<Begin Segment 29>

BF: Do you remember that riot?

MH: Yeah.

BF: Did you see parts of it?

MH: Yeah.

DG: What did they do?

MH: We ask that all little children front. Three years, four years old children front. We are, adult is all back, and the children were not scared, all walk. And they can't have a gun like this, but can't do any, use, can't use with babies and children.

DG: And so you walked?

BF: Like a protest march.

MH: Yeah.

BF: And they were marching because of the food and the conditions and...

MH: It belongs to army, so food comes, very much meat comes to Santa Anita. How many pounds we send. Note comes to Santa Anita. Half are gone before comes Santa Anita. And then the Santa Anita came and then those hakujin people take it. Good part.

BF: So officials were taking food that was meant for the residents --

MH: Yes.

BF: -- of Santa Anita for themselves, and you could tell from the shipping.

MH: That's, they answer. That's why stew have no meat, big onion.

BF: No wonder why your husband lost so much weight, no protein.

MH: Everybody.

BF: Do you remember being scared at all during that march or...

MH: No. All the dentists and the doctors together so I'm not scared, but...

DG: So the professional people started the riot, kind of thing?

MH: No, no. Not that we...

DG: But you were together with them. The whole camp --

MH: Yeah, whole camp.

DG: -- was protesting?

MH: Niseis. Some of leaders in Los Angeles people is tough Nisei that time. So those leaders did.

BF: Did anything come of... did conditions improve after that?

MH: I don't know much.

BF: Well, do you think -- did you notice the food got any better or anything like that for yourself?

MH: When inspector comes, we, tell us all kinds of leaders like the letter and so forth. Inspector comes, they have meat like that in the stew.

BF: But only when the inspector...

MH: And stew, onion cut in fours and something like that. Little bit different.

BF: So it was a little better, but only when the inspector was around, otherwise same old, same old.

MH: Yeah.

<End Segment 29> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.