Viva la Raza! a park, a riot and neighbourhood change in North Denver
Drawing from ethnographic research in the Latino barrios of North Denver, this article deconstructs the history of one small yet vital public space—la Raza Park. During the 1970s, this place, its pool and the many events it grounded, built community
cohesion and fostered cultural identity. In 1981, city authorities went so far as to deploy a SWAT team to la Raza Park to enforce a permit violation. The following summer, they demolished its pool. North Denver is now gentrifying rapidly. This essay