Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales grew up in a poor family in Denver's east side, working the sugar beet fields with his father before becoming a nationally ranked boxer. After leaving politics behind following a failed run for mayor, he turned his attention to organizing, founding the Crusade for Justice in 1966. The group tackled issues like police brutality, educational discrimination, and poverty facing Chicano communities, offering legal aid, cultural programs, and a school of its own, Escuela Tlatelolco, for Chicano children. In 1969, Crusade for Justice helped organize a three-day walkout at Denver's West High School after a teacher made racist remarks, with around 300 students marching in protest, one of several student-led actions the group supported.

The Crusade's headquarters and apartment building on Downing Street became a target of tension with local police, and on March 17, 1973, an explosion and gun battle broke out there between Crusade members and police, badly damaging the building. Despite the violence the organization faced, the Crusade for Justice's work helped shape the national Chicano civil rights movement, and Gonzales remained one of its most influential voices until his death in 2005.