The making of a gangster

[DavidI]

This article was written by one of the foremost gang experts in the country. It is well written, David

How Good Kids are Seduced into Gangs—PART 1
When children have no one to protect them within the system, is it any wonder so many turn to gangs?
March 07, 2008

Before a gang member joins a gang and is physically jumped in, his mind must be seduced into believing a lie. He or she must be convinced that good (society) is evil and evil (criminal gangs) is good.

This subtle seduction of winning potential gang members' minds and hearts occurs early, often as early as grammar school. It is founded in the common experiences almost all children must endure. These negative experiences include social exclusion, feelings of fear, bullying, and victimization.

Valdemar's Gang Axioms

The breeding ground for all gangs begins with an excluded group who feels victimized by poverty, the establishment, or some other real or imagined injustice. It is fed by the anti-establishment culture of drugs, power, hate, and racial separatism.

Gangs are not part of the Hispanic, White, Black, or Asian culture.
All criminal gangs are part of an outlaw criminal culture.
It is the nature of predatory criminals to band together (C.R.I.P = Cowards Run in Packs).
All gangs are formed in defense and later prey on their own kind.
Gangs, like bacteria, multiply by dividing.
To a gang member, the gang comes before God, family, marriage, community, friendship, and the civil law.
Kindergarten Story

When I returned home from Vietnam, I made a pledge to myself to embrace non-violence. I was determined not to abandon my hometown and vowed to remain a resident of the City of Compton even after my background to become a deputy sheriff was completed. My family and my wife's family would remain there for many years after I was sworn into LASD. However, when my daughter was born in 1969, I moved to the upper middle class community of Lakewood. There was no way that I was going to let my daughter go to school in a place like Compton.

In this new environment I raised my kids to be good citizens, color blind, and non-violent. When my daughter Mary was five I sent her to Riley Elementary School. She was the only non-white student in Kindergarten and they called her "Mexican Mary" because two other girls were named Mary. This was not racial bigotry and I was not worried because everyone loved my cute little girl.

A few weeks after the first day of school Mary came home in tears. She was crying because a fellow kindergartner named Bobby had been hitting her. My first reaction was to find this little bully and snap him in two, but after swearing to "beat my sword into a plow spear" and "study war no more" this would be a poor example to my daughter. After cooling down a bit, I consulted several modern sources on child development, including my "bible" by Dr. Benjamin Spock.

I learned that little boys of this age sometimes have difficulty expressing affection for females. Frustrated and confused about their own feelings they sometimes punch the little girls they are attracted to. This made sense. I explained this to my daughter, but the punching and crying continued.

Each day she would come home crying. A few days later I went to see the kindergarten teacher. The teacher was a professional and very sympathetic. She explained that the class rules clearly forbade striking anyone. Bobby had been sentenced to "time out" several times for punching my daughter, but Bobby was "ADD" and the teacher was not allowed to utilize corporal punishment. I could see that Bobby was running amok and out of control. My daughter continued to come home crying every day.

I made an appointment to see the school principal. The principal was also very sympathetic and professional. He had "counseled" Bobby on several occasions. He told me that he had scheduled a conference with Bobby's parents and the school psychologist …in a couple of weeks.

What if things were different? Now imagine if my daughter had had an older brother. Suppose that her 13-year-old brother was a member of the Mara Salvatrucha gang. How many days do you think he would have allowed his sister to be assaulted before he took care of bully Bobby?

I had failed my daughter. I had failed in my first duty to my daughter. What was my first duty? To protect her, and not to try to understand the bully Bobby! My daughter's teacher, principal, and school system had failed her also. "To protect and serve" should have been our motto, like LAPD. When we follow through on this motto we do more to stop the formation of gangs by protecting the innocent than we do when we "hook and book" the law breakers. Scientific studies show that both the bully and the bully's victim are in danger of forming criminal personalities, and of joining gangs.

Because our official institutions and systems are more concerned with protecting the problem child than with doing what they were designed to do—protecting and serving the public—children often leave to form their own unofficial protective institutions and systems. These evolve from self-defense groups into predatory groups. They are the beginnings of gangs.

Working Outside the System

In my daughter's case I had to go outside the official system. I began to teach Mary how to form a fist, how to effectively throw a punch, and the most devastating places to strike a bully. I felt a little guilty, so I also taught her to give an admonition before using her new martial arts skills. "My Father said if you hit me again I have permission to hit you back." Then she would wind up and smash Bobby right in the nose. But nothing happened for several weeks. I had solved the problem (so I thought).

One evening during the kindergarten Christmas play, the proud parents crowded around the small raised wooden platform that stood in the front of the classroom. Cameras flashed as the cute kindergarten kids sang Christmas carols while they waited in line to climb up the two steps to the stage. They were so adorable dressed up like angels, shepherds, and wise men (Remember, this was before the ACLU and Madeline O'Hare ruined it).

Suddenly my eye caught something that made my stomach tighten up. Bully Bobby was in line behind my daughter and I saw him push her hard from behind. Yikes! She was pointing her finger in Bobby's face giving him the admonition. I waved my arms frantically to get my daughter's attention. As the children spread out to take their places on stage, I watched in horror when bully Bobby punched my daughter in the arm. She wound up and smacked him hard on the nose! Boom! Bobby's little bully feet were pointing at the ceiling lights when he hit the wooden stage flat on his back. He began to cry.

Teachers, parents, and children were yelling at my daughter when I scooped her off the stage. I backed them off telling them, "If you can't protect her, she will protect herself."

Mary was never a gang member. However, she learned too well the lesson of bully Bobby and the politically correct school authorities. To this day nobody, male or female, messes with my daughter.

This is the kind of incident that occurs every day to demonstrate to kids that our system can't be relied on to protect them and that when the going gets tough you can only count on your friends and your fists.

author: Richard Valdemar | posted @ Friday, March 07, 2008 11:39 AM

[DavidI]

How Good Kids are Seduced into Gangs – PART 2 – The Schoolyard Story
Kids seeking protection get slowly sucked into gangs without realizing it.
March 14, 2008

In this exercise you will need to utilize your role-playing skills and imagination. The more you are able to identify with the characters, the more you will understand why good kids get involved in gangs, and how they get seduced.

The School Yard Story

Imagine you are back in time. Back when you were growing up in your old neighborhood. You are in the sixth grade of your own old grammar school. You are a good kid and a little bit of a born leader. You hang around with two or three close friends, and at recess you play together. You are generally unaware of any outside dangers or poverty, crime, or other social problems.

My school was Thomas Jefferson (TJ for short). At recess my three friends and I would check out the basketball from Mrs. Presley and shoot a couple of hoops at the half court we had on the playground. In your case it might have been four square, tetherball, baseball, or jacks, but I'll bet something like what follows happened to you at some point.

While you generally got along with everyone, there was at least one dangerous predator in the schoolyard. At our school his name was "Giant." He was the boy who had been held back from promotion for two years. He was at least a head and a half taller than our tallest boy. He was big, ugly, and mean. He was the schoolyard bully.

One day the Giant approaches you and your friends as you are playing. He suddenly grabs your ball and pushes you down. He talks about your mother (a street felony in my neighborhood) and walks away bouncing your ball. "Hey, that's our ball!" you holler, but he ignores you. What should you do?

The Law

The proper answer is to first seek safety and then to report the rule violator to the proper authorities. Even at this youthful age, this will never happen.

To tell on the violator would be against the rules of the street and the commandment "Thou Shalt Not Snitch." A careful check of the U.S. Constitution and California Penal Code will reveal that this commandment is not codified in our governmental texts. However, by the sixth grade it was ingrained in our hearts and minds not to fink, rat, snitch, or tattletale.

Our governmental documents to the contrary insist that it is every citizen's duty to report violators to the proper authorities. So whose law was the anti-snitching policy? In reality it was the law of the drug dealer, criminal, outlaw, and gang member. Yet it had become part of our code of conduct by the sixth grade and almost no kid would break this law. In our communities this is the first symptom that the people have lost trust in the government and institutions—they will not report crimes to the police.

Turning the Other Cheek

If you happened to be a church-going child like I was, you might have remembered what you had been read from out of the scriptures, "…if someone strikes you on one cheek, give him the other." So what if he took your ball? It really wasn't yours anyway. It belonged to the school district. "Sticks and stones can break your bones but names can never hurt you," even if they were aimed at your mother. Shine it on, forget about it!

This attitude could lead to disaster. Do you think the Giant would leave you alone if you just ignored him? In fact, like a wounded chick in the chicken coop, every other chick would pick on you until you were destroyed. Kids who had never before been bullies would check out the bully book from the library to learn how to take your lunch money. This is not the answer.

Kicking Ass

Ask yourself, What would an American patriot do? What would John Wayne do? That's right, kick somebody's ass! But the Giant is bigger, meaner, and more experienced in combat than you are. Ask yourself, What do you have that he does not? Right again, three friends.

You and your three friends approach the Giant and you take back your ball, and the fight begins! You have courage and a righteous cause, but the Giant's long reach and experience soon begin to get the best of you. That's when your friends jump in.

Soon the giant is on the ground and you are giving him a boot party. As he runs away you see smiles on the faces of all the would-be victims in the schoolyard. Your three friends become closer than brothers because, like men in mortal combat and police officers after a shooting, you have bonded. You know that these three at least will face the Giant with you, and they will not run.

Contrary to what you might have heard, violence does solve some things. And it kind of feels good. When you go back to the half court, you and your crew are jumping higher and making shots you never made before. Everybody wants to be on your team. Everybody wants to be part of your crew.

Before you were nobody but now you are the talk of the schoolyard. At lunch you find that several cute girls want to sit with you. Why?

The predator Giant preyed on more than just your skinny crew. Often he picked on the girls. But now they know that you can protect them from the Giant. Are you a gang? Not yet, but if you continue in this "solution" without some intervention, you are on your way.

Jumping in Urkel

One day a kid named Urkel asks to join your crew. Urkel is of another race, and worst of all he is a nerd! Girls do not generally like nerds. Girls prefer rebels and bad boys. But you like Urkel, so you ask your crew to accept him. You are surprised by their rejection. "That Vato is a punk, a little girl, and the girls don't even like him!"

You must find a way to make Urkel more acceptable to your crew, so you invent a ritual. You invent the "jump in." This is designed to show Urkel's ability to show courage and take it like a man. Better yet, you take Urkel to fight the Giant. "Go get him, Urkell; we got your back," you say. Then you all jump in and beat the Giant down. This makes Urkel a hero in the schoolyard and one of the crew.

Urkel never wants to be reminded that he once was a nerd rejected by his peers and women. Urkel changes his name to "Cyco" and is more gang-like than all the other members of the crew. He is also more dangerous because he has learned that violence will win him respect and he is smarter than the rest of the crew.

Entrée to Gang Society

One Saturday morning you are walking in the local park on your way to play basketball on the big courts. You walk down the street like you own it, confident in yourself, Urkel, and your crew. There in the park parking lot are six "real gang members" washing their low riders and drinking a few beers.

The leader, "Big Flaco," calls out in your direction, "Hey mocoso, hey Jack!" You try to pretend not to hear him and keep walking, but now he is pointing at you yelling, "Hey Jack, yeah you little vato, I want to talk to you." You say, "My name is (insert your name), not Jack." Yeah, vato, I'm calling you Jack, Jack the Giant Killer!" He says he heard about how you beat the Giant and how the Giant had been picking on his little brother. He shakes your hand and introduces you and your crew to his Homeboys.

He offers you a cigarette, and you can't refuse. You puff and pass around your gateway drug, tobacco. Remember, cigarettes are illegal for you at this age. In a few minutes you taste beer for the first time. It tastes terrible, but you pretend to like it. They are nice to you and you joke and smoke for a few minutes and say good-bye.

For several weeks in a row you wind up running into Big Flaco and the Homeboys and hanging out. Once you even went to a garage party with them at "Bubbles" the Chola's house and danced with the home girls. At school the other kids respect and fear you. You never have to fight the Giant anymore. He now runs away at the sight of your crew.

Point of No Return

But one day you show up at the park speaking the language, "Quvo Big Flaco, whazup!" Flaco gives you a cold stare and silence. You say, "Say homie, its me, Jack, don't you know me? I'm the one who fought the Giant and smoked and joked and danced with Bubbles the home girl." Flaco says, "Do I know you? You smoked my frajos, drank my beer, and danced with my girl. are you my homeboy? Are you from my varrio? Are you in? …or are you out?

If you should reply, "I would like to defer enlistment in your fine organization until I complete my education," what will happen? However, if you say, "Yes I wish to join your gang," what will happen? Either way you are in for a beating. One beating is because they like you, and one is because they don't. So you choose the friendly beating. You are now a gang member. There is no associate gang member, peripheral gang member, or "want to be" gang member status. You are a full-fledged gang member once you are jumped in. The only way to undo this is to pass through the "jump out" ritual, and few could endure that.

It's easy to see how this could happen, isn't it?

author: Richard Valdemar | posted @ Friday, March 14, 2008 10:55 AM

[pwd72s]

Not just children...adults also cannot rely on the system to protect them.

Please folks, don't vote for politicians who wish to do away with the 2nd amendment...

(edit) The right to defend yourself should never be trampled on...

[nostatic]

Not sure what the author is arguing for in the second part of the story. That the school should be more proactive with bullies? Seems that the "solution" of the giant killers is what most people here would argue for, yet it ends up in the same place (gangs).

The schools are somewhat in a no-win situation. My son's elementary school has a "no bullies" policy. Great, right? Well, the problem is that due to the rules and implementation, someone sticking up for themselves gets tarred with the same brush.

I don't think the schools are wholly to blame here. It is the parents that allow (and some even encourage) their kids to become bullies. There often is a fine line between standing up for one's self and becoming part of the problem. But I have to say that I've said more than once to the principal, "let the kids work it out on the playground..."

I remember when I was in 5th grade I used to walk a long ways to school (I changed schools twice because my mom was a teacher and wanted me at a better school, long story). Anyway I used to walk with one or two friends, one of whom was kind of small for his age and a little geeky. I certainly had my geeky side but I also was good at sports, having made "majors" in little league at age 10, and playing other stuff as well. We used to get bothered by a couple of older kids who walked to the junior high school (which we had to walk past). They taunted us, to which we just ignored it. But they got more and more incessant, and started throwing things, chasing us, etc.

Finally one day they brought eggs that they had put in socks. One of them hit my friend with one, and another on threw a dirt clod and it hit me in the face right below my eye. In that moment, which I clearly recall to this day, I snapped and game was on. Looking through tears and rage, I found a nice sized rock on the ground. The guy who threw the dirt clod from about 6' away from me was running away and laughing. I picked up the rock, took dead aim, and let it fly. Got him right in the middle of the back at about 15' away. He dropped like he'd been shot. And stopped laughing.

They never bothered us again. Of course today his parents would have sued mine and/or his buddy would have pulled out a glock and shot me.

No easy answer. Fix the parents, fix the home environment. School is secondary.

[DavidI]

I believe the main reason for the existence of gangs is the lack of an active father. I am referring to the type of man who abandons his children. As the child grows up, he (usually referring to boys) seeks acceptance from male role models. The only available role models are the local thugs. It is a sad, desperate repeating cycle.

There are success stories though. When I was working an antigang unit, I got called to a school regarding a gangster thug who got into a fight with another kid. I immediately recognized that the kid was a recently "jumped in" local gangster, of which he admitted. He told me that he like to fight. Being a MMA fighter, we got to talking and he seemed genuinely interested.

I took him to his home and saw that his room was covered in gang graffitti. He wore baggy "Dickie" pants, white T-shirts, and "Nike" athletic shoes. This is basically the "gang uniform" for Surenos. I told him that I would help him get out of the gang life if he was truly serious. He told me that he was. I told him to get a pair of scissors and cut up his gangster clothes. As his eyes filled with tears, he cut everything up. Several of us cops donated some money to buy this kid (8th grade) a complete wardrobe from a clothing store.

This kid had no father and a mother who was in denial about her son's activities. I took him to events throughout SoCal and his entire outlook on life and his opportunities opened up. In fact, I took a few kids from rival gangs to a boxing event and a tour of a military base. I made it very clear that I was not going to tolerate an BS from any of them. There were absolutely no problems from any of them.

The high school that this kid was supposed to transfer to was dominated by the gang that he had left. If he went to this school, he was in danger.

I spoke to the principal of the high school where he was supposed to go and requested that he be allowed to go to another school. After submitting a request through the district, the transfer was granted on a probationary basis, provided that his behavior was acceptable.

This kid went on to play football, earn a "B" grade point average, and graduated from high school. It was a true success story because this kid was serious about changing his future.

It is something that I am very proud of having been a small part of. The kid just needed a little push in the right direction.

David

[rammstein]

I kind of like the article, because it comes off matter of fact- it didn't try to prove anything or offer a solution. It simply did an effective job of illustrating how it happens. Good read.

p.s. Awesome story David! That's a great thing to look back on. Hopefully I can do something like that one day.

[911Rob]

Originally Posted by DavidI

I believe the main reason for the existence of gangs is the lack of an active father. I am referring to the type of man who abandons his children. As the child grows up, he (usually referring to boys) seeks acceptance from male role models. The only available role models are the local thugs. It is a sad, desperate repeating cycle.

There are success stories though. When I was working an antigang unit, I got called to a school regarding a gangster thug who got into a fight with another kid. I immediately recognized that the kid was a recently "jumped in" local gangster, of which he admitted. He told me that he like to fight. Being a MMA fighter, we got to talking and he seemed genuinely interested.

I took him to his home and saw that his room was covered in gang graffitti. He wore baggy "Dickie" pants, white T-shirts, and "Nike" athletic shoes. This is basically the "gang uniform" for Surenos. I told him that I would help him get out of the gang life if he was truly serious. He told me that he was. I told him to get a pair of scissors and cut up his gangster clothes. As his eyes filled with tears, he cut everything up. Several of us cops donated some money to buy this kid (8th grade) a complete wardrobe from a clothing store.

This kid had no father and a mother who was in denial about her son's activities. I took him to events throughout SoCal and his entire outlook on life and his opportunities opened up. In fact, I took a few kids from rival gangs to a boxing event and a tour of a military base. I made it very clear that I was not going to tolerate an BS from any of them. There were absolutely no problems from any of them.

The high school that this kid was supposed to transfer to was dominated by the gang that he had left. If he went to this school, he was in danger.

I spoke to the principal of the high school where he was supposed to go and requested that he be allowed to go to another school. After submitting a request through the district, the transfer was granted on a probationary basis, provided that his behavior was acceptable.

This kid went on to play football, earn a "B" grade point average, and graduated from high school. It was a true success story because this kid was serious about changing his future.

It is something that I am very proud of having been a small part of. The kid just needed a little push in the right direction.

David

Nomination for "WINNER" post of the year!!!!

My respects

[911Rob]

I'm just finishing up a book about the under cover cop that joined the "Mongols" motorcylce gang. True story, he was under cover for over two years and writes an amazing inside story to the motorcycle gang world.

BK: Under & Alone, by Bill Queen


These guys are 'animals', pure and simple.

[on2wheels52]

I read that a few years ago, he had some problems recovering from his deep cover.
Jim

[Mule]

Political correctness & liberalism have paralyzed the system. Schools are helpless & parents can hardly intervene. Maybe they could make a "bully free zone?" That should make everybody feel better.

[berettafan]

We all want to belong. Gangs make belonging easy for people who don't have a role model to tell them how it all works.

Low income + mass housing = gangs & violence

We PAY people to have kids. We PAY people to sit on their arses. We allow violent/drug addicted punks to stay in our schools and poison the rest of the crop. We give our children video games like grand theft auto. We are afraid to tell trash to stop acting like trash (white, black, hispanic, etc). We pay our athletes millions per year to catch a ****ing ball but soup kitchens have to beg for volunteers (and food) and hospitals have to solicit donations for new equipment. We shout down champions of family by calling them bigots when they speak out against gay couples being alowed to adopt and 'raise' a child.

We SAY that we care about our kids but our actions say we don't give a flying ****.

[911Rob]

Originally Posted by on2wheels52

I read that a few years ago, he had some problems recovering from his deep cover.
Jim

OH! Well there goes the ending to that book!
Ha, ha.

Read another couple chapters last night again, almost done only 2 or 3 chapters to go. I found the book very interesting, that's for sure.

God's honest truth.... I use to pick fights with bikers about 20 years ago; they all hung out at this bar called the "Saxony" in Edmonton and we use to go in there and pick fights with them. Lucky for us it wasn't this gang in the book. I'll never mess with another biker again after reading it.
edit: just figured it out... it was 28 years ago; ha!

Anyway, one person CAN make a difference and DavidI proves it.

[lowyder993s]

Originally Posted by 911Rob

I'm just finishing up a book about the under cover cop that joined the "Mongols" motorcylce gang. True story, he was under cover for over two years and writes an amazing inside story to the motorcycle gang world.

BK: Under & Alone, by Bill Queen


These guys are 'animals', pure and simple.

One of those "animals" in the book works for me...he's a great guy now, but has a lotta catching up to do after spending many years in prison. Still I wouldn't want to cross him.

[911Rob]

whoa. Which one?

Those guys would kill someone just because, without a thought.
Did he know the UC Agent?

Had a guy over at my house today; he also works for me and does detailing to cars.
He loves my car and offered to come over and detail it over a couple beers.
He's a single guy, rides a Harley and hangs with biker types. Has all kinds of connections.
We had an interesting discussion about the book and the topic of MC gangs.
The paths we choose...........

[911Rob]