Shooting of Cesar Rene Arce
{{Short description|American graffiti artist}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2017}}
Cesar Rene Arce (born 1976) was an American graffiti artist who was shot to death in Los Angeles in 1995 at age 18. A fellow tagger, David Hillo, was injured. The assailant, William Masters, was prosecuted on weapons charges and received three years probation. The case caused deep controversy in Los Angeles at the time, with both supporters and detractors of Masters' action.
Shooting
On January 31, 1995, Arce was writing graffiti under the Hollywood Freeway with a friend, David Hillo, 20.{{cite web |last1=Mydans |first1=Seth |title=A Shooter as Vigilante, and Avenging Angel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/12/us/a-shooter-as-vigilante-and-avenging-angel.html |website=The New York Times |date=1995-02-12}} The pair were confronted by William Masters, a failed U.S. Marine and aspiring actor, allegedly acting as vigilante.{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Cynthia |title=Murder and the Reasonable Man: Passion and Fear in the Criminal Courtroom |date=2007-10-01 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=978-0-8147-6514-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bldJS1gBY6AC&dq=%22Cesar+Rene+Arce%22&pg=PA156 |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Bender |first1=Steven |title=Greasers and Gringos: Latinos, Law, and the American Imagination |date=September 2003 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=978-0-8147-9887-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ywVCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Cesar+Rene+Arce%22&pg=PA62 |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Acuna |first1=Rodolfo |title=Occupied America: A History of Chicanos |date=2000 |publisher=Longman |isbn=978-0-321-04485-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jLvtAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Cesar+Rene+Arce%22 |language=en}} Masters stopped his car to take down the license plate number of Arce's car.{{cite book |last1=Markovitz |first1=Jonathan |title=Legacies of Lynching: Racial Violence and Memory |date=2004 |publisher=U of Minnesota Press |isbn=978-0-8166-3995-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uBn6uqufGOEC&dq=%22Cesar+Arce%22+shot&pg=PA179 |language=en}} A confrontation ensued, with Arce producing a screwdriver. Although precise details of the confrontation are in dispute, it ended with Masters shooting Arce in the back, killing the teenager, and shooting Hilo in his backside, wounding him.{{cite web |last1=Dellios |first1=Hugh |title=L.A. IN AN UPROAR OVER VIGILANTISM |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-02-12-9502120252-story.html |website=chicagotribune.com/|date=February 12, 1995 }}
Prosecution
Masters was arrested on suspicion of murder following the shooting. He was released the next day without being charged.{{cite web |last1=Hefner |first1=Paul |title='My God, I've Killed a Kid,' Repentant Shooter Says / Encounter with tagger turns deadly |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/My-God-I-ve-Killed-a-Kid-Repentant-Shooter-3045808.php |website=SFGATE |date=1995-02-07}} Masters was later prosecuted for misdemeanor weapons charges,[https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/26/us/charges-to-be-filed-in-graffiti-shooting.html "Charges to Be Filed In Graffiti Shooting"], The New York Times, February 26, 1995, URL retrieved August 30, 2006. but, based on his claim of self-defense, was never charged in Arce's death.{{cite book |last=Lee |first=Cynthia |title=Murder and the Reasonable Man: Passion and Fear in the Criminal Courtroom |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=se0xg_yvRSMC&q=%22Cesar+Rene+Arce%22&pg=RA2-PA156 |year=2003 |publisher=New York University Press |pages=[https://archive.org/details/murderreasonable0000leec/page/156 156–159] |chapter=Crimes of Fear |isbn=0-8147-5115-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/murderreasonable0000leec/page/156 }} He received a sentence of three years probation, as well as 30 days of community service removing graffiti.{{cite web |title=Valley Man Who Killed Tagger Gets Probation : Courts: William Masters is ordered to remove graffiti and surrender his guns. Protesters call sentence unjust. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-11-09-mn-1166-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=1995-11-09}}
Aftermath and legacy
The death of Arce, who was of Mexican heritage, stirred deep controversy within the Los Angeles community at the time.{{cite news | last = Kramer | first = Pamela | title = City appears divided yet again over slain tagger, pizza thief | work = San Jose Mercury News | date = February 13, 1995 | url = http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SJ&s_site=mercurynews&p_multi=SJ&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB71E18EE5D124F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |access-date = January 17, 2007 }} On February 10, a 100-person protest in front of the L.A. district attorney 's office called attention to the failure to file murder charges against Masters.{{cite book |last1=Walsh |first1=Michael |title=Graffito |date=1996 |publisher=North Atlantic Books |isbn=978-1-55643-231-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rYudK4zRbNUC&dq=arce+graffiti+artist&pg=PA58 |language=en}} Over time, Arce has become celebrated among supporters of graffiti artists.Chang, Jeff, [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KAY/is_2_5/ai_86058533/pg_4 "The writing on the wall: why are graffiti and vandalism bad words in the left?"], ColorLines Magazine, 2002."Death of a Graffiti Writer; The Vigilante Killing of Cesar Rene Arce", Revolution: Voice of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA, February 19, 1995.
Some Los Angeles residents supported Masters' actions, calling him variously a "hero", a "do gooder", an "observant neighbor" and a "white knight".{{cite journal |last1=Bloch |first1=Stefano |title=Challenging the Defense of Graffiti, In Defense of Graffiti |journal=Routledge Handbook of Graffiti and Street Art |pages=440–451}} Local radio stations were flooded with calls supporting him.{{cite web |title=Gunman Becomes a Hero After Spray-Painter Slain |url=https://tulsaworld.com/news/gunman-becomes-a-hero-after-spray-painter-slain/article_2582f157-552c-5664-b86e-df6ea7fa546b.html |website=Tulsa World |date=February 18, 1995 |language=en}}
The story of Arce's killing is referenced in Susan Phillips's book Wallbangin': Graffiti and Gangs in L.A.{{Cite web|url=https://press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/667723.html|title=Wallbangin' Graffiti and Gangs in L.A. By Susan A. Phillips, excerpt}} and Stefano Bloch's Going All City: Struggle and Survival in LA's Graffiti Subculture.{{Cite book|url=https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/G/bo26835013.html|title = Going All City| publisher=University of Chicago Press }}
References
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Further reading
- {{cite book |last=Phillips |first=Susan A.|author-link= Susan A. Phillips |title= Wallbangin': Graffiti and Gangs in L.A|year= 1999|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=KnByWkZR1m0C&q=%22Cesar+Rene+Arce%22&pg=PA1 | publisher= University of Chicago Press |chapter= Introduction|isbn= 0-226-66772-3|page= xxxi |no-pp=true}}
- {{cite book |last= Bender |first=Steven W.|title= Greasers and Gringos: Latinos, Law, and the American Imagination |year= 2003|url= https://archive.org/details/greasersgringosl0000bend |url-access= registration |quote= Cesar Rene Arce. |publisher=New York University Press |isbn=0-8147-9887-X |page=[https://archive.org/details/greasersgringosl0000bend/page/62 62]}}
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