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Santa Marta is a small agricultural town in California. Mexicans are the fruit pickers and there is tension between the races. Paul Rodriguez and his friend Lopo Chavez are pickers. They get into a car accident and fight with a couple of local white boys. The two locals keep a grudge and spread discontent. Paul's friend Sunny Garcia works at a small Spanish-language newspaper. She meets Larry Wilder at a dance. He's the new editor of the bigger white newspaper. A fight breaks out at the dance and an unscrupulous reporter builds it up to be a riot. Paul steals an ice cream truck and becomes a fugitive after a series of incidents.

This is trying to tackle the theme of ingrained racism. It's interesting that there are differing elements within the community, both good and bad. The initial meeting with a cop is an interesting one. It's a little shocking to have a good cop dealing with these kids like human beings. There are good cops and bad cops. There are good parents and bad parents. Even the lead character is not an ally for most of the movie until he turns into a hero. The movie is not doing the easy hit. More than anything, it shows how irresponsible media can fire up the baser instincts. The movie is showing how civility can be easily lost and the ugliness bubble up.