THIS IS GETTING TO BE A HABIT.
I've been asked this about a thousand times and I'll just get it over with so we can move on. Jim asks:
Wallace, I have two questions, entirely out of genuine interest and not meant to critique my esteemed "pal". I thought that the inclusion of "Southern Soldiers" into your book's original title was sound on several fronts, but I amicably chided you on your decision to have dropped it, and instead go it alone with the ~MM~ Mexican Mafia.What were your reasons, or whims, on deciding this?
2. "Wally Fay", why did you choose the name Wally Fay? Is there any connection here to the Wally Fay character in the Joan Crawford vehicle "Mildred Pierce" of many years past? We are curious Wally, be a sport and tell. Bunch of us old time vatos here in SanFer, Borrego Valley, "Sylmar Ranch" and Kansas are dyin' to know.
Felice año nuevo to all.
Since you're asking, I used the name Wally Fay because every combination of Tony Rafael was already taken when I started using Blogger and Yahoo. A lot of people got there before me and I got shut out. So as I was casting about for some appropriate handle, I went to a default mode and searched the mental memory banks for something that connected the topic with earlier generations of LA noir writers. To me, the one guy that seemed to catch the spirit of this place better than the rest was James M. Cain. And as I started replaying his books and the movies made from them in my head, one guy popped out -- Jack Carson, to my mind, one of the greatest character actors ever to step in front of a camera. There's one other actor, Vito Scotti who ranks right up there with Carson. But it had to be Carson because he was connected to Cain and bingo -- Wally Fay from Mildred Pierce. "You know me, Mildred. I see an angle and I can't help cutting myself a piece of throat." Perfect. All this took about 30 seconds. And nobody had claimed the handle on Yahoo mail so I grabbed it.
So yeah, Wally from the movie and I wear the handle proudly. Send my your info Jim and you'll get a signed copy. You're the first guy to actually make the connection so you get a prize for being so well rounded.
As to the book, I still think Southern Soldiers is a cooler title but I was overruled. It wasn't my call. Those who spend the money call the shots. The publisher and the distributor thought Southern Soldiers sounded too much like a book about the Civil War. They didn't want to confuse the public and having to explain the title just makes the book harder to sell. It was a purely commercial decision.
Friday, January 12, 2007
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"Kansas" thanks you for the clarity, Wally.. Incidently I'm gratified to learn that LA land is getting just a taste of the kind of weather we've had out here. Today after work I stoked the fire and settled down with a History Channel program titled "Street Gangs".. It covered the turn of the Century NY ethnic gangs and ran through the "zoot-suiters" all the way to Crips, Bloods and finalized with a short coverage of La Eme, 18ers, etc. What gave me cause to guffaw was the appearance of our old friend Hector No Guns running his scam for the uninformed documentarians to suck up like so much masa.. I sipped my Mondelo and felt good that I had the real chisme bein a "Wallista"..Thanks for that, you guys..........
The guy who knew this movie should get a prize. This movie is going way back and not a classic which many people would know.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037913/
Obscure Visions
i agree, i quickly thought of "gettysburg", "slavery", "Abe Lincoln", and finally "lee's surrender at appomattox!"when i saw the title "souhtern soldiers".good move on the name change.........pacoimero
The name change was a good business decision. Book advertising is mostly a word of mouth medium. But Southern Soldiers would be a good movie title. (tsk tsk). Movies are advertised through visual means, and just a poster alone with a homeboy sporting the blue rag would give the hint of what Southern Soldiers meant, let alone the trailer.
But, for a book, the suits had the right idea. It will help your sells. A lot of what you could call mainstream people who could normally care less about EME or street gangs still think of Edward James Olmos' and the 60 Minutes piece on the American Me killings whenever they hear the words 'Mexican Mafia'. So, that's just more potential buyers when the title of the book starts making it's rounds.
Gava Joe, why'd you kill your blog? Get it back going, man.
And, N, good luck with your blog. I found it on a search for Gava's.
Don Q, it's your turn.
Thanks SNS. It is much appreciated. One of these days (when I have some time), I will go through the published organized of the Ventura County Sur sets and post it on the blog. I have been following the developments of the Ad Hoc Committee on Gang Violence as chronicled by both the LA Times and the LA Daily News and as discussed by a number of posters here. On the latest LA Daily News article about this topic:
"City Councilman Tony Cardenas, chairman of the ad hoc Committee on Gang Violence and Youth Development that commissioned the 9-inch-thick report for more than $500,000, said it's a blueprint for fundamentally changing the city's anti-gang efforts."
To put this into perspective, a ream of paper is about 2 inches thick and comprises 500 sheets. Thusly a 9 inch thick document is approximately 2250 pages in length. That is slightly more than $222.22 per page! Word problems aside, I was interested in taking a look at the document as a form of primary research (vs. relying on the interpretation of the document from a reporter). What I was able to find was a 70 page PDF document entitled City of Los Angeles Gang Activity Reduction Strategy Phase 1 Report. The simplest way to get this document is to go to the following and click on the permalink hyperlink:
http://www.advanceproj.com/016.html
The document makes an interesting read for those willing to spend a bit of time reading it. One of the points that I found interesting, in reference to prior efforts to deal with the "gang problem" (and a problem that is rampant in evaluating the efficacy of social programs), is that prior efforts were not based upon methods in which the efficacy of the programs could be evaluated or if an evaluation metric was available it was not entirely objective. There were a number of other problems that this report brought to light such as a failure of prior uniform definitions for "street gang" or what constituted a gang crime. There is quite a bit more that I will post as I have time. In the end, however, as long as the funding source of illicit drug sales remains, street gangs will remain as will their necessity for defending their sales turf. Until this simple fact is realized, the other measures put forth will have either no or limited success.
Here is link to phase 3 of the report. Enjoy!
http://www.advanceproj.com/index.html
Wally good choice of names and your absolutely right about James Cain being maybe the quintessential LA novelist whose stories were made into classic movies (Mildred Pierce,The Postman Always rings twice, and maybe the greatest of Film Noir "Double Endemnity" the Billy Wilder film whose screenwriters were not only James Cain but maybe the other greatest LA writer Raymond CHandler. Jack Carson was indeed one of the greatest character actors and his Wally Fay part was classic "Mida, I know how to handle her, just hit her in the head!". Good choice of names cause this blog run by Wally sounds OK, the other great character actors you could have borrowed names from would not have had the same effect, Vito Scotti, ot maybe J. Carroll Naish?
By the way this AM on CNN there was a news feature on the racial friction between Blacks and Mexicans in LA, and althought it was pretty right on about the changing demographics, it was to me biased towards the Black community showing the photos of the two suspects in the 14 year old girls murder at the liquor store and no mention and interviews by Black Watts residents who were claiming loss of job opportunities.
We need some parity on this issue!
dq
For those of us who are not in the know but would like to know can you give some info on you book. The when and where would be fine. Also to go along with another topic what are some of your toughts on the research portion of the book ie. documentation etc. I have done my own research but just for personal info. I hope to get my hands on a copie of your book soon.
Wally,
In the book "The Rise and Fall of the Nuestra Familia" by Nina Funtes, the author states, "The most violent by far is the Nuestra Familia (NF), with over 300 murders to its credit." She goes on to mention that NF was founded by a Puerto Rican from Santa Barbara while serving time at Soledad. Can you comment as to the validity of Funtes' assertions in her book? TIA...
i'm totally off the subject, but for those of you who are from the sanfernando valley or those that know a little about the history of kickboxing and it's pioneer's,sad new's for all of us,Lilly Rodriguez, the wife of kickboxing legend Blinky Rodriguez died today.Blinky and Lilly not only are kickboxing legend's but for many year's they along with Blinky's "communities in schools" have helped many gangmember's find away out or just better themselve's.they have preached about peace for many many year's and have touched many heart's.my condolences to Blinky and his entire family.Lilly Rodriguez, a legend in and out the ring r.i.p.
Anonymous said...
Wally,
In the book "The Rise and Fall of the Nuestra Familia" by Nina Funtes, the author states, "The most violent by far is the Nuestra Familia (NF), with over 300 murders to its credit." She goes on to mention that NF was founded by a Puerto Rican from Santa Barbara while serving time at Soledad. Can you comment as to the validity of Funtes' assertions in her book? TIA...
....
Tia, most of what's in that book is Robert Gratton's account, and I got the feel that most of the historical information the author used came right from Gratton himself.
Someone who used to post here named "Tijuana Jailer", who is a former corrections officer, gave some pretty interesting accounts of how NF started, and I'd lean more toward believing him than that book.
I think Gratton was useful in regards to information on Central Cali during his time, as he was front and center. But I've noticed from reading dozens of true crime bios that a lot of gangsters don't know much about the long term history of even the very gang or organization they run with. They know the time they did their stomping. Why should they even care about any other time?
Sometimes the best source is a cop who's willing to talk candidly without a preachy agenda, and most of us here agree that TJ fits that bill. Do a search up top and give some of his posts a read. And, if you're interested at all in California prison gangs, give yourself a couple of hours because you'll be glued to the monitor.
Wally said it best; I was reading some of Wally’s old posts. And I came across a great post which gives some straight forward no social mumbo-jumbo reasons for the continual growth of gangs. I was criticized for blaming family members for teaching the gang culture (La Vida Loca) to their own kids. Some called it merely “repping the barrio” or “defending gangs” gangs. And I was criticized about my opinions about why gangs continue to flourish such as gang family members and active recruitment by gangs. Well Wally already said it better than I ever could years ago in his first post. Wally for Drug Czar; Oh never mind that title will guarantee failure, anybody have a better title? Everybody should read it once, twice three times a lady.
From post dated Wednesday, February 19, 2003
“What Father Boyle doesn’t seem to grasp is that the gangster who has been indoctrinated into the gang culture since he was in the crib will never walk into Father Boyle’s office. Look at it this way: if your grandfather, father, all your uncles and all your brothers are in gangs, and the men your sisters and aunts marry are in gangs, and your cousins are in gangs, it would be a rare and courageous individual indeed who can turn his back on that and try to live a straight life.”
“So sure, Father Boyle never sees evidence of multigenerational gang membership. The overwhelming evidence, however, indicates the opposite to a degree he can’t imagine. The gangs aren’t just generational. They’ve spawned a self-sustaining alternate culture. Gang culture now has its own websites, music labels, magazines and social events. I urge Father Boyle to investigate some of this and he’ll see family albums of pictures with kids in diapers holding .380 pistols and wearing "south-side blue" rags. The tragedy is that by the time that baby handling the .380 for his baby album enters his teenage years, he’s probably beyond redemption and rehabilitation. His gangster parents have already scarred him so deeply that it would take nothing short of full-on brain-washing to get that kid back to normal. Is it any surprise that type of child doesn’t walk into Homeboy Industries? Or the nearest church, or Victory Outreach or any other outreach program?”
Mad Mexican
Just a little more info for those who want to see what your kids are really doing on the Internet. The following is a kid way over in France who is being “brain-washed” from good old Los Angeles via the Internet. There are even gang training DVDs available to train/brainwash you stupid, high testosterone gangster wanna-be 14-16 year old kid. So for those who think gangs are not actively recruiting kids, get your head out of the sand. These stupid kids are living in a tourist town in the south of France not in the poor ghettos of Los Angeles. These are the crazy things I learn from the high-school kids I tutor. I like the picture with the “SUR” graffiti, I guess they mean Sur France. Any adults involved in recruiting kids into gangs should be burned at the stake but that is just my humble opinion.
MySpace account of kid in far away France http://www.myspace.com/huerito_18st_grls
Pictures from his hi-jacked MySpace account http://s124.photobucket.com/albums/p2/huerito_photos/
Excerpt from the French kids account.
About me:
16 YEARS OLD, I'VE BEEN FROM EIGHTEEN STREET FOR MORE THAN 1 YEAR. I'M FROM SOUTH SIDE 18ST GREASQUE LOCOS REPRESENTING IN FRANCE, EUROPE. WHAT'S UP TO MY HOMEGIRL PAYASA FROM RANCHO PARK TINY LOCAS, LA TINY 1 FROM THE SOUTH SIDE TINY WINAS, LA FAMOSA MISS TROOPS FROM HOLLYWOOD GANGSTERS TINY LOCAS, EL MORENO FROM TINY WINOS....AND ALL THE HOMIES WORLDWIDE. MUCH LOVE AND RESPECT TO THE WHOLE BARRIO
DIESIOCHO
Mad Mexican
dear Wally, i knew it your moniker i mean. i to remember the movie and the name i always told my homie who also is a wallyman that the charicters name was the same as yours [but of course never really realizing it was you]. anyway cool shit on the nf but i agree with the poster about vatos not even knowing thier varrios past. i beleive none of us really do. im 51yrs. old and still could'nt tell you how my varrio started. of course there are many versions and i guess we choose the one we feel we like better at the time. hey wally oin your book will it or does it have current happings in it or is it historical? ethier one will be cool i supose, but current shit would nice to know about.
anyway cool shit thourghout keep it up.
p.s. does anyone know anything about the Choppers12?
Hey does anyone see whats happing here with all the bullshit talk about gang injuctions?
let me say this, if not careful we will soon be an all out police state.
you may laugh and say good get the gangsters out, but remember this, hitler started the same except it was about the jews and soon it was all done. theres a saying, frist they came for the fags and i did nothing, then they came for the and i did nothing and now their coming for me and now i can do nothing.
Wally,
Thanks for answering my question about the Funtes book. I agree with you that Funtes' book may not be quite accurate. Not to bash Funtes, but the accuracy of the book immediately arouses suspicion simply because of her poor writing. Thanks again Wally...
BTW, TIA means thanks in advance.
OMM reading your post I assume that what your saying is that the largest contributor to the gangster lifestyle is "brainwashing" or some kind of genetic influence by multi generational gangster family members?
I and everyone who has been a gangster or deals or dealt with LA gangsters has seen that situation indeed, but these same people including myself will tell you that the vast majority of Chicano familys have produced many good citizens who outnumber the gangsters in the same familia. This is an old story that crosses many ethnic lines from the Chicano to the Irish, Italians, Jews and Armenians. Where a family suffers due to one gangster or criminal they also produce Priests, Cops, Plumbers, Lawyers, and Teachers.
I personally have known a number of EME Big Homies, and every one of thier familys also includes some of the finest, honest, and hard working people you would ever want to meet. I don't have all the answers to the gang problems we are witnessing on such a large scale, but I do know that influence by family members is not the largest or most important cause of the tremendous growth of gangs. I do know that spending all our resources and energy on punishment and building and filling jails has not put a dent in the continued growth of gangs. I think that the regognition of past failures and the combining of forces by our Politicians, LE,Churches,Private Industry, Schools, etc', along with substantial money for intervention and positive places for our youngsters to spend thier time is to me a step in the right direction.
Also I never understood the hostility for Father Boyle and his efforts at intervention and trying to change these gangsters lives. I have in the past gone to Mass at the Dolores Mission and talked to Father Greg (who by the way, has been succesful with some of the most hard core gangsters in one of the most hard core gang areas in LA) I have on occasion hired youngsters from Father Greg Boyles group and sometimes they worked out and sometimes they didn't but I always found Father Boyle to be honest, sincere, unselfish,and muy sabio in his efforts at community service.
Shit the work he has put in for years (and not only with gangs but total service to the community)when nobody else gave two shits is to me, an authentic Christian effort that shames most other phoney hypocritical so called Christians.
dq
I to do not and have not understood the shit agaisnt father greg. truly when no one else would step up he most definetly did.
as to the gang problem its simple, when you have a surge of illeagles such as the white euros when they began their thiveriy of the native lands [chicano and native americans] it was only natural that the peoples would develoop clandestine bodies to combat them.
the french underground, the mafia[italiano] chicano movment, native peoples movement[lenard peltier]and such. persons like the mayor pushing for the injuctions along with rocky delgadillo and others throughout time have forgotten where they came. their success was won on the backs of those who thought and exspected to reap in the rewards but alas it was not to be. remember "si se puede" the chant the mayor and his people shouted out, yeah right fuck that shit. all frosting on shit wallyman. whats the cure? a lot of hard work and understanding and not seeking giant media coverage, just like father greg.
To Don Q and others,
Nobody is criticizing Boyle for his efforts in working with gangs. He has been working in East Los Angeles harder and longer than anyone else. The point being made is about his opinion about gangs not being a multi-generational and a problem that our own families help to create. He may have changed his opinion on this by now. I was referencing to Wally’s very first post.
I will give you examples of what I mean by families teaching gang culture to their kids. I have to been to houses where the parents have the picture of the smile now cry later clowns on their living room wall (WTF). They give their kids little Cholo/Gangster dolls as presents. They buy their kids Sureno gangster music and listen to it with them. I know the old Cholos are foaming at the mouth and saying that is our Brown Heritage, well that is the type of mentality that has only added to our gang problems. A Cholo doll is NOT my Brown pride. And of course there are always going to be the exception of some kids being successful in spite of their Cholo parents, but that is not what usually happens.
I can guarantee you the parents who I personally help with their kids are not against gang injunctions. I know these mothers have the business cards of cops in their purse at all times. I have been with them looking for their kids at night. And when some of them get picked up by cops for violating a curfew they are happy it was the police who picked them up and not some gang member with gun. And of course the police can not solve all our gang problems. But what do you think would happen in Los Angeles if the police did not show up for work for one month. (please answer this question). I have had these same conversations with concerned parents many times.
If we really want to end all the problems of gangs and poverty it has to start with ourselves at home. Young men have to be taught not to have kids with any girl who will have sex with him. Girls need to be taught enough self-respect so they will not have sex and babies with the first idiot who just says “I love you”. The these kids need good parents and role models to teach and discipline them from an early age. Poverty is not the main reason for gangs, anybody who has traveled to the poorest pueblos of Mexico and Central America knows this very well. I have been to small pueblos where there is no electricity and no jobs and you do not see any gangs and graffiti marking territories.
I found another Wally post where he says some of the same things I keep repeating.
“IT AIN'T THE POVERTY” Sunday, October 12, 2003
I highly recommned the book titled “Enough” by Juan Williams
Mad Mexican
(sounding scratched like my old Red-Bone Albums)
Actually, I'm the retard that referred to you as 'TIA', lol. Hey, I worked 12 hours yesterday on about 5 hours sleep. Have a heart.
So, you're welcome in advance. It wasn't actually Wally, it was me.
Rise and Fall of the Nuestra Familia is an interesting book. That Gratton guy just about ran the Stanislaus area of Califas in the late '80s and '90s, and we're talking LOTS of dope, despite it not being a metropolis. I think Modesto is still considered the meth capitol of the country. The town's come a long way since American Graffiti...
My trouble with the theory that a Puerto Rican started NF is that it conflicts with a one time regular commentor here's theory that it was actually EME dropouts that started NF, and they, thus, recruited Nortenos (at that time, pretty much anyone in the system who resided North of Bakersfield). If I recall, he also went in to detail about the so called 'shoe wars', by saying that EME members treated Nortenos like shit in San Quintin (despite Northerners at that time still being loyal to EME), leading to riots, and that's when the NF's membership really took off.
The theory that a Puerto Rican started NF sounds like a shot playing on the perception of Nortenos not being real Chicanos, etc. And, if I recall, Gratton was green lighted by the NF and likely had an axe to grind when interviewing with Funtes.
Anyhow, that's just the best I can make of it.
Don Q,
What the hell is "gang genetic influence"? Genes can influence skin color, eye color but I have not heard of testing DNA for the gang gene. But maybe some lawyers will use the I am not guilty because of my "gang genetic influence" defense.(lol)
Where do you folks come up with these crazy ideas?
Que Locuras
I'm sure he meant upbringing all together. You're right, there is no genetic trait that makes someone gang bang, but there are genes that make people pretentious smart asses. Guess you and I both can thank our parents for that.
I get what DQ's saying. Never mind drug addiction and alcoholism having an effect on one's child, born with the same addiction, having a compromised ability to rationalize and feel remorse for doing harm to others. But here's a better example, and why the 'gang gene' could also make a good defense for someone convicted of a violent crime.
Armando Frias is a since debriefed Norteno from Salinas California. On a PBS documentary about his family and the NF, his father, one of the orignal NF members, talks of
- teaching his son to fight when he was just a toddler.
- teaching his son to use a gun, and not for hunting deer.
- having his son drive him and his homies around when they were too fucked up to drive themselves, when his son was 10 years old.
- Initiating his son into the local Norteno gang about as soon as he reached puberty, and passing him on to a higher, organized level of the gang where he would eventually do a hit for the NF
I think "Lil Mando" would make a good case for the 'gang DNA' theory, and there's a "Lil Mando" on every street in L.A.
Orale Vatos,
Damn maybe we do have a gang genetic influence. No wonder this shit keeps happening. Keep trucha and keep you eyes open for hura.
Checka the stories below.
http://lang.presstelegram.com/gangs/index-d1.asp
Ex-LA gangster in Orlando
Guess my attempts at being facetious by using the facetious term "genetic gang influence" didn't register. Sorry, I was just again responding to OMM's theory that it's familys and multi generational gang influences that are the major reasons for the massive numbers of gang members spreading accross the nation.
I also recognize this influence, but again I will say that it's economics and a social denial of the problems that follow that are generating the huge and growing gang problem. Good paying jobs, better schools, more opportunities, intervention at a younger age for problem kids, a revamping of the whole "foster care" system,many more well funded and run places to go for youngsters after school, cause Mothers and Fathers are both working in many cases, etc; etc; etc; we all know what should be done but as a society we lack the will so far to address the problems of gangs and crime, except for a continuing support for a failing yet growing Justice System.
Also OMM I find your statement that poverty doesn't contribute to the gang problem ludicrous and surprising coming from you.
The gang problem always thrives in poverty and always has. When people become upwordly mobile and ecomomically stable the gang problem radically shrinks. When was the last time you read about a gang shooting in Brentwood or Irvine or Malibu? Or La Jolla the Mexican Beverly Hills?
dq
I will jump in the mix by giving my two centavos. I am from the Duarte area, I raised by own burros in this area.
In the city of Duarte (30 min east of L.A) which is a small bedroom community with a low crime rate.
The city does not have the large quantity of people living in poverty as does Los Angeles, the Duarte “ghetto” is probably less than one square mile. And I am sure most of these kids in the Duarte “ghetto” have a television and video game in their bedrooms. And are wearing the latest style in tennis shoes.
The site below compares Duarte crime rates to Los Angeles and the national average.
http://duarte.areaconnect.com/crime/compare.htm?c1=Los+Angeles&s1=CA&c2=Duarte&s2=CA
You will see that Duarte does not usually have any murders in a year. But there have been a few murders in Duarte the last five years which I do remember because they made the news and also because my nephew is a Duarte Sheriff. Last year there was a shooting death due to Black vs. Latino gangs. The city has a great parks and recreation department, a teen center and youth sports leagues. The city of Duarte is small enough were a kid can walk or ride his bike to these recreation centers. There is even a Duarte bus service which covers the local area very well and is very cheap.
The city has a diverse population of Latinos, Whites and Asians.
I raised my kids in this area so I know the area well. I always had to know my kids friends and their parents and it never failed that the problem kid had stupid parents. My nephew and I have talked about why there are gangs in a small city like Duarte and have noticed the kids in gangs have lousy parents, absent parents or parents who are on the wrong side of the law themselves. But why are gangs mostly a problem with latinos and blacks. Well that is the million peso question, but I am pretty damn sure the parents are doing something wrong because nobody is starving in Duarte. Two old cholos who I went to school with, have sons who are just like their father, but these are the only two cholos I still know from way back in the day.
http://www.streetgangs.com/topics/2003/052003duarte.html
Gangs are evem growing in the next town over of Monrovia. And it has an ever smaller "ghetto" with even nicer houses. Where the kids probably have LCD wide screen TV's for their new sony video game. The study below sites how non-white juvenille crime is on the rise. So maybe it is that infamous "gang genetics"
http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v1n2/appendix_a.html
El Chismoso de Duarte
I often wonder if our perception is a bit skewed about the perception of gangs being composed predominantly of blacks and Latinos. Historically, if one expands ones geographical view to include the Midwest and the East Coast, there have been a large number of gangs that were either predominantly or all white. On a worldwide basis the criminal gangs in the old Eastern bloc countries are just as violent as our local turf gangs. In my humble opinion, more than parents and more than poverty, is the lure of what would appear to be "easy" money in the illicit drug trade thanks to the puritanical policies put in place by our federal government and the export of these policies through globalist organizations such as the UN. The same type of turf warfare directly related to territory for selling drugs is seen countrywide and worldwide. People of all socioeconomic strata are involved in the drug trade including lawyers, leaders of state and medical douchebags (pill pushers). The simplest way to depower the gangs is to remove their largest source of funding. Take away the drug money just like the alcohol money during the days of Prohibition and you will see the loss of the financial incentive to live the thug lifestyle.
Hey chismoso Duarte has always been a place that I can remember having a gang problem, Duarte ES, Duarte rifa, and the Du-roc cripos, In the late 70's early 80's there was alot of shootings, drug activity and shenanigans going on in that city. Ask you sobrino the sheriff to look up an incident where some of his predecessors were have problems with some negroes and wanted to run them out of town, so they hatched a plan, they made a fake 911 call from a pay phone and said there was some kind of disturbance at the address where the unwanted "ciminal element" were living, so now a few squad cars respond and go in blasting, the only one who got hit was a pregnant women, who was killed as well as her fetus. The cops ended up getting busted for that one, but they probably got off with just doing weekends at the Temple City substation (a slap on the wrist). Monrovia has always been a place where there has been an old neighborhood, although there aint too many veteranos from that hood. By the way I have homies who are or were full blown tecatos, some are struck out doing life sentences, and a few, not many had all that good stuff your talking about, 2 parents, car in the garage live on the good side of town, TV, after school sports. So really its up to the individual and what they want to do with themselves. I've seen kids who came from a fucked up household, parents were tecatos/gangbangers, and they turned out good. All we can do is be the examples we can be to our kids, teach them, repsct, and hope for the best. especially when your raising them in a "bad side of town".
Ay te miro chamiro
FYI El Chismoso Duarte and Monrovia is and are and were very active in gang activity ive been here 15yrs! i dont think you can rely on studies and surveys from the govt you have to go outside and live in it to know. Do you even live there? maybe you live in the foothills where they dont experience the drama and carnage.
El Rato MNVR ESDR DRCC
To MNVR ESDR DRCC and Duarte Homies,
I still live in Duarte, but you are right I live along the foothills now. And I would not be directly affected by gang problems these days especially at my age. I walk my dogs and ride my bike throughout Duarte but mostly on the northside of the 210 fwy. I know those Azusa Canyon trails very well.
I know there have been gang problems in Duarte since the 70's. The point I was trying to make is that today Duarte and Monrovia are not poor areas like South Central Los Angeles. And the kids living in the old barrios of Duarte and Monrovia, have lots of recreational and education options to gangs but they are still getting into gangs. And in these areas it is latinos and blacks in gangs. So why does this continue to happen, well that is the millon peso question.
My nephew who is a Duarte sheriff is a young buck so he would only know about the pedo going on the streets today. But I do know that most of the crime in Duarte happens in a very small area and by the same usual suspects. So if you live there of course it seems like there is lots of crime in Duarte. The Duarte sheriff responds to 911 calls with about 3 cars in less than 2 minutes. My neighbor the drunk wife-beater has proven this to the neighbors a few times.
So what was the reason you heard for the black vs Latino shooting in Duarte last year. What was the pedo about; tu sabes?
El Chismoso de Duarte
Just when we need more cops and its hard enough to 1) hire new ones and 2) keep them from moving to other agencies once they've been trained - the idiots at City Hall take another step to piss off the men and women in blue. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LAPD Chief William Bratton voiced support today for state legislation authored by Senator Gloria Romero to open officer disciplinary hearings to the public, but a police union vowed to fight such an effort, saying it would violate officers' right to privacy. Villaraigosa said the Los Angeles Police Department, "under the leadership of Police Chief William Bratton and the Police Commission President John Mack, has been a national leader in open, transparent disciplinary processes for police officers -- particularly when it comes to police officer
use of force."
City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo is quicky becoming the Rodney Dangerfield of LA politics - he just can't get any respect. First Rocky gets his hat handed to him in one of the biggest ass whoopings in California electoral politics whe he ran against Jerry Brown for the Democratic nomination for State Attorney General. Now, when he tried to gain support from Mayor Villaraigosa and City Controller Laura Chick for a measure to extend the three citywide elected officials terms (a la the bogus Measure R on last November's ballot), he was politely shown the door. He then goes with the hat handed to him by Jerry Brown in hand to the City Council - the same Council he told to take Measure R and shove it - to beg for their support. No dice as Rocky walks away empty handed (not sure if he still had his hat) having been told by some Council members - at least according to the Daily News' Rick Orlov - that "he might be better off looking for a new political job." Damn that has got to hurt!
Antonio's pick of John Mack the most critical of LAPD for years is DEAD WRONG when he says "One of the concerns of the African-American community is that there had been no public access to this and no one knew if officers were being disciplined. THIS IS TOTAL BULLSHIT....BOARD OF RIGHTS HAVE BEEN OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR YEARS AND BECAUSE OF SUPREME COURT CLOSED LAST OCT. MACK IS SUCH AN IDIOT HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THE FACTS. SOMEONE REMIND THAT RACIST THAT HE REPRESENTS THE ENTIRE CITY NOT JUST SOUTH LA. HE SHLD BE CONCERNED WITH THE MURDERS AND GANG VIOLENCE. ANTONIO'S CHOICE FOR COMMISSION HAS BEEN THE WORST.
..."Law enforcement officers are already vulnerable to criminals intent on doing them harm and we need to be able to protect the safety as well as the privacy of our officers and their families."
It's a bit odd for Mayor Villaraigosa's support for LAPD open hearings. Quite odd, public's protest against gangs pushed him to publicly have a green light on cops. What a disgrace! Who's side is he anyways, the thugs or justice? There's more to this than meets the eye! Why is he so against our law and for gangs? WHY?
Anonymous said,
"There's more to this than meets the eye! Why is he so against our law and for gangs? WHY?"
Because Antonio was against gang injunctions previous poster. Like Montoya from Culture Clash stated "the mayor is a gang banger in a suit."
Someone give Antonio is ADD medication. He talked about helping the homeless. Has done nothing. Then it was affordable housing. Done nothing. Then it was traffic. Done nothing. Then it was LAPD recruitment. Hurting now more then helping. Done nothing. Then it was the gang problem. Not only done nothing but hasn't said a word about the $2 billion cit is wasting on gang violence.
Apparently our midget mayor can't keep his mind on one topic for more then 2 seconds. No, I forgot his only priority has been LAUSD.
To Mayor Sam are you the infamous "Mayor Sam" which has the blog. And is public enemy number one of the LA city council?
Why does the Mayor's lack of focus and success surprise anybody? This is the same big city politics which has been going on for years. The politicians have to walk a tightrope on so many issues.
I will never forget when the people living in a housing project were asking for help reducing crimes in the housing project. When Chief Bratton shows up and says he is going to put up cameras and provide additional officers he is immediately criticized. The people in the housing projects at this meeting are screaming invasion of privacy and police harassment of their kids just at the suggestion by Chief Bratton. I will never forget Bratton losing his composure and telling the audience “these are your kids if you can’t control them how we supposed to control them”. Those people sure got pissed at that comment.
I know I sound like a broken record but if we as a society are waiting for our government to solve all our problems, hell might just freeze over before that happens. I have only seen the gang problem grow as we sit on our hands doing nothing. We are standing back watching the house slowing burn waiting for the magical fire department and when all that is left are the ashes maybe then we will reflect and say maybe I should have picked up a garden hose to help. In the words of Martin Luther King “I have a dream”; where everyone helps educate their nephew, niece, kid next door or any kid you know that needs a helping hand. Where are the Latino MLKs when we desperately need them?
I have an idea for volunteer recruitment where we ask our neighbors “que rifas” if he is not a member of our organization he is harassed, intimidated then gets a beat down and until he joins or moves. This recruitment approach works very well for the gangs in L.A.
To all of Wally’s readers good posts lately. The censorship does work, but I think I may have to contact the ACLU about my first amendment rights of free speech being violated. (Watch out Wally)
Mad Mexican
I fully support the idea of adding an additional 20,000 cops to the streets of LA to combat the surge of violence caused by insurgents here. Just last Tuesday, there was a shooting at Grant High School (Van Nuys), and last year in Los Angeles, there were 402 murders.
I think it would be an absolutely splendid idea to have an additional 20,000 LAPD cops on the streets of Los Angeles. Some of them could investigate and possibly prevent murders, while others could walk the streets to insure quality of life. They would ticket people who dump baskets, sofas, mattresses and trash along the road. They would stop taggers, drug dealers, and gang bangers from fouling up neighborhoods.
Since we all pay taxes, and the government by the people, for the people and of the people is our government...shouldn't we ask of it to spend billions right here in Los Angeles to bring police protection, law and order and a better quality of life to the City of Angels?
I see your 20,000 cops and raise you 20,000. When the weather warms up again you can put them in shorts and on bikes like Malibu Blue. They can practice that good old Boulevard therapy like George Kennedy used to do in The Blue Knight.. It aint gonna happen..
I've read all your pipe dreams about Boy's Clubs and after school programs, recreation centers and gang-free playgrounds. You're ALL pissin in the wind..
Your Chief Bratton, with his emotional comment about "controlling your kids" makes more sense than anything else I've seen here.
The mentality of contemporary society has no time to nurture. Parents expect school teachers and social workers to do what they should be doing. The media eats up every heinous act your gangs or frustrated lone youngsters commit, and give it notoriety, and we suck it up like root beer.
These are wicked times. We've all regressed to a place that could'nt have been imagined 20 yrs ago. The kids are more dangerous and we've become conditioned to expect their escalated violence. It all sucks big donkey dick, but that's just the way it is..
Stay tuned. There's more mayhem around the next turn..
To Andrew,
I like your analogy of insurgents in Los Angeles, and yes we should be sending our troop to Los Angeles. You are so right; how much tax did those people in Iraq contribute to get so much of our resources. I want my tax money spent on me, not in a country I will never visit. We have plenty of home grown terrorists right here to combat. I guess we need more red blood in the streets of Los Angeles to get a “Red Security Alert” from the homeland security department here in Los Angeles.
http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm
Big Bear said ……………………………….
So being rich prevents you from being a gang member or having positive role models is a better contraceptive than abstinance or the pill? I know first hand that what mad mexican who fails to put american in his s/n shows that he is not only embaressed by his gente but his country? Perfection is what you seek but in who's mind yours or in what everyone else has opinion on?
What the hell does all that mean anyway, I think you father shaved your head a little to close.(lol)
Grammar is not a city in Iraq.
Que Locuras
Just want to comment on some remarks directed towards our esteemed Mayor and first Mexican American Mayor in over 100 years. Don't agree with everything he does but most of what he says and does. Mayor Tony Villaraigosa, Viva! appreciate your stand up attitude and willingness to take a stand even on controversial issues like the LA schools, the request for over 2 Billion for gang intervention, your closeness to LAPD Chief Bratton who sees the big picture even at the expense of pissing off the old guard of the LAPD.
ANd to the blogger who makes the anti Villaraigosa remarks, which is his right as an AMerican citizen, I say fine but don't think you can hide your rascism and ignorance, I and others see and reject your narrow minded pissed off anti Mexican views.
Your statements towards Villaraigosa like "gangbanger in a suit", midget mayor, "for gangs and against the police". Hey redneck I know what your saying and I resent it as a proud Mexican American. I heard the rascist cops complaining about cunts and runts and I remember your anti Mexican regulations and fascist views that the old "Chief Parker" LAPD was about. I for one am glad that shit is gone and also that we have a more enlightened LAPD chief like Bratton, and a Mexican AMerican Mayor Villaraigosa who works closely with every ethnic group in the city and not just the Rascists who used to run things here.
And as far as the publicizing of disciplinary action against rotten Cops I say it's about time. A rotten apple is a rotten apple and if a bad cop is guilty of an offense against the public who he or she is supposed to serve (and who pays his wages!) then he ought to be castigated in public just like any other citizen who commits a crime. Don't like it, then quit and move to Idaho or some other bastion of ignorance where there's some sympathy for that kind of ignorance.
Gava Joe said....
The mentality of contemporary society has no time to nurture. Parents expect school teachers and social workers to do what they should be doing. The media eats up every heinous act your gangs or frustrated lone youngsters commit, and give it notoriety, and we suck it up like root beer.
These are wicked times. We've all regressed to a place that could'nt have been imagined 20 yrs ago. The kids are more dangerous and we've become conditioned to expect their escalated violence.
Very well said, to bad we can't have an "injunction" against lazy and stupid parents.
No more teen parents please.
Free birth control implants for all horny teens and pendejos.
Que Locuras
Conservative politicians...like the ones that the cops posting on this blog vote for, are also in most cases lobbied by the Christian Right, who don't want contraception handed out to teenagers. They want teens to find god and not have sex at all.
I wish cops would take their same 'realist' approach to the conservatives in politics that they rally behind as they do to profiling everyday citizens. If so, maybe we would reduce the number of teen parents.
Until then, expect more Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, and teens popping ex and having orgies in the bedroom while mom and dad watch CSI.
Big Bear said......
We as a family have lost 3 family members due to drugs and gang violence. My two older brothers served in vietnam. Yet we continued in our stupidity not only hurting ourselves but others along the way. But I am not ashamed of dressing the way I do (though not oversized ass hanging payaso ropa) but I am proud of who I am and instead of tearing down I choose to rebuild (i.e. Father Boyle, gamg specialist.
Am I supposed to feel sorry for your loss, if you and you brothers made the choice to be in gangs. I do not feel sorry for you and your family loss. I feel sorry for the innocent victims who have suffered due to you and your brothers choices. When are we going to support the innocent victims of the low life gang members like you and your brothers.
I am tired of reading about innocent victims because of low life thugs like you. So you and you brothers can go to hell as far as I am concerned. You are a disgrace to our raza.
Brown and Proud
Big Bear said ………………………….
So being rich prevents you from being a gang member or having positive role models is a better contraceptive than abstinance or the pill? I know first hand that what mad mexican who fails to put american in his s/n shows that he is not only embaressed by his gente but his country? Perfection is what you seek but in who's mind yours or in what everyone else has opinion on?
Que Locuras responded with,
"What the hell does all that mean anyway, I think you father shaved your head a little to close.(lol)
Grammar is not a city in Iraq."
Que Locuras I see your point!
Highly illogical but there must be a critical meaning here?
Peace,
Mr. Spock
The NEW YORK TIMES take on la movida here...
TURF WAR: Los Angeles Violence Feeds on Black-Hispanic Rivalry...
January 17, 2007
Racial Hate Feeds a Gang War’s Senseless Killing
By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16 — The Latino gang members were looking for a black person, any black person, to shoot, the police said, and they found one. Cheryl Green, perched near her scooter chatting with friends, was shot dead in a spray of bullets that left several other young people injured.
She was 14, an eighth grader who loved junk food and watching Court TV with her mother and had recently written a poem beginning: “I am black and beautiful. I wonder how I will be living in the future.”
“I never thought something like this could happen here in L.A.,” said her mother, Charlene Lovett, fighting tears.
Cheryl’s killing last month, which the police said followed a confrontation between the gang members and a black man, stands out in a wave of bias-related attacks and incidents in a city that promotes its diversity as much as frets over it.
Ethnic and racial tension comes to Los Angeles as regularly as the Santa Ana winds. Race-related fights afflict school campuses and jails, and two major riots, in 1965 and 1992, are hardly forgotten. But civil rights advocates say that the violence grew at an alarming rate last year, continuing a trend of more Latino versus black confrontations and prompting street demonstrations and long discussions on talk-radio programs and in community meetings.
Much of the violence springs from rivalries between black and Latino gangs, especially in neighborhoods where the black population has been declining and the Latino population surging. A 14 percent increase in gang crime last year, at a time when overall violent crime was down, has been attributed in good measure to the interracial conflict.
This month, the authorities reported that crimes in the city motivated by racial, religious or sexual orientation discrimination had increased 34 percent in 2005 over the previous year. Statistics for 2006 have not yet been compiled.
Rabbi Allen Freehling, executive director of the Los Angeles Human Relations Commission, a group created after the 1965 riots, said the recent growth in hate crimes reflected a failure by government and community leaders to prepare residents for socioeconomic changes in many neighborhoods, “and therefore people have a tendency to lash out, out of desperation.”
In November, three Latino gang members received sentences of life in federal prison for crimes that included the murder of two black men — one waiting for a bus, another searching for a parking spot — and assaults on others in a conspiracy to intimidate black residents of a northeast Los Angeles neighborhood.
In another case, a twist on past racial dramas, 10 black youths, some of whom prosecutors say had connections to a gang, are on trial for what prosecutors contend was a racially motivated attack in neighboring Long Beach on three young white women who were visiting a haunted house on Halloween. Long Beach also experienced an increase in hate crimes in 2005.
But even with the alarm caused by the recent increase in bias crimes, Constance L. Rice, a veteran civil rights lawyer, said that, considering Los Angeles’s diversity, race relations remained relatively calm and were even marked by many examples of groups getting along.
Still, in several corners of the city, particularly where poverty is high and demographics are shifting, tensions have been flaring.
“You don’t find entire segments of the city against one another,” Ms. Rice said, “but in the hot spots and areas of friction you find it is because the demographics are in transition and there is an assertion of power by one group or the other and you get friction.”
In Harbor Gateway, the neighborhood where Cheryl Green was killed, tension had grown so severe that blacks and Latinos formed a dividing line on a street that both sides understood never to cross and a small market was unofficially declared off-limits to blacks. Ms. Lovett had warned her children not to go near the line, 206th Street, but Cheryl had ridden her scooter near it to talk to friends when she was shot.
Neighbors said the dominant 204th Street gang, which is Latino, had harassed blacks and Latinos alike and effectively kept the groups divided, though language and cultural differences also have contributed to segregation.
“We wave hello, but I cannot really talk to blacks because my English is limited and I don’t want to mess with the gang,” said Armando Lopez, speaking in Spanish, who lives near where Cheryl was shot.
A man who described himself as a former member of the 204th Street gang said black gang members had shot or assaulted Latinos, too, and explained the violence as a deadly tit-for-tat.
“They shot a Mexican guy right around the corner from here and nobody protested or said anything,” said the man, who asked that his name not be used for fear of retaliation. He referred to neighborhood speculation that Cheryl’s killing was in retaliation for the killing of Arturo Mercado, a Latino shot to death in the neighborhood a week before Cheryl in what the police call an unexplained shooting.
The violence in that neighborhood and others has prompted a flurry of announcements by Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa and police officials promising a renewed crackdown on gangs, particularly those responsible for hate-related crimes. Mr. Villaraigosa plans to meet Friday with Robert S. Mueller III, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, about expanding its assistance in investigating gang and hate-related violence; the agency has been working with the police on such investigations in the San Fernando Valley, where gang violence has increased the most.
Chief William J. Bratton has said the Police Department would soon issue a most-wanted list of the city’s 10 to 20 worst gangs, with those most active in hate crimes likely to land on it.
“It’s to say, ‘We’re coming after you,’ ” Mr. Bratton said.
A city-financed report by Ms. Rice released Friday said Los Angeles needed a “Marshall plan” to address gang violence in light of a growth in gang membership and a lack of a comprehensive strategy to curb the problem.
Despite the spike in hate crimes in 2005, the total number of bias-related incidents in Los Angeles, 333 in a city of 3.8 million people, was down from peaks in violent crime in the mid-1990s and just after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Cheryl Green’s killing particularly alarmed community and civil rights advocates because of her age and the indication that the neighborhood’s long history of racial violence was continuing. Two Latino gang members have been charged with murder in the case. With the district attorney having filed a formal allegation that the men were motivated by hate, they could be eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without parole if convicted.
Mr. Villaraigosa, the city’s first Latino mayor in over a century, was elected in 2005 in part on a promise of keeping peace among racial and ethnic groups. He attended a rally in the Harbor Gateway neighborhood Saturday, one of a few demonstrations calling for unity. He hugged Ms. Lovett and Beatriz Villa, the sister-in-law of Mr. Mercado, the Latino killed earlier.
“Our cultural and ethnic diversity are cornerstones of a strong L.A.,” the mayor said Friday, “and violent crime motivated by the victim’s skin color will not be tolerated.”
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, an African-American syndicated columnist who plays host to the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, a weekly gathering in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles, said blacks complained that illegal Latin American immigrants were stealing jobs. Latinos, particularly newcomers unaccustomed to living among large numbers of African-Americans, in turn accuse blacks of criminal activity and harassing them.
“I think L.A. is a microcosm of what could happen in big cities in the future,” Mr. Hutchinson said. “When we have the kind of tension you see in L.A. in the schools, the workplace and now hate-crime violence, my great concern is this is a horrific view of what could happen in other cities.”
Ms. Lovett, Cheryl’s mother, said the family moved to Harbor Gateway six years ago to get away from a high-crime neighborhood in another part of Los Angeles. A relative of a black neighbor was shot by the gang a few years ago, she said, and recently she had begun looking for a safer area.
“I feel it is unfortunate my daughter had to be the sacrificial lamb,” she said. “But I just hope there is a change in this neighborhood.”
StillNoScript said ……………
Conservative politicians...like the ones that the cops posting on this blog vote for......
Damn it, you discovered I am a cop, yes I am that man in blue, who is terrorizing you on the streets of L.A. I will be tagging my apartment building so you know where I live. Don’t you love how nice my spray painting looks on everything I tag? If I see you giving me that mad dog stare, I will shoot you. If you are a street peddler in streets of L.A., I will tax you. If you cross my imaginary boundary and shop in my liquor store, I will shoot you. If I get drunk or high on crack, I might just shoot you. I am going wild in the streets, be afraid be very afraid of the men in blue.
Men in Blue
The majority of the information contained within “The Rise and Fall of the Nuestra Familia” (NF) is pretty much on target. However, as an Officer that has worked in gangs for nearly 16 plus years, specifically investigating into and conducting surveillances against the NF and as a gang investigator, I have to disagree with Mr. Gratton’s actual position as that of "Captain" within the NF. As far as Gratton comparing himself with that of Henry Hill and Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, two of the Sicilian Mob’s Italian hit men’s heaviest back in the day, Gratton is remarkably far from these two Mobsters regarding his involvement in the NF.
I know and with Mr. Gratton knowing he was a made Captain "only by one” of the high ranking Captains in the NF for a short period of time of about 4 to 8 months. He knew that this in itself was going to cause him a “dangerous consequence” as time went on. But for the moment he was protected, protected by the bars and walls of the prison while still incarcerated. Little did he know he was being setup, manipulated and used by this one NF Captain. It also didn’t dawn on him that once he paroled he was going to have to “mind somebody” and that would be NF enforcers on the streets and under the direct authority of this one particular Captain.
Gratton knew how to run drugs and be an enforcer as a “self made” street gang member, but didn’t have a clue what was soon before him. He did listen and was educated about basic NF motives only to an extent and only on the basis of being housed (celled) next to one of the long time and very influential Captains of the NF. This particular Captain’s home town is about 3 and ½ to 4 hours from Gratton’s home town of Modesto.
Gratton was in fact a good listener and therefore followed mandated NF in-house prison orders. He made promises to the NF once he paroled. Particularly regarding the making of the CD "G.U.N." (Generations of United Nortenos, which is described in the book. Gratton is also the voice of introduction on the CD produced in Tracy CA) in which he was ordered to place a portion of the earnings on some of the incarcerated NF member's books (prison accounts) after selling some of the CD's. Specifically to this particular Captain. Mr. Gratton failed tremendously in this “direct instruction” and subsequently, in addition to "turning states evidence" (placed on the witness protection program after talking to the FBI about NF activities) he will forever be a target (to be killed) by the NF for not complying (committing acts of treason) with direct orders.
I don't dispute the fact that Mr. Gratton was a long time Norteno street gang member (in Modesto, CA), but he was never made an “official” Captain let alone a (Category I or II) within the NF.
The copies of old prison photos of NF members in his book were not property of Gratton in addition to the NF constitution by-law articles. Just because an NF recruit is made a member he does not automatically receive the NF 28 constitutions. Gratton was also not aware of noted RICO indictments against the NF until well into the making of this book.
In what appeared to taking a plea bargain deal with the FBI, Gratton was willing to give up one of his head sources “The Captain” Gerald “Cuete” Rubalcaba along with various other NF members. The indictment charges were submitted for insert by law enforcement personnel to place additional hype and interest in the book which is understandable to make sells.
One has to commit ruthless hardcore criminal acts, assaults and even murder for the NF. Then after showing he is “down for the cause”, his name can be submitted for review and if agreed on he can be voted on by the "La Mesa" also known as the "Table". Which during Mr. Gratton's incarcerated time frame consisted of 3 high ranking Generals. At this time if the Generals view his gang activity to be within there utmost caliber of ratings the NF Generals may accept him as a member (Category I-NF Soldier). Gratton was not granted nor voted in as such.
As mentioned earlier, he was “only” appointed verbally by one of the "10" NF Captains; Rubalcaba who coincidently was celled in the same housing pod. Rubalcaba was and still to this day a very "all about me" and greedy convict regarding monies and self recognition. Rubalcaba wanted the majority of the G.U.N. CD proceeds to go on his prison money account. Rubalcaba does have a lot of pull or sympathizers within the NF. However, he is no longer recognized by the NF as holding a high ranking position due to self gratifying acts.
Additionally, Rubalcaba along with a handful of other NF members were transferred to the ADX Maximum Security Prison in Colorado in mid to late last year of 2006. This was due to these individual NF members being found guilty under a RICO indictment (extortion, attempted murders, conspiracy to commit murder, murders and threatening a witness) during a lengthy investigation against the NF. Obviously, Mr. Gratton's motive for this book and promotions is about recognition and money.
Fellow Law Enforcement officials please understand that; yes there is useable information within this book. However, portions within are a bit far stretched regarding Gratton’s personal gang activities with and for the NF.
I end with this thought: One interesting observation that raises a question and something I have pondered is the author “Nina Fuentes”. If you observe her name at the bottom of the book and the style of how her name is printed, it is in similar fashion of gang style writing. Now this may in fact have been intentional, and may not mean much to an individual that is just taking up interest in wanting to read this book. But to Law Enforcement personnel and even in the eyes of educated gang members it is “clearly” indicative that using the name of, “Nina and Fuentes” is quite distinctive in that the first letters is also the “first letters” in Nuestra Familia “NF”.
I am quite savvy in knowing that there are first time authors in the field of authoring/writing books. However, I have extensively researched and have not found a second book nor even a brief biography of authoring by Nina Fuentes. It’s as if the name is fictitious and was used to camouflage the letters “N” and “F” from the name of Nina Fuentes. Furthermore, possibly sending a message out to the NF that, “I Robert Gratton had the last say”. Something to think about!!!
Kacuuie said
Kacuuie responds about:NF
The majority of the information contained within “The Rise and Fall of the Nuestra Familia” (NF) is pretty much on target. However, as an Officer that has worked in gangs for nearly 16 plus years, specifically investigating into and conducting surveillances against the NF and as a gang investigator, I have to disagree with Mr. Gratton’s actual position as that of "Captain" within the NF. As far as Gratton comparing himself with that of Henry Hill and Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, two of the Sicilian Mob’s Italian hit men’s heaviest back in the day, Gratton is remarkably far from these two Mobsters regarding his involvement in the NF.
I know and with Mr. Gratton knowing he was a made Captain "only by one” of the high ranking Captains in the NF for a short period of time of about 4 to 8 months. He knew that this in itself was going to cause him a “dangerous consequence” as time went on. But for the moment he was protected, protected by the bars and walls of the prison while still incarcerated. Little did he know he was being setup, manipulated and used by this one NF Captain. It also didn’t dawn on him that once he paroled he was going to have to “mind somebody” and that would be NF enforcers on the streets and under the direct authority of this one particular Captain.
Gratton knew how to run drugs and be an enforcer as a “self made” street gang member, but didn’t have a clue what was soon before him. He did listen and was educated about basic NF motives only to an extent and only on the basis of being housed (celled) next to one of the long time and very influential Captains of the NF. This particular Captain’s home town is about 3 and ½ to 4 hours from Gratton’s home town of Modesto.
Gratton was in fact a good listener and therefore followed mandated NF in-house prison orders. He made promises to the NF once he paroled. Particularly regarding the making of the CD "G.U.N." (Generations of United Nortenos, which is described in the book. Gratton is also the voice of introduction on the CD produced in Tracy CA) in which he was ordered to place a portion of the earnings on some of the incarcerated NF member's books (prison accounts) after selling some of the CD's. Specifically to this particular Captain. Mr. Gratton failed tremendously in this “direct instruction” and subsequently, in addition to "turning states evidence" (placed on the witness protection program after talking to the FBI about NF activities) he will forever be a target (to be killed) by the NF for not complying (committing acts of treason) with direct orders.
I don't dispute the fact that Mr. Gratton was a long time Norteno street gang member (in Modesto, CA), but he was never made an “official” Captain let alone a (Category I or II) within the NF.
The copies of old prison photos of NF members in his book were not property of Gratton in addition to the NF constitution by-law articles. Just because an NF recruit is made a member he does not automatically receive the NF 28 constitutions. Gratton was also not aware of noted RICO indictments against the NF until well into the making of this book.
In what appeared to taking a plea bargain deal with the FBI, Gratton was willing to give up one of his head sources “The Captain” Gerald “Cuete” Rubalcaba along with various other NF members. The indictment charges were submitted for insert by law enforcement personnel to place additional hype and interest in the book which is understandable to make sells.
One has to commit ruthless hardcore criminal acts, assaults and even murder for the NF. Then after showing he is “down for the cause”, his name can be submitted for review and if agreed on he can be voted on by the "La Mesa" also known as the "Table". Which during Mr. Gratton's incarcerated time frame consisted of 3 high ranking Generals. At this time if the Generals view his gang activity to be within there utmost caliber of ratings the NF Generals may accept him as a member (Category I-NF Soldier). Gratton was not granted nor voted in as such.
As mentioned earlier, he was “only” appointed verbally by one of the "10" NF Captains; Rubalcaba who coincidently was celled in the same housing pod. Rubalcaba was and still to this day a very "all about me" and greedy convict regarding monies and self recognition. Rubalcaba wanted the majority of the G.U.N. CD proceeds to go on his prison money account. Rubalcaba does have a lot of pull or sympathizers within the NF. However, he is no longer recognized by the NF as holding a high ranking position due to self gratifying acts.
Additionally, Rubalcaba along with a handful of other NF members were transferred to the ADX Maximum Security Prison in Colorado in mid to late last year of 2006. This was due to these individual NF members being found guilty under a RICO indictment (extortion, attempted murders, conspiracy to commit murder, murders and threatening a witness) during a lengthy investigation against the NF. Obviously, Mr. Gratton's motive for this book and promotions is about recognition and money.
Fellow Law Enforcement officials please understand that; yes there is useable information within this book. However, portions within are a bit far stretched regarding Gratton’s personal gang activities with and for the NF.
I end with this thought: One interesting observation that raises a question and something I have pondered is the author “Nina Fuentes”. If you observe her name at the bottom of the book and the style of how her name is printed, it is in similar fashion of gang style writing. Now this may in fact have been intentional, and may not mean much to an individual that is just taking up interest in wanting to read this book. But to Law Enforcement personnel and even in the eyes of educated gang members it is “clearly” indicative that using the name of, “Nina and Fuentes” is quite distinctive in that the first letters is also the “first letters” in Nuestra Familia “NF”.
I am quite savvy in knowing that there are first time authors in the field of authoring/writing books. However, I have extensively researched and have not found a second book nor even a brief biography of authoring by Nina Fuentes. It’s as if the name is fictitious and was used to camouflage the letters “N” and “F” from the name of Nina Fuentes. Furthermore, possibly sending a message out to the NF that, “I Robert Gratton had the last say”. Something to think about!!!
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