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Throughline

California's 'Bum Blockade'

Throughline

NPR

Society & Culture, History, Documentary

4.715K Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The story of the Los Angeles police chief who, faced with one of the largest internal migrations in American history, tried to close California's borders to stop it.

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Transcript

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everyone. We are proud to do this work for you and with you. Now on to the show. The only... ...the only time that I really remember that I really remember that I was scared was a dark Sunday.

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Oklahoma, April 14th, 1935.

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We could see it kept.

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It rolled in like smoke almost.

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On the horizon, a wall of black dust, over 500 feet tall,

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stretching as far as the eye could see.

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It would be just dead quiet. The neighbor said there was birds flying ahead of that storm.

...

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