This trial, however, was far from being over.
As a result of the verdict, the Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee was formed by a group of activists who were willing to fight for an appeal. Among these, was Carey McWilliams, chair of the committee, who later asked Alice McGrath to be the executive secretary. George Shibley, a labor union attorney, the son of Syrian immigrants who had also suffered from racism, became one of the seven lawyers involved in the defense of the twenty-two boys. Throughout the trial, Judge Fricke overruled every one of Shibley's objections. Although Shibley knew the case would be lost, he was aware the appeal would be a victory. Soon after the trial, he was drafted into the military and attorney Ben Margolis Jr, using in large part Shibley's objections, argued for the appeal. The bias and racism were evident in the court room. It was obvious the jury was there to convict the boys.
The Sleepy Lagoon case became not only an issue of proving the boys innocence, but rather a struggle from the oppressed for justice. The Committee was supported not only by Mexican-Americans, but by African Americans, Jews, and Communists as well. Women became just as active as men. People from the film industry, educational fields, Congress, and labor unions joined the committee in the cause. With all the support the committee received, it was able to publicize the case ad fund the legal appeal through fund raisers hosted by celebrities includin Rita Hayworth, Nat King Cole, and Anthony Quinn. The case became a community issue and everyone fought together for a common cause.
Alice McGrath, the executive secretary of the Committee worked with the twenty-two boys on a more personal level. Alice would write letters to "her boys" on a regular basis, informing them of the progress of the appeal and would frequently visit them at the prison. McGrath is the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants and grew up in mostly segregated white neighborhoods.
