Lowriding culture celebrated in San Francisco as it receives broader recognition

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Drivers in vehicles built to move low and slow cruised Saturday down San Francisco’s Mission Street in celebration of one of the city’s most distinctive cultural traditions: lowriding.

Music played as hundreds of customized cars bounced, tilted and otherwise made their way along the annual King of the Streets event, part of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Spectators and participants of all ages celebrated the culture, which once was the target of police crackdowns and is now commemorated on U.S. Postal Service stamps.

“We finally got our stamp of approval,” said Roberto Hernandez, founder of the San Francisco Lowrider Council. In addition to this year’s rollout of stamps featuring five classic lowriders, California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced a specialized state lowrider license plate.

“We have a lot to celebrate this year,” Hernandez said.

Lowriding has deep roots in Mexican American and Chicano communities in the U.S. Southwest, with California widely credited as the birthplace of the modern lowrider movement. States including Texas and Arizona have their own long histories that contributed to the culture.

Hernandez calls lowriding an art form and each vehicle an art piece. Cars are transformed with lowered suspensions, elaborate paint, chrome, custom interiors and hydraulics capable of making the vehicles bounce and hop.

For many participants, it is also an expression of Mexican American identity, family and craftsmanship.

“It’s about driving low, being seen and going slow,” said Johnny Castro, who was participating Saturday, adding: “We go slow so people can see us, see our art that we put together here, because it does take time and money to put these cars together.”

The road to acceptance for lowriding has been long. Hernandez recalls a time when police issued citations, made arrests and shut down Mission Street. He ultimately sued the city and police department, arguing for the right to cruise. But the fight wasn’t unique to San Francisco.

Beginning in the 1980s, other California cities adopted anti-cruising rules. Critics of those laws argued enforcement disproportionately affected Latino communities and stigmatized a cultural tradition.

In 2023, Newsom signed legislation removing California’s restrictions on cruising and stripping local governments of the ability to enact bans based on repeatedly driving through an area.

Lowriding has become a family affair for Castro.

“Rolling with my wife and my kids. We all have our own little rides, and it’s great,” he said.