Prison & Ex-Offender Ministry Resources

Katz, J. (1993, September 26). Edict to gangs follows an old pattern. Los Angeles Times, p. 81. Katz, J. & Lopez, R. (1993, September 28). Mexican Mafia’s impact on gangs questioned. Los Angeles Times, p. B1. Lopez, R. & Katz, J. (1993, September 27). Mexican Mafia’s tells gangs to halt drive-bys. Los Angeles Times, p. A1.

OVERVIEW

Does the Mafia control gangs? In mid-1993, a series of articles appearing in the Los Angeles Times discussed reports that the Mexican Mafia, El EME, was attempting to control the violence of drive-by shootings in Southern California. El EME developed in the California prison system in response to racial violence in the middle part of this century. Since that time, they have become a major factor in drugs, prostitution, and gambling within California prisons. El EME membership may have its roots in the street gangs of the late 1940s and 1950s. Katz (1993) reports that El EME has been slowly expanding its power base beyond the prison system for years, and there is currently concern that they may be trying to control Hispanic youth gangs. El EME is reported to have stated that "Random bloodshed is bad for business." (Katz, 1993.) With approximately 60,000 members of over 450 Latino gangs, this business is big business.

A number of closely controlled meetings, with members of many different gangs, were held during the summer of 1993 in different locations across Southern California. Attendance at the meetings was apparently mandatory. Those who did not attend were personally visited by representatives of El EME, required to attend the next meeting, and were obliged to pay a tax in guns and drugs. If they still refused, they were told that they would be considered "open game" for anyone and everyone. Admission to the meetings included a weapon search of each person and the requirement that each attendee be able to display the tattoo of their gang affiliation.

In these meetings, often held in public parks, a representative of El EME told gang bangers that drive-by shootings were acts of cowardice and dishonored la raza, the Mexican people. One gang member was quoted as saying that if you had to "take care of business," you should at least "do it with respect...honor and dignity." (Lopez & Katz, 1993) The message delivered was that anyone who continued drive-bys would be treated like a "child molester or rat," terms synonymous with a death warrant in prison lingo.

A number of implications, positive and negative, can be found in their reports. First, the fact that gangs attended the meetings suggests that El EME has a certain level of influence and control over youth gang activities. This influence may or may not be overt and may or may not be known by the majority of the membership in the gangs. Second, El EME apparently feels that they have the ability to make their mandate stand. These ideas clearly negate the implications for law and crime in Hispanic neighborhoods. A third, positive implication is that there is now a possibility that an increase in cultural and racial concern for responsibility within the Hispanic community is emerging. Finally, there is the stated possibility of a decrease in violence. The rate of reported Latino gang killings was down 15% in 1993.

The media responses to the action were mixed. Some experts believed that this would decrease the bloodshed but increase crime. Others felt that the lack of respect for authority in the gang subculture would result in an increase in violence as they began to fight back against the control and authority of El EME. A somewhat related piece of research (Lyon, Henggeler, & Hall, 1992) suggests that there may be a decrease in drive-by violence. El EME seems to appeal to the traditional cultural values of racial and personal honor, respect, and the need to satisfy defiled honor. Rather than placing a total ban on violence, El EME has put the cultural values in a perspective that allows violence within certain limits. It also appears to present a unified, consistent source of authority that is, nominally, capable of enforcing its rules—something lacking in many impoverished families.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. What can society do to achieve the equivalent results to those expected from El EME’s actions?
2. How can organizations help poor families provide support for equivalent cultural values while still supporting high moral principles?

IMPLICATIONS

El EME seems to have a measurable effect by acknowledging the validity of certain cultural values and by having the "clout" to enforce its rules. Psychology has shown that consistent rules and consequences will shape behavior. El EME seems to provide just that combination of intervention with the gangs. The fact that El EME had to do this implies that society has failed to provide youth that very structure.

Kennedy, W. (1984). Ironweed. New York City: Penguin Books.

This gripping novel of a hero-turned-hobo-and-alcoholic describes what goes on inside a bum—as Francis Phelan and friends call themselves.