San Diego Union, Aug. 22, 1960

The drag street riot on El Cajon Boulevard is symptomatic of the disrespect for authority so pronounced in some areas of our society. Those who riot or endanger the public safety to enforce their demands on government and law-abiding citizens cannot be tolerated . . . San Diego must not be intimidated.  –Editorial, San Diego Union, August 23, 1960.

It began as a mass demonstration on El Cajon Blvd. near Cherokee Ave. Young car racing enthusiasts gathered to protest the lack of a legal drag strip in San Diego. When the protest turned into street racing, the police moved in with tear gas and batons. Over one hundred people were arrested in the bedlam that followed, known thereafter as “The El Cajon Boulevard Riot.”