The Zoot-Suit Riots were named for the distinctive apparel worn by the victims, who were allegedly members of delinquent gangs and were attacked by military personnel and civilians. Sensational media reports during the past year had helped generate hostility toward the victims. In August 1942, city police said they were unable to locate the gang leaders and, in conjunction with the county sheriff's department, began making mass arrests of Mexican-American teenagers, charging them with the crime of "refusing to disperse." Although the riots are commonly viewed as a manifestation of strong prejudice, historians have ignored the role of the rift between the police and probation and its roots in wartime social conditions in Los Angeles and the narrowing, during the 1930's of police functions and emergence of a police self-concept as crime fighters. The resulting split between criminal justice agencies adversely affected all concerned for decades to come. 76 reference notes