Latin American Defense Organization

The Latin American Defense Organization (LADO) was an American Latino advocacy organization founded in 1966 by Mexican and Puerto Rican activists to represent the Latino community in Wicker Park, Chicago, Illinois. Its core tenets included inter-ethnic solidarity, community ownership, direct action, and resistance to ethnic nationalism. LADO engaged in welfare activism during the 1960s and 1970s, picketing a local welfare office in 1967 and forming a welfare union. They were also known for participating in the occupation of McCormick Theological Seminary alongside the Young Lords, as well as their participation in a rally protesting the shooting of Young Lords member Manuel Ramos. LADO's offices were destroyed in an arson attack in March 1970, and they were targeted for infiltration by the Chicago Police Department's "Red Squad", ultimately ceasing operations in 1973. Scholars highlight LADO's role in raising awareness about discrimination against Latinos, its adoption of strategies influenced by the Civil rights movement, and its own influence on the Young Lords, another activist group active in Chicago, New York City, and across the East Coast.