Lowriders Have Become A Carnaval San Francisco Grand Parade Tradition
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Once outlawed on the streets of San Francisco, the roar of the richly detailed and professionally modified lowriders has become a tradition that kicks off the annual Carnaval San Francisco Grand Parade.
The parade gets underway in San Francisco's Mission District at 10 a.m. Sunday May 26th and this year the San Francisco Lowrider Council will have a very special passenger -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed.
Officials said the lowriders represent the passion, creativity and heritage of the community. Dozens of cars will slowly stroll up Mission Street, decorated in the Mexican-American artistic traditions.
Many of the vehicles have been modified with hydraulic systems that allow them to literally dance up the parade route.
Lowriding began in the mid-to-late 1940s and during the post-war prosperity of the 1950s. Initially, some Mexican-American barrio youths cut spring coils, zed the frames and dropped the spindles to modify their cars.
Lowriders were also once outlawed on the streets of San Francisco. Young people would cruise Mission Street on a Saturday night and sometimes police would target them and arrest them.
