer, Vincent ‘Chente’ Fernández. I imagine it does.
“I was born in Echo Park, although later we moved to Lincoln Park,” he says proudly, with that sense of belonging that accompanies him through the Latin neighborhoods and causes.
“We were in Echo Park when gentrification was beginning. Los güeros were starting to move into the neighborhood, my grandfather was a mechanic, he always had a car shop outside the house with music playing loudly. All that bothered them, problems started to surface, starting with the pressure from people who knew those properties were going to skyrocket in price. We got out of there,” he adds.
Chente, as we will identify him now, is part of the organization Buried Under the Blue, which seeks to redress the harm to the residents of the Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop neighborhoods, some of whom were forcibly removed from their homes with empty promises and shortly afterward, construction would begin on what is now Dodger Stadium. This event is also known as the Chavez Ravine.
“I won’t stay silent, I say what I think and I say it to their faces. What they did there is an injustice, and they want to cover it up. We Latinos know injustices, we have lived them for generations,” adds Chente.
This non-profit organization explains its mission as follows:
Buried under the blue is the history of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop.
These are the three Indigenous communities forgotten and wrongly evicted from their homes and land. All three of these communities were established before the Dodger Stadium was built, for this reason many members from the old communities reject them. The Indigenous communities of the past like Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop to our present-day Indigenous communities are still suffering from gentrification and the lack of basic resources. We must learn from our past in order to build a better future tomorrow.
Alongside Chente, Melissa and Jeannie Arechiga are part of the Board of Directors.
For Chente, this is his fight, and he won’t stop until something is resolved.
“We have to stop these things, let them see us united and determined. What we can do is support our petition and ask Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo to make changes to the Bill she recently introduced in Sacramento to bring justice to the residents of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop,” he says.
Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo introduced the bill AB 1950 that will seek reparations for the families that were displaced from the Chavez Ravine, now the home of Dodger Stadium.
“She did something good by bringing the issue back to life, but we’re not happy with the wording,” says Chente. “We want three things: one, the Dodgers to pay the affected people; two, to build three buildings near the stadium called Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop, to hold community meetings, and three, a monument in the stadium honoring the victims of that illegal displacement,” Chente explains and adds. “The lands should be returned to their original owners.”
“We have to change the mentality,” he says. “We are looking to ally with other organizations to hit the streets and register voters. In Lincoln Heights, only 3% of potential voters register. We have to push the city.”
One of the problems this activist perceives is the need for the community to come out, demand, and participate in politics.
“I tell them, ‘te van a dar un chingadazo (they’re going to give you a blow), pero aguántate, things will change,'” he says. “Many times, to challenge them, I tell them, ‘if you don’t want to participate, then leave it, leave it to your children once and for all.’ And they get angry when I say that,” he says provocatively.
For Chente, registering to vote and actually doing it, motivating valuable people to run for public office, is essential.
“We have to change the mentality,” he says. “We are looking to ally with other organizations to hit the streets and register voters. In Lincoln Heights, only 3% of potential voters register. We have to push the city.”
Chente began his activism very young and in the best way, hand in hand with Juanita Dellomes. She was one of the most passionate community activists in Echo Park. She was taking on many of the larger issues that affected the barrio city-wide. He met Juanita Dellomes when he was 14 years old, and their fight and work continue for the barrios. At 15 years old, they started the Youth Fishing Club “Los Tiburones,” which was sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Game. “Los Tiburones” lasted more than 12 years. The program served many children in Latino/neighborhoods to introduce them to the world of sport fishing, one of his favorite pastimes. They also took on the issues of gentrification and many of the other issues that plague barrios of color, according to the organization’s website.
“She took me to Sacramento, I realized the racism, many ‘white’ politicians want us to be there but without power,” he says. Juanita told me not to worry, to keep going.”
Now, with so many problems with housing, the high cost of rents, and other issues affecting the Latino community, Chente seeks to work with other tenant advocates to present initiatives that allow for the construction of more rent-controlled housing.
“If we unite, we can change the lives of many people. If many people choose to leave the movement, I don’t care, others will come, and we will continue working with those who are here. Latinos are gaining strength, we can change the country’s political system,” he concludes.
Montalvo believes that only unity will set the people free.
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