Fight Back!: What happened to the Brown Berets?
Carlos Montes: The Brown Berets grew to have about fourteen chapters throughout the Southwest, with East L.A. being the National Office.
After the initial organizing efforts, the Los Angeles Police Department and sheriffs sent undercover officers to infiltrate the Brown Berets.
The police infiltrators spied and acted as agent provocateurs, with the purpose of arresting the leadership and disrupting the organization.
The police used secret grand jury indictments to try to jail and tie up the leadership in court trials.
The top-down military structure of the group did not allow for the development of new leadership, or the leadership and development of the women who did a lot of the internal work.
The Brown Berets continued �till about 1972, when they were disbanded.
By then, the Prime Minister David Sanchez had degenerated into staging publicity stunts and running a one-man egomaniac undemocratic group.
Fight Back!: What about today�s �Brown Berets?�
Carlos Montes: The current group that call themselves Brown Berets have not led or been involved in any positive mass campaigns for self-determination or social change.
They have not been able to grow or get support from any large segments of the Chicano community.
They have not taken up the fight for immigrant rights or other important issues, especially the growing anti-war movement of today.
They are primarily male and male dominated. They use militant rhetoric, but do not organize.
