The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo

Explore Oscar Zeta Acosta’s brief stint as a legal aid attorney in Oakland, California’s poverty program in 1966, and his commitment to battling social injustice and racial/economic discrimination on behalf of the underprivileged. After a mental breakdown, depressed, and hooked on meds, Acosta leaves Oakland, California for Aspen, Colorado in search for his self-identity.

Explore the first meeting and the wild relationship between Oscar Zeta Acosta and Rolling Stone journalist-provocateur and "Hells Angels" author Hunter S. Thompson in 1967. During a time of immense social unrest nationwide, and a culture of white supremacy and societal racism, Acosta continues searching for his self-identity.

Explore the historic 1968 “Walkouts” when tens of thousands of Mexican American and Chicano students walked out of five East Los Angeles high schools, protesting academic prejudice, dire school conditions, and demanding systemic reform. Oscar Zeta Acosta emerges as the main spokesman and celebrity attorney for the mushrooming “Brown Power” movement, defending the jailed organizers of the revolt.

Filmmaker Phillip Rodriguez explains the artistic direction behind "The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo" and bringing Oscar Zeta Acosta's story to life.