Like It Or Not, Gangs Are San Jose's Social Movements
Story by David Madrid
Photo by Lupe Garamallo

This year, there has already been six gang related deaths in San Jose, and our juvenile hall is now reporting more violence then it has seen in decades. The City, in an attempt to address this growing “gang issue,” is rushing to allocate millions of dollars to support existing anti-gang programs and to start new ones.

While I applaud any action to stop gang violence, the city's approach is based on a superficial analysis, and cannot possibly address the deeper issues of gang culture. Contrary to the City's understanding, the escalating San Jose gang problem is not about colors, but rather is an ideological clash that meets on the streets.   The conflict is ultimately between U.S born Chicanos vs. newly immigrated Mexicans. And since immigration will only be increasing in San Jose in the future, city policies towards solving the “gang issue” must address this root cause tension.

One example of the city's lack of understanding of the issue is their highly publicized crack down on store merchants selling “gang garb” -- clothing and gang paraphernalia that could be bought at just about any liquor store in East San Jose. The colors, represented through jerseys, hats and bandanas, are not the cause of conflicts, but rather are only flags, signifying who people identify with. It works kind of like a sports fan wearing a jersey supporting their favorite team. If they were not wearing a jersey, is that person not still a fan? The colors are just the surface of the gang issue here in San Jose. The problem is much deeper.

The gang garb policy is part of a larger strategy by the city that under-estimates gang culture in San Jose. According to the Mayor's Gang Task Force plan, there new mission is to, “reclaim them (youth) from anti-social forces that have disconnected them from their families, schools, communities and there futures.”

But what “anti-social forces” are they talking about? Gangs? Gangs are not anti-social, if anything they are strong social movements that are a part of the fabric of our city. Like it or not.   From the prisons to the streets, they are organized and have survived through generations.   They have structured ideologies that effects everyone in these neighborhoods. And in actuality, gangs do not “disconnect the youth from their families” and community, but rather are in most cases are what connects most families, generations, and neighborhoods together.

But connections and allegiances have also lead to lethal conflicts. Tensions of neighborhoods who identify as Chicano or immigrant, have escalated through the formation of gangs emboldened to protect their people and identity.

On the streets, the conflict is understood as being between the “North” (Chicanos wearing red) and “South” (immigrants wearing blue). The division of the North and South was born out of the gang culture started in the California prison system and spread throughout the streets of California, nationwide and internationally. Consequently, San Jose's Latino gang conflict ultimately it's about regional identity. Chicanos, see themselves fighting to protect their neighborhoods from an invading immigrant force.   In my neighborhood, I hear anger from Nortenos who claim, “Our city is being infested.” They feel compelled to “exterminate.” Blue, immigrant Latinos, see their identity as being about the Mexican struggle, one of facing discrimination in the US, even by Chicanos. When I asked a young girl who identifies as a Surena (South) at the high school I tutor at, why she hates Nortenos she said, “Cause they think their better than us. They don't know what being Mexican is about.”

The belief of one being better than the other and focusing on differences has spread through generations, no different then that of the Klan or other American hate groups. Some Latino children are taught at an early age by hearing their parents' bias, others learn from life on the street.

The North vs. South belief system affects all Latinos in these gang-dominated neighborhoods. Youth get labeled, whether or not they are affiliated. It's even common to hear non gang-members use the derogatory terms   -- calling Surenos “scraps” and Nortenos “chapetes” -- to describe the rival gang of there neighborhood or social crowd.   The ideology of Northern or Southern Supremacy has become a common form of discrimination among Latinos here in San Jose.

While the city is correct in identifying that gang identity starts at an early age, they're approach to youth does not take into consideration how deep the gang identity has been integrated into their lives. Regardless if the kid is “hardcore” or not, even if they are not knowledgeable of the prison politics and the bigger picture, most are already filled with the gang idealism, by the time they hit high school. It's not just the flash and bang of colors and tattoos.

Recently, I was involved with an after school program at a middle school in east San Jose. We ran a writing workshop on the negative aspects of gangs.   I sat with one student who seemed to have trouble writing. On his paper he wrote, “Gangs are bad because they are bad for the community.” As he twiddled his pencil and looked at the floor, I asked him, “Is that really what you think?” And with a scared look on his face he said, “No.” I asked him to write what he really felt. He gave me a page and a half describing how unified he felt with others like him in San Jose and throughout California, feeling powerful for being part of something that is bigger then himself.   His gang identity gave him a name and a title that he could stand for and represent.

The newly allocated resources by the City for “intervention,” estimated at four million right now, have to take into consideration of how imbedded gang culture is in our young people's minds, like the boy at the workshop. And if approached wrong, those trying to help can actually offend and turn off the youth. It would be like gathering a group of Catholic youth together after school and running a workshop on how Pope John Paul II was nobody and how you shouldn't pray. The gang problem is not just a group of homies hanging on the corner, it's a way of life, and challenging the gang mentality is challenging who they are. It is a complex ongoing psychological battle that cannot be won by occasional programs with “just say no” tactics.

The ironic part to gang prevention is that some of the best programs are the ones that don't talk about gangs at all. Youth don't need to be taught about the dangers of the street, they already know that, they just need a place where they can come and be a kid.   And they need a lot more then just a foose-ball table and video games.   Pacifying youth isn't enough, they need something to be apart of, and take ownership of.   Organic cultural activities that already exist in our communities such as hip hop and low riding (both of which Nortenos and Surenos are into) can give young people enough personal pride and identity to replace the gang mentality. A common ground can be found in these cultural spaces, one where a young person can earn respect for what they have accomplished, as opposed to where they are from. If you're a good rapper, or have a nice ride, regional affiliations can be overlooked.

I've heard so many times from youth that I work with who used to bang, “I'm not a gangsta, I'm an MC, I'm about my music.” Young people need the support to be able to re-invent themselves, if gang prevention and intervention is truly going to be effective.

Click here to read another story:

Should Parents Be Locked Up For Their Gang Affiliated Kids?
Introduction by David Madrid // Commentary by Foundry High School // Commentary by Lupe Rodriguez // art by Fernando Amaro