El Monte SweatshopEl Monte sweatshop raid film negatives, 1990s
El Monte SweatshopEl Monte sweatshop raid film negatives, 1990s
Previous
Next
Usage conditions apply
- Description
- These negatives illustrate the inhumane working and living conditions of people that worked in sweatshops
- On August 2, 1995, police officers raided a fenced seven-unit apartment complex in El Monte, California. They arrested eight operators of a clandestine garment sweatshop and freed 72 workers who were being forced to sew garments in virtual captivity. Smuggled from Thailand into the United States, the laborers’ plight brought a national spotlight to domestic sweatshop production and resulted in increased enforcement by federal and state labor agencies. The publicity of the El Monte raid also put added pressure on the apparel industry to reform its labor and business practices domestically and internationally.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- photograph
- negative
- Date Made
- 1995
- maker
- Bonner, Phil
- Physical Description
- plastic; gelatin (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 3.5 cm; 1 3/8 in
- ID Number
- 1997.0268.24.02.2
- catalog number
- 1997.0268.24.02.2
- accession number
- 1997.0268
- Credit Line
- U.S. Department of Justice. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Manufacturing
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.
Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.
