Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992

“I realized I had an enemy and that enemy was those nice white teachers.” 

Here is the first mention of the “enemy,” the first articulation of an “Us v. Them” outlook, which will pervade the text and serve as a constant warning of the severity of interracial tensions within the fabric of Los Angeles society. These tensions are so severe that those meant to nurture and protect—teachers, police officers—become the enemy of those they are charged with serving. Salas’ statement draws the line sharply at the outset of the play, letting us know the depth and intensity of racial division in twentieth-century Los Angeles. 

“‘Why do I have to be on a side?’” 

This rhetorical question, issued by the former president of the Los Angeles Police Commission, hangs over the entire play. It is with this question that Sheinbaum questions the wisdom of the “Us v. Them” outlook, particularly within the realm of justice and law enforcement. If Salas saw the police as his enemy, here the LAPD sees the gangs as theirs. When they ask Sheinbaum “which side you are on,” he sees the problem whole: the willful perpetuation of sides,divisions, and oppositions.

“What we do have is an opportunity to keep struggling and to do research and to organize.” 

Here is Zinzun’s positive program for change in the face of harsh, fresh evidence of systematic failure within the justice system. It is a vision rooted in his experience as a member of the Black Panther Party and in the successes he has achieved as an activist against police brutality.