El Monte SweatshopEl Monte sweatshop raid film negatives, 1990s

El Monte SweatshopEl Monte sweatshop raid film negatives, 1990s

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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
1997.0268.24.02.5
catalog number
1997.0268.24.02.5
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
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