The Story of Santos.
Santos Rodriguez was born on November 7, 1960, and was the child of Bessie Garcia. He was reported to have been 5 ft 10 in tall which was quite a sight for a boy of his age. Santos and his brother lived with an adoptive grandfather, 84-year-old Carlos Minez, at 2921 N. Pearl St. in the Little Mexico neighborhood of Dallas which is now know as Uptown.
Santos and his brother David were students at William B. Travis Elementary School at 3001 McKinney Ave, which was 1 of 4 segregated schools that Latino were allowed to attend at the time.
Supervisors at the Pike Park Community Center, where Santos played as a child, described him as someone who was willing to volunteer to help clean the park and community center. Santos played soccer at Pike Park, and friends described how he played as a starter and could kick a soccer ball halfway down a field. His mother Bessie reported that he enjoyed listening to the band Santana, and loved eating enchiladas and hotdogs.
About The Film
'Santos Vive' details the history of Little Mexico, the first Mexican-American enclave in Dallas, Texas, and the murder of Santos Rodriguez in Little Mexico in 1973. Santos was a 12-year old boy who was murdered 'Russian roulette-style' by a Dallas Police officer while handcuffed in the backseat of a patrol car in 1973. The murder drew nationwide attention. 'Santos Vive' brings the story to life with rare news footage and interviews including Santos' mother, Pedro Aguirre, the only Latino City Councilman at the time, and numerous other teachers and associates of Santos Rodriguez.
Directed by Dallas native Byron Hunter , a devout historian of global culture who thrives on the ability to find, research and tell a story of power, influence and knowledge, no matter how far or how deep the subject matter.
Over the last 20+ years Byron has interviewed some of the most intriguing and historic personalities of the last century, including sports legends Ernie Banks, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, and Derek Jeter; music icons Sean “Diddy” Combs; Former US President Bill Clinton; Black Wall Street Survivor Dr. Olivia Hooker; Billionaire Sports Owners Red McCombs & Sheila Johnson; Civil Rights icons and many more.
Santos Vive is just one of many stories that Byron has brought to the silver screen. He believes stories such as Santos need to be told, shared, and never forgotten to make a better future and a keep a true record of history for the many generations to come.
The Thriving Metropolitan of Little Mexico
Little Mexico is a neighborhood in Dallas, Texas, encompassing the area bordered by Maple Avenue, McKinney Avenue and the MKT (Missouri, Kansas, Texas) Railroad. Formerly a Polish Jewish neighborhood, it was settled by a wave of Mexican immigrants beginning about 1910, and was recognized as Little Mexico by 1919, becoming a center of a Mexican-American community life in the city that lasted into the early 1980s, with a peak of population in the 1960s. Pike Park and a few structures are the remnants of the historic neighborhood, redeveloped as Uptown, including the Arts and West End Districts.
The earliest businesses developed in Little Mexico were groceries, and were followed by bakeries, barber shops, shoe shops, and bookstores. The Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was originally established in this neighborhood in 1939 with the purpose of developing, promoting, and creating local businesses. Businesses that developed in Little Mexico have become staples of Dallas, such as Luna’s Tortilla Factory, Dallas Tortilla Factory, and El Fenix.
El Fenix was Established by Miguel 'Mike' Martinez Sr., who immigrated to Dallas from Hacienda del Portero, Nuevo Leon, Mexico in 1911. The film takes time to also highlight entrepreneurs such as Miguel and his journey to become one of many business owners in Little Mexico. Know first as the Martinez Cafe, on Griffin St. and McKinney Ave., changing the name to El Fenix in 1918 which still stands today.
