Thirty years later, Mount Pleasant residents are reflecting on the uprising, including through an exhibit of black and white photos hung in neighborhood shops windows.
Quique Aviles, a self-described poet, actor and troublemaker, wrote a poem titled “Helicopter” that’s displayed in the exhibit.
Aviles was 21 years old during the uprising and lived in the neighborhood.
He says Latinos erupted in anger “because we were sick and tired of the harassment by D.C. cops.”
Aviles says police relations with the Latino community have improved in the wake of the riots, although social and economic opportunities need to be expanded.