Catarino "Gato" Hurtado

Back in the late 1990's when I was captain of the Fresno Brown Beret unit and we'd be in different barrios or pueblo's of Fresno County it never failed,but just about every time we'd encounter people who would mention the name Catarino or Gato and talk very fondlyy of him and his leadership over the Brown Berets. I didn't grow up in Fresno and at the height of the Chicano Movement I was 8 years old (1970) so I really didn't have any knowledge of him except what was told to me.  I'd also hear about his undying love for La Raza.  Not knowing a thing about him but hearing the comments the gente made about him only left me with one conclusion, Catarino was a die hard Chicano Nationalist.  

In early 2000 I stopped actively organizing with the BB group and returned to college to complete my unfinished degree.  For a research project connected to my Chicano Studies major I wrote a paper about the organizing of the Fresno Brown Berets of the immediate past but it also gave me an opportunity to research some history of Catarino.  

 The biography of Catarino is so impressive that it is a crying shame there is no monument, commemoration or any type of book that chronicles his contribution, not only to the  Brown Berets but to the Fresno Community and the Chicano Movement specifically.  Some people have even speculated that the 1977 car crash that claimed his life may have even been the result of sabotage by the Feds because he was getting too influential.  Therefore this post is to highlight some of the contributions this Soldado de La Raza has given to the Movemiento. 

Catarino "Gato" Hurtado, who passed away 2/12/1977 was the founder of Fresno Brown Berets and La Raza Unida Party.  In a commemorative edition of the newspaper, El Sembrador (3/77) Cat is described as Un Guerrero De Puro Corazon.

Catarino Hurtado was also a co-founder of Universidad de Aztlan, Colegio De La Tierra, Universidad de Capesinos Libres, Administrator of 1st alternative high school for Chicanos (Millbrook Alternative), co founder of Operation Christmas, a toy drive for kids which continues to this day and is better known as Navidad en el Valle. He was a school counselor at the time of his death.  He knew alternative medicine and regularly helped gente who needed medical help. He was seriously considering returning to school to become a medical doctor.  Catarino along with others connected to the Brown Berets and Universidad de Aztlan were indicated in 1971 by the FBI on bomb making charges. He was eventually exonerated.  

 

 

The historical photo that is in several Chicano history books and wesites, which depicts a group of male brown berets -- one is standing to the side wearing a poncho and one is standing in the background of the group holding a shotgun, while the others are sitting--is in  fact a group picture of Catarino and some of soldados of the 1st Fresno Brown Beret Unit. 

 

The story of Catarino is far from complete so part of FresnoBBNO organizing activities we will be to document and finish the history of Catarino Hurtado. We will interview the people who knew him best. The anniversery of his death recentlty passed and he should have been honored by some group or individual but instead he was largely forgotten.  NO MORE.  Chicano History needs to be told.  Brown Beret history needs to be told.   Viva La Raza, Viva Catarino Hurtado, Viva Aztlan Libre.