Latino Experience Experiencia Latina

ed ramírez, linden, ca

Street Gang Socialization Socialización de pandillas callejeras The Origins of Chicano Gangs VII

as part of a series that explores the lived experiences of two ex-gang members dr. Jesse de la cruz and dr. Victor rios, this article will focus on Jesse de la cruz’ experiences growing up in Woodlake, california and the concept of chicano youth socialization to street gang subculture.

this part of Jesse De La Cruz’ story began in the small rural agricultural Central California community of Woodlake in 1958. Jesse’s

street gang involvement was to a large degree the result of the values, beliefs and behaviors learned from two individuals known by their monikers, “Pato” and “Big Indio,” who were steeped in street gang subculture. the teaching and learning or socialization that Jesse received from them would determine the course of his life for more than three decades.

When Jesse’s family moved into the Mexican barrio in Woodlake he met a group of boys, Popper, Claw, Chris, Junior, Jackie and Palio. They were a little older, but they became close friends. Even with a polio stricken leg and pronounced limp, which were not corrected with surgery until age fifteen, he developed a reputation among his peers.

He became dominant among the kids in the barrio his age and was seen as a leader by the “older guys.” Jesse’s street gang socialization began with a twenty year old vato loco named Pato. After refusing to go to work with his father when he was twelve years old, Jesse began to hang out on the streets and was approached by Pato who recognized him as a leader of the younger guys. Jesse was impressed with the way Pato carried himself “as if he owned the world.”

Pato offered Jesse “Red Mountain” wine, and he got drunk barely making it home. The alcohol “temporarily extinguished the anger” constantly stirring within him. After that

ira” que se agitaba constantemente dentro de él. Después de esa noche, trató de pasar el rato en el parque con Pato y los vato locos cada vez que pudo, y bebió y comenzó a fumar marihuana los fines de semana. sus padres estaban demasiado ocupados trabajando para darse cuenta, y cuando su madre finalmente lo confrontó por salir con “matones”, ya era demasiado tarde. Pato pasaba horas enseñándole a Jesse “cómo representar al vecindario” y cómo vivir La Vida Loca. Las reglas de Pato incluían: “defender al barrio pase night, he tried to hang out at the park with Pato and the vato locos every chance that he could, and he drank and started smoking marijuana on the weekends. His parents were too busy working to notice, and when his mother finally confronted him for hanging out with “hoodlums” it was too late.

Pato would spend hours teaching Jesse “how to represent the neighborhood” and on how to live La Vida Loca. Pato’s rules included: “stand up for the barrio no matter what; never leave the homeboys in the face of danger;” respect your elders; and, never steal in the neighborhood.

About a year later, Jesse was inducted into the next stage of street gang life when two “normal” guys from the barrio were beat up badly in neighboring Visalia. in defense of their barrio, Pato organized a retaliatory strike in Visalia and invited Jesse to go along.

They drove to Visalia in a 1941 Chevy, and upon arriving at “Court and Vine,” Pato put a .22 caliber rifle in Jesse’s hands. Jesse pointed the gun at a group standing around a 50 gallon drum with a huge fire trying to stay warm in the winter fog. He closed his eyes and fired, and when he opened his eyes he saw guys dropping to the ground. He felt empowered and “continued to blast as fast as he could.” Two of the Visalia guys were hit, didn’t die, but were “critically hurt.”

Later Pato got word that Visalia was going to retaliate, and they did. They shot and killed Manuel —one of continued on next page

lo que pase; nunca abandones a los homeboys frente a un peligro”; respeta a tus mayores; y nunca robes en el vecindario.

Aproximadamente un año después, Jesse fue incluido en la siguiente etapa de la vida de las pandillas callejeras cuando dos tipos “normales” del barrio fueron golpeados brutalmente en la vecina Visalia. En defensa de su barrio, Pato organizó una incursión de represalia en Visalia e invitó a Jesse a acompañarlo.

Condujeron a Visalia en un Chevy de 1941 y, al llegar a “Court and Vine”, Pato puso un rifle calibre 22 en las continúa a la vuelta

VII: Street Gang Socialization

continued from previous page

the straight guys initially beat up in Visalia. Jesse narrowly escaped the attack but witnessed Manuel’s murder.

After Manuel’s death, Pato got even more serious about his instruction. Jesse recalled, “he spent hours every week talking to me about crime and serving time. He drilled into my mind that i was never to let anybody disrespect me and that, no matter what, I was to hold my mud (not snitch).” Jesse said, he was like a “sponge, absorbing everything.”

Jesse had made up his mind that he wasn’t going to do farm related work, the only work available to Mexicans, leaving involvement with the illicit or illegal economy as his only other option. He began to shoplift and break into houses. In 1965 at age fourteen, he made his first trip to Juvenile Hall (Juvi) deemed “out of parental control” after sneaking off to Los Angeles to visit his sister. When released from Juvi Jesse found out that Pato had been arrested for armed robbery. However, the man he wanted to emulate, Big Indio, the one feared and admired in the barrio, was released from Ed Ramírez prison and the next stage linden, ca of Jesse’s socialization to La Vida Loca began.

Big Indio told him never to trust the “white or black man,” “always stick with Raza” and began to teach him about “the Peni.” Jesse recalled, “He trained me on the aspects of doing time. He told me about what i should expect once i got to prison.” Jesse recalled that he couldn’t wait to find out if he would be just as shrewd and ferocious as Big Indio when he got there.

Already alienated, Jesse shut down in school thinking that he couldn’t use anything taught there in prison anyway, and by age fifteen, he was living the “criminal lifestyle.”

When two drunken “older white men” crashed their party at the river, Big Indio and Jesse robbed them, and Jesse ended up stabbing one of them in the neck. Within hours of the incident he was arrested for assault and robbery, and he ended up in Juvi again. in Juvi he immediately began to act on the lessons learned from Pato and Big Indio and established a reputation as a force to be reckoned with. A reputation he would maintain throughout his prison experiences.

His life would be “detoured” through criminal activity, heroin addiction and multiple incarcerations until the mid-1990’s.

Inspired by the love for his daughter, through sheer will and against all odds, Jesse would transform himself through higher education and achieve his goal of helping others like himself to turn their lives around.

Dr. De la Cruz currently serves as a court approved consultant and gang expert working within the “judicial system” to combat “injustice” by providing “…insight into the secretive world of gangs so that justice is meted out equitably.” (to be continued)

VII: Socialización de pandillas...

viene de la vuelta manos de Jesse. Jesse apuntó con el arma a un grupo que estaba parado alrededor de un tambor de 50 galones donde ardía una enorme hoguera con la que trataban de calentarse en la niebla invernal. Cerró los ojos y disparó, y cuando abrió los ojos vio a unos tipos caer al suelo. Se sintió empoderado y “continuó disparando tan rápido como pudo”. Dos de los muchachos de Visalia fueron alcanzados, no murieron, pero resultaron “gravemente heridos”.

Más tarde, Pato se enteró de que Visalia iba a tomar represalias, y lo hicieron. Le dispararon y mataron a Manuel —uno de los “normales” que fue inicialmente golpeado en Visalia. Jesse escapó por poco del ataque pero fue testigo del asesinato de Manuel.

Después de la muerte de Manuel, Pato se tomó aún más en serio su instrucción. Jesse recordó: “Pasaba horas cada semana hablándome sobre crímenes y la cárcel. Me metió en la mente que nunca debía permitir que alguien me faltara el respeto y que, sin importar nada, debía cerrar el pico (no ser soplón)”. Jesse dijo, “era una esponja, absorbiendo todo”.

Jesse había decidido que no iba a trabajar en nada relacionado con la agricultura —el único trabajo abierto para los mexicanos— dejando como su única otra opción la integración a la economía ilícita o ilegal. Comenzó a robar en tiendas y entrar en casas. En 1965,

Bibliography

de la cruz, J. (2011). detoured: My Journey from darkness to light. san fernando: barking rooster books. de la cruz, J. (16 de september de 2020). Jds. consultations. obtenido de dr. Jesse de la cruz court Qualified Gang expert: https:// jsdconsultations.com/

a los catorce años, hizo su primera estadía en la Correccional Juvenil (Juvi) considerado “fuera del control de sus padres” después que se escabulló a Los Ángeles para visitar a su hermana.

Cuando fue liberado de la Juvi, Jesse se enteró de que Pato había sido arrestado por robo a mano armada. No obstante, Big Indio, el temido y admirado del barrio y hombre al que quería emular, fue justo liberado de la cárcel; y así comenzó la siguiente etapa de la socialización de Jesse en La Vida Loca.

Big Indio le dijo que nunca confiara en el “hombre blanco o negro”, “quédate siempre con la Raza” y comenzó a enseñarle sobre “la Peni”. Jesse rememora: “Me familiarizó en los aspectos de estar encarcelado. Me dijo qué esperar una vez que llegara a la cárcel”. Jesse recordó que estaba ansioso por saber si sería tan astuto y feroz como Big Indio cuando llegara allí.

Ya totalmente alienado, Jesse se olvidó de la escuela pensando que, como fuera, no podría usar nada de lo que se enseña allí en prisión. A los quince años estaba viviendo la “vida criminal”.

Cuando dos “blancos mayores” borrachos interrumpieron su fiesta en el río, Big Indio y Jesse los robaron, y Jesse terminó apuñalando a uno de ellos en el cuello. Horas después del incidente fue arrestado por asalto y robo, y terminó nuevamente en la Juvi. En la Juvi, inmediatamente comenzó a poner en práctica las lecciones aprendidas de Pato y Big Indio y pronto se ganó la reputación de ser un tipo de cuidado —reputación que mantendría a lo largo de sus experiencias en prisión. su vida tomaría “un desvío”: actividades delictivas, adicción a la heroína y múltiples encarcelamientos hasta mediados de la década de 1990.

Inspirado por el amor por su hija, por pura voluntad y contra todo pronóstico, Jesse se transformaría a sí mismo a través de educación superior y lograría su objetivo de ayudar a otros como él a enderezar sus vidas.

El Dr. de la Cruz actualmente se desempeña como asesor judicialmente acreditado y experto en pandillas, trabajando dentro del “sistema judicial” para combatir la “injusticia” al brindar “...conocimiento del mundo interior de las pandillas para que la justicia se administre de manera informada”. (continúa en el próximo número)