VIDEO: William Deverell On The 1924 Los Angeles Plague

Executive Producer and noted historian William Deverell talks about the 1924 Los Angeles Plague Epidemic, the subsequent quarantine of ethnic neighborhoods and the effects both had on Los Angeles society and especially on ethnic Latinos and other minorities. 

Originally shot as a presentation trailer for Whitewashed Adobe: The Rise of Los Angeles, the information is so compelling and so relevant to what is happening today, that we decided to publish the piece for everyone now.

In October 1924, Plague was discovered in Los Angeles.  This is the seldom told story of how the civic leaders, medical experts and the community made harsh decisions to prevent a citywide event and possible pandemic.

Dr. William Deverell, author of the acclaimed book on which our documentary is based, “Whitewashed Adobe: The Rise of Los Angeles and the Remaking of its Mexican Past,” walks us back through time to the days where Plague threatened the city of Los Angeles.