AT Shorts: Occupying the Golf Course

Recent marches over police brutality remind us of the long tradition of American protest and reform movements, from women’s suffrage to Civil Rights, anti-war to anti-free trade.

Tucson has had its share of protests echoing larger national movements, but perhaps its most iconic local protest was the occupation of the El Rio Golf Course. It was the summer of 1970 and the protest marked an intensification of efforts by the Manzo Area Council and residents of Tucson’s west side to secure the creation of a neighborhood park. Salomon Baldenegro was an organizer and participant in the protest and he recounted his story for Archive Tucson.