The birth and breaking of a forgotten community: part three of a three-part series The birth and breaking of a forgotten community: part three of a three-part series (September 20, 2002)

The aftermath of a neighborhood's destruction The aftermath of a neighborhood's destruction (September 20, 2002)

By Nick Perry

Looking back today, it is hard to say what would have happened to the Washington Street neighborhood had not been destroyed to make room for the Shoreline Boulevard expansion.

It was the geographic base for what was and could have continued to become a very active and influential Hispanic community in Mountain View. The potential of the community was briefly shown in the 1970s. Perhaps as a reaction to the destruction of their neighborhood and the growing civil rights movement, the former residents of the Washington Street neighborhood banded together with other Mexican-Americans in Mountain View and began to impact on city politics.

In 1970, plans emerged to construct a Mexican American Cultural Center on one of the slivers of open space created along Bailey Avenue after homes were removed. A Mexican-American teen resource center was also planned for Castro Street, but denied by the Downtown Association. Around the same time, Club Estrella -- which was founded by members of the Washington Street neighborhood -- experienced a revival, and began to attract many new members. The club began to secure funds to build their own hall in Mountain View.
Organizing for social justice

With the common ground of living in the same neighborhood taken away, members of the Mexican-American community found a rallying point for social justice through Mountain View's school system. Mountain View High School became a focus of the city's Mexican-American community. Most of the city's Mexican-American youth went to the Castro Street campus, whereas the other two district schools, Los Altos and Awalt, were predominantly white.

Around the time that the neighborhood was being bulldozed, protests began to erupt at Mountain View's schools. Mexican-American or Chicano youth began to accuse teachers and administration of discrimination. Demands were also made to increase Hispanic representation among the faculty of the city's schools. In response to the unrest, the "Mexican-American Coalition" was formed. The coalition was made up of Mexican-Americans from throughout Mountain View, and included former residents of the Washington Street neighborhood like my grandparents.

Joe Perez, a member and president of Club Estrella, became one of the leaders of the coalition. In the book "Bittersweet-Memories of Old Mountain View," Perez said:
"Our intent was to meet monthly and discuss educational concerns and come up with positive action, or at least issues with which we could confront the school boards in a positive way; not only criticize what they were doing, but have some positive recommendations on how to resolve it."

In 1969, the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District was declared ethnically imbalanced by the state Board of Education. A survey found that students with a Spanish surname represented less then 9 percent of the district's entire student population but more than 25 percent of Mountain View High School's population. The discrepancy was too large to be allowed by the state.

In 1971, in order to address this imbalance an "Advisory Committee on Ethnic Imbalance" was created by the district. Many members of the Mexican-American coalition were involved, and Joe Perez became the chair. The committee created an extensive report that not only looked into the problems with ethnic imbalance, but also offered suggestions and recommendations for improving the quality of education for minority students.

The report found that there was a strong feeling against the redistribution of Hispanic students at Mountain View High School. Students did not want to be divided in fear of losing their group identity and the special programs offered at the school. However, the committee still offered this as a viable solution. One solution that they did not endorse was the closure of Mountain View High School.

In the report the committee states that "there was a strong community sentiment that the school district maintain a campus north of El Camino Real."

Initially, the high school district followed the committee's recommendations. Encouraged by their successes, members of Club Estrella and the Mexican-American Coalition encouraged Joe Perez to run for city council. Perez succeeded in becoming Mountain View's first Mexican-American city council member. He later went on to become the city's only Mexican-American mayor.

Bob Gonzales Sr. was also a noteworthy member of the club at the time. Gonzales, who lived in Sunnyvale, was a Chicano activist who inspired his son Ron (now the first Mexican-American mayor of San Jose) to become involved in politics. By the end of the 1970s, things appeared very promising for Mountain View's Mexican-American community.
More fragmenting

The community was dealt another major blow when the high school district went against the Advisory Committee's decision and closed Mountain View High School in 1981. The Mexican-American students who had gone to the school were split between Los Altos High School and Awalt High School, which was renamed to Mountain View High School. Parents, alumni, and students fought to save Mountain View High, but the district saw closing the school as the easiest solution to its financial problems, declining enrollment, and ethnic imbalance.

By this time, most former residents of the Washington Street neighborhood who had been relocated outside the city had disassociated themselves from Mountain View issues. Those that remained no longer had the high school to rally around.

Interest in city politics and community organizations based solely on Mountain View issues slowly faded. Perez was one of the last Mexican-Americans to serve on the city council, and the plans for things like a Mexican-American Cultural Center or Club Estrella Hall were put aside.

Mountain View's Mexican-American community is no longer as prominent and active as it once was. The political and social justice movements and groups that members of the Washington Street neighborhood helped form have all but disappeared.

In the end, it was the friendships and social ties within the Washington Street neighborhood that were able to survive. To this day, old neighbors remain close friends and social organizations like Club Estrella and club's Guadalupe Federal Credit Union are still thriving. While membership for both organizations now spans the entire Santa Clara Valley, many members still remember the days when the Club and Credit Union were firmly rooted in a tightly knit Mountain View neighborhood.

Club Estrella's motto remains "Fe, Amistad y Progreso": Faith, Friendship and Progress. It is a motto that reflects ideas and aspirations that have carried it on, encouraging members to keep moving forward despite the circumstances and events that could have easily destroyed their community.