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here is a perfect illustration of how non-gang-affiliated people can live side-by-side with gangbangers. my boyfriend lives in silverlake on a street whose name i won't mention. but there is an el salvadorean gang who runs this street, and when i heard the streets' checkered past i was quite nervous about the whole thing. but he being the person that he is he just walked right up to the dudes, hung out with the guys, smoked a bowl with them, gave em his number in case his music was too loud (he runs a studio)- and far from there being any problems, he is a total fixture of the neighborhood now. i can't count the number of times he has gotten plates of food brought up, someone has fixed his car, etc. i can hardly walk out his front door without waving "ola" to someone. he knows all the kids names and they all call his name when he walks out his door. he went out of his way to be cool, and they respected that. he helps em with their computer problems, has recorded one or two of em, just general neighbor stuff like people used to do when they actually talked to their neighbors. in fact, his only problem since moving here has been with a guy that wasn't a gangbanger at all, but a sociopathic, white hepster- who happened to have gotten a set of keys to my boyfriend's place. the guy was also a sex offender. yeah, even gangbangers have standards, and when he nonchalantly said, "i am having a problem with this one guy so if you see him around, trying to get in, just give me a call," they went off. i'll never forget it. three big gangsta latino dudes were practically yelling, "YOU ARE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. IF THAT FOOL COMES HERE WE'LL TEAR HIM DOWN". they were damn near gleeful about it. saying they have his back is an understatement. he has no interest in their activities, and we don't ask. but i have many times been sitting in the living room with a couple of these characters and its hard for me to reconcile the fact that these dudes are supposed to be arch criminals and all of em have done time and i just don't feel that sinister intuitive alarm that i always get when i am around someone who i have to be afraid of. strange bedfellows, so to speak, but there you are.
here is a perfect illustration of how non-gang-affiliated people can live side-by-side with gangbangers. my boyfriend lives in silverlake on a street whose name i won't mention. but there is an el salvadorean gang who runs this street, and when i heard the streets' checkered past i was quite nervous about the whole thing. but he being the person that he is he just walked right up to the dudes, hung out with the guys, smoked a bowl with them, gave em his number in case his music was too loud (he runs a studio)- and far from there being any problems, he is a total fixture of the neighborhood now. i can't count the number of times he has gotten plates of food brought up, someone has fixed his car, etc. i can hardly walk out his front door without waving "ola" to someone. he knows all the kids names and they all call his name when he walks out his door. he went out of his way to be cool, and they respected that. he helps em with their computer problems, has recorded one or two of em, just general neighbor stuff like people used to do when they actually talked to their neighbors. in fact, his only problem since moving here has been with a guy that wasn't a gangbanger at all, but a sociopathic, white hepster- who happened to have gotten a set of keys to my boyfriend's place. the guy was also a sex offender. yeah, even gangbangers have standards, and when he nonchalantly said, "i am having a problem with this one guy so if you see him around, trying to get in, just give me a call," they went off. i'll never forget it. three big gangsta latino dudes were practically yelling, "YOU ARE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. IF THAT FOOL COMES HERE WE'LL TEAR HIM DOWN". they were damn near gleeful about it. saying they have his back is an understatement. he has no interest in their activities, and we don't ask. but i have many times been sitting in the living room with a couple of these characters and its hard for me to reconcile the fact that these dudes are supposed to be arch criminals and all of em have done time and i just don't feel that sinister intuitive alarm that i always get when i am around someone who i have to be afraid of. strange bedfellows, so to speak, but there you are.
That's an interesting story and says more about your boyfriend's courage and personality than the typical gang member. But one thing is correct in my opinion and that is a weird sense of protection that gang members feel obligated to provide. They see their neighborhood as their own and will defend it like a country. If you live on a block that is heavily gang than the chances are that they will see you as part of their territory and not bother you.
But gang members are also generally unemployed without many skills, have been in and out of jail, have tattoos all over and use drugs. They can not be trusted for the most part and will sometimes steal from their own families [especially if they are drug users]. For a Latino kid it can be very difficult. I live in a mixed neighborhood of mostly poor working class Latinos, Anglos and Asians. I have never been interested in joining a gang and would get my butt kicked by my own family if I ever thought of being a gang member. I am not hassled by local gangs because they consider me and all the people on the block as their "responsibility" to protect from other gangs even though nobody needs their stupid help or want unnecessary protection. If I venture into parts of LA where other gangs are present I do get hit up and asked where I am from. I play it cool and keep a low profile in tough neighborhoods but have been in a few fights when I was in school.
Overall, gang members are really weak guys who have very little self-esteem, smoke weed every day and are lazy.
One word comes to mind and that is Respect. You kind of hit on that nighthouse66. Your Boyfriend made sure he connected with them from the beggining letting them know he knew that the street was theirs and if they had any problems with him to let him know so he could take care of it. Doing that created a path for them to all get along. As you stated they seem to have become friends of sorts. Not that your BF is involved in what they do or anything.
Also as California Sur stated these guys have a differant mentality, they are for the most part uneducated and live a differant set of rules that the rest of us. In my wifes family it seems like a third of them are in gangs or used to be. Funny thing is that another third are law enforcement personal. Makes it interesting at family parties. Sure wasn't a life i was used to. being married to my latina has opened my eyes to the lifestyle of the gang member.
That's an interesting story and says more about your boyfriend's courage and personality than the typical gang member. But one thing is correct in my opinion and that is a weird sense of protection that gang members feel obligated to provide. They see their neighborhood as their own and will defend it like a country. If you live on a block that is heavily gang than the chances are that they will see you as part of their territory and not bother you.
But gang members are also generally unemployed without many skills, have been in and out of jail, have tattoos all over and use drugs. They can not be trusted for the most part and will sometimes steal from their own families [especially if they are drug users]. For a Latino kid it can be very difficult. I live in a mixed neighborhood of mostly poor working class Latinos, Anglos and Asians. I have never been interested in joining a gang and would get my butt kicked by my own family if I ever thought of being a gang member. I am not hassled by local gangs because they consider me and all the people on the block as their "responsibility" to protect from other gangs even though nobody needs their stupid help or want unnecessary protection. If I venture into parts of LA where other gangs are present I do get hit up and asked where I am from. I play it cool and keep a low profile in tough neighborhoods but have been in a few fights when I was in school.
Overall, gang members are really weak guys who have very little self-esteem, smoke weed every day and are lazy.
yeah, i think both of our perspectives are much more middle of the road than what people normally think of when they consider living in a neighborhood with gangs. if you are cool with them and don't act standoffish (as a chick tho, you have to walk a fine line- with anyone, gangbanger or no) then you are gonna be fine. drive bys are pretty uncommon outside of south central. i would venture to say that outside of south central you are probably gonna be fine all the way round. i think its interesting what you said about the people on their block being their responsibility- this is something that most people forget. there is definitely a sense of protection i feel from these dudes, and i have my boyfriend to thank for that, who is not brave so much as just guileless. he lived in san francisco for 11 years and has a way of defusing crazies and violent folk. he just wades right in.
and your assessment of the typical gangbanger being lazy and smoking too much weed- that is completely true. most of it is just a bunch of hanging around. i don't see any cocaine or rock being slung, its mostly weed and stuff they have stolen. most of em are babyfaced youngun's and some of em are quite shy around me, which i think is so funny. i wouldn't leave my wallet open on the table in front of em or anything, but i certainly don't live in fear, and i don't think anyone else should either. gangs and criminals feed on fear, the perception of them being badasses. if you just consider them an inevitable part of your neighborhood i think it will defuse alot of that fear.
One word comes to mind and that is Respect. You kind of hit on that nighthouse66. Your Boyfriend made sure he connected with them from the beggining letting them know he knew that the street was theirs and if they had any problems with him to let him know so he could take care of it. Doing that created a path for them to all get along. As you stated they seem to have become friends of sorts. Not that your BF is involved in what they do or anything.
Also as California Sur stated these guys have a differant mentality, they are for the most part uneducated and live a differant set of rules that the rest of us. In my wifes family it seems like a third of them are in gangs or used to be. Funny thing is that another third are law enforcement personal. Makes it interesting at family parties. Sure wasn't a life i was used to. being married to my latina has opened my eyes to the lifestyle of the gang member.
yup, i think he surprised them, disarmed them, so to speak, just by being unafraid. he is definitely occasionally curious about some of the stuff they do, but just as a bystander, and they think its hilarious. they call him "gringo tripiando" (dunno if i spelled it right)....
and its funny you mentioned how part of your girl's family is in a gang and part of em in law enforcement- god, i see that all the time! it seems to be sooooo common, that dichotomy. makes sense tho....
Overall, gang members are really weak guys who have very little self-esteem, smoke weed every day and are lazy.
Remove "gang members" from that sentence and insert the word "surfer" (or "bro") and you've described quite a few of the kids I grew up with in "suburban" Los Angeles County!
One word comes to mind and that is Respect. You kind of hit on that nighthouse66. Your Boyfriend made sure he connected with them from the beggining letting them know he knew that the street was theirs and if they had any problems with him to let him know so he could take care of it. Doing that created a path for them to all get along. As you stated they seem to have become friends of sorts. Not that your BF is involved in what they do or anything.
Also as California Sur stated these guys have a differant mentality, they are for the most part uneducated and live a differant set of rules that the rest of us. In my wifes family it seems like a third of them are in gangs or used to be. Funny thing is that another third are law enforcement personal. Makes it interesting at family parties. Sure wasn't a life i was used to. being married to my latina has opened my eyes to the lifestyle of the gang member.
Fortunately the Latinos in my family have no association with gangs. Their families wouldn't tolerate or allow it. I've had some unpleasant run-ins with the gang members in my area but there has been no retaliation so far. I guess three huge guys built like Stone Cold Steve Austin just didn't expect little ol' me to read them the riot act in my parking lot. However, a tenant was car-jacked at gunpoint by three Hispanic gang members one night in the parking lot, plus they hang out there sometimes and cause trouble.
Now, Simi Valley has two gangs, VSV which has been there for a long time, and the Westside Locos, who are more recent intruders. VSV have never really been a problem and are more likely to just walk away from trouble. The Locos are a whole different story. I had a run-in once with some VSV members years ago. I was at a MacDonald's drive-thru with my nephew getting some cokes and burgers when a group drove past us in their car. They made a very rude and explicit sexual invitation to me just as my order was passed through the window. We chased their butts down Cochran street, pulled up next to them and launched a Coke & Ice assualt on their car. They turned right, pulled into a driveway, got out of the car and started shouting "VSV" and then ran inside and hid, LOL! The Locos probably would have shot us. But, VSV are not all that innocent either. They are responsible for the first gang related drive-by shooting in Simi, as well as the first gang related homicide.
Personally I wouldn't be scared by a gangster. I see them all the time and they act like regular people when they are out of their neighborhoods or element. :P
I've never had any problems with gang members. And I even kicked one accidentally in the shin. Story on that: I took the Blue Line from downtown LA to Long Beach (where I was living at the time), fell asleep on the train, dreamed about something where my leg jerked and kicked the guy seated across from me. He yelled and I awoke and realized that I kicked a gang banger. I sincerely apologized and he said "That's cool" and we left it at that. No biggie.
If you just mind your own business and not make a big deal, then you'll be fine. If I overreacted because he was a gang-banger, who knows what might have happened. But I didn't. I treated him like I would anybody else.
Most people in LA that are out and about see gang members every day, but they just don't know it. Many gang members have regular jobs. They bus your table, check you out at the grocery store, make your fries at Jacks, or can be the new junior engineer at the office. I don't say this so that people will stereotype, but to show that gang members are also regular people.
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The Locos probably would have shot us. But, VSV are not all that innocent either. They are responsible for the first gang related drive-by shooting in Simi, as well as the first gang related homicide.
