Carlos Montes

Carlos Montes is a nationally respected leader in the Chicano, immigrant rights, and anti-war movements. He was a co-founder of the Brown Berets, a Chicano working-class youth organization in the United States in the late 1960s and 1970s. The Brown Berets were inspired by and often compared to the Black Panther Party. 

Montes (with beret and sunglasses) in an LAPD photo taken during the 1968 Roosevelt High School protest

Montes was one of the leaders of the Chicano Blowouts, a series of walkouts of East Los Angeles high schools to protest racism and inequality in Los Angeles-area high schools. He is portrayed by Fidel Gomez in the 2006 HBO movie Walkout.

Montes, flanked by Brown Beret leaders Fred Lopez, David Sánchez, and Ralph Ramírez, in 1968

He has been facing charges since 2011 on a firearms violation that he and supporters insist is unsubstantiated and politically motivated, intended to stifle dissent.

La Causa tribute after Montes went underground

Montes has been organizing against unnecessary FBI raids which tend to focus on dismantling and preventing activist group activity through intimidation.

Montes alongside with other members of the Legalization for All Network announced their support for the Dump Trump protest. This continues Montes work to support the anti-war movement as well as to continue his fight towards equality and justice for all. His announcement came along with a powerful statement, "Dump Trump and his racist attacks must be our call to action! His rhetoric of hate is blaming immigrants, especially Latinos, for the suffering of the working people. This suffering is in fact caused by the billionaire class that Trump represents. We say, 'Dump Trump' and march on the RNC", that reassures the fight against oppression and inequality.