It seems hard to
believe that the theft of a pair of shoes could literally lead to the loss of hundreds of
lives and tens of thousands more lives being wasted while locked up, but it is true. In
1968, there were a series of violent incidents that took place at San Quentin
Prison, which ignited a brewing distrust and hate of Mexican Mafia
(EME) members mainly from Southern California. The rivals were Nuestra Familia (Mexicana) affiliated inmates from
Northern California, with some supporters and leadership from the southern portion of the state, who rebelled against La EME.
Many gang
members that presently claim SUR13/Sureño or Norte14/Norteño have little idea why they
hate each other. The feud is kind of like the Hatfields and McCoys who fought
for so long that they forgot the original reason why they started fighting in the first place. Like those
American folklore families who battled years ago over relatively trivial
matters until both sides were almost decimated, Hispanic street gang members today will attack
and dehumanize the other side so they won't feel guilty when killing or maiming
people who they have much in common with. It is much like a sad self-hating, self-genocide, tearing communities and families apart.
Miserable in their own conditions, they lash out at those nearest to them
instead of analyzing what they are doing to themselves or improving their
plight and seeking a better future for their children. Somehow, the justification for their actions comes from a twisted thinking
that by harming their own "Raza" they will come out as ultimate victors in a senseless war.
But, in realty, it is a lose-lose game of tit for tat.
To understand how
gangsters could ever come to such a state of mind, blog readers may want
to check out two separate books just released by Gang Prevention Services; "The History of the Mexican Mafia"; and
"The History of Nuestra Familia" now available on-line at the following links:
These books not only tell the story of how each group evolved, but also provide some solutions on how we might stop the violence and prevent future generations from falling to the same fate.
