Farmersville to Visalia, March 21
Farmersville to Visalia, March 21
César Chávez (right) and marchers walk during the march to Sacramento. A shared toilet building is in the background for women (left) and men (right). Linnell Camp, California, March 21, 1966. Photo by John Kouns.
Around 100 marchers walked 7 miles from Farmersville to Visalia via Avenue 288 to pass by the Linnell Farm Labor Camp. Linnell and Woodville labor camps were operated by the Tulare County Housing Authority, housing seasonal farmworker families. One-room shacks made out of heavy tin, or wood siding with tin roofs lacked heat, air conditioning, and had no indoor plumbing. Families had to use shared toilets. In 1965 the authority wanted to raise the rent by as much as 47 percent. After hearing the residents’ complaints, Gilbert Padilla, David Havens of the Migrant Ministry, and Jim Drake decided to organize a rent strike. The tenants refused to pay the rent hikes and kept paying the old rates. The tenants organized a seven-mile march from Linnell to Visalia. On July 16, the march of 350 farmworkers and supporters brought about an investigation into the Tulare County Housing Authority. Before the summer was over, the rent increases were formally rescinded, and new buildings were constructed. (Go to Day 6)
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