Eddy
Ortiz
English. 838
04/30/13
Jeremy Wallace
Life In the “Barrios”
Luis J. Rodriguez was born on the U.S./Mexico border in 1954. At the age of two, his family migrated to Los Angeles. He began stealing at age seven and joined a gang at age eleven. He dropped out of high school at age fifteen, and he was also kicked out of his home; eventually, he became homeless until he returned to live in his family's garage. However, his life starts changing after being convicted for a six-year sentence in prison at the age of eighteen. Because of his new found participation in community work, and once members of the community wrote letters on his behalf, Luis was given a reduced conviction and a county jail term. Looking at the opportunity that he got, he turned away from his old life, meaning the gang life in the streets, and he dedicated himself to conscious revolutionary thinking and activity, leading him to write a book called, Always Running. In this book, he talks about how difficult his life was in the environment of poverty that he grew up in, and how he slowly started getting involved with gangs. The gangs he was involved in caused him to do bad things such as getting into fights, getting involved with the police, and breaking in into houses and robbing them for example. Using his experience as it is talked about in the book, he gives us a few ideas of what causes young kids to join groups of gangs so that we can try to avoid violence in the streets and other things amongst gang related activities. The environment, poverty, discrimination, and corruption all take part in this book, and each of them show how young kids turn to gang involvement and are involved in crimes because they feel safe in these groups with other kids like themselves. They believe that joining the gangs will be a better solution and alternative to their way of life in poverty. They believe that joining the gangs will guarantee them safety since others like themselves will have their back no matter what as if they were a real family.
It is hard for young children to learn what is right and what is wrong when they grow up in an environment that has a lot of violence. A deprived environment sometimes causes people to do things that they do not want to do in desperate times such as stealing in order to obtain what they want or need. In Always Running, Luis J. Rodriguez writes "Thee Mystics were a tough up-and-coming group. They fired their Rigged .22s at the school and broke a couple of windows with stones. They rammed through the gate and front entrances. Several not-so-swift dudes who stood in their way got beat. Even teachers ran for cover. I wanted this power. I wanted the power to hurt somebody" (42). Kids grow up learning everything they see in those who surround them, especially if they observe the people when they do bad things such as stealing. Kids get used to the idea that in order to obtain something you want or need, then you need to do whatever it takes to obtain it, even if it means stealing. They commit crimes such as stealing in order to keep living the lifestyle they want to achieve, although they are attempting to achieve that lifestyle the wrong way instead of the right one. Although these kids may have plans on how to steal certain things or rob items from houses, their plans can backfire on them and lead to worse crimes such as committing murder or getting killed. In this type of environment, kids are easily drawn towards gangs and temptation since gangs also commit crimes like robbing and stealing, and because it is easier to commit crimes in groups. Gangs also sell drugs illegally in order to obtain money. Knowing that you can get money easily and growing up in that environment as a kid and having the mentality of in order to obtain something you must take it does not leave you with much choice, making you take the easier way to joining a gang.
As long as there is racism, there will be hate, as long as there is hate, there will be fighting. Racism is a way to hate people when they think they have the right to do it because they think that they are superior to other people when in reality we are all the human beings with different looks and personalities. No one deserves to be treated less than others nor think they are superior to others just because they think they come from a better place or because they think they have the right to. In Always Running, Luis J. Rodriguez writes "Our first exposure in America stays with me like a foul odor. It seemed a strange world, most of it spiteful to us, spitting and stepping on us, coughing us up, us immigrants, as if we were phlegm stuck in the collective throat of this country" (19). Racism is hurtful to many people causing suffering and anger, and it is not fair to them because they have done nothing wrong. Causing anger and hate to the people who discriminate others, causes people to form groups so they can support each other by not getting offended every time they walk around the streets by someone discriminating them. In time the groups of people that have been formed become gang members looking for revenge on the people that discriminated them by taking out all their anger towards them and creating violence by fighting each other.
What kids need is a good mentor and daily activities that can keep them busy and off the streets so they will not conform, or join any type of gang that would only lead them to nothing good. In Always Running, Luis J. Rodriguez writes "I soon worked with community leaders who battled against police terror, labor issues, the rights of the undocumented, for tenant rights and decent education. I began a new season of life" (243) With a good mentor, kids have an example to follow instead of following the wrong person like a stranger who becomes a friend in time, who might be a gang member. A good mentor for a kid could be someone close to you like a family member such as mom or dad, a cousin, an uncle or siblings. Keeping kids busy by putting them in recreation centers that are mainly to keep kids off the streets can be entertaining for them by doing a lot of activities such as sports like baseball, kick ball, dodge ball, football, soccer and many more. Recreation centers not only do sports, but they also help kids with their school homework whenever they need it. They also have trips to different places to do different activities such as fishing or going out to explore in aquariums and other places. As long as kids stay off the streets and have a good mentor, gangs will have no place or need in our neighborhoods.
The experience of Luis J. Rodriguez in Always Running can be used to help others prevent joining gangs by explaining the bad things that come out of them. It may not only help others prevent gang formations, it also helps us be aware on what gangs are capable of doing so we can be prepared in order to avoid them. This book also shows us how not all gang members turn out to be bad, Luis J. Rodriguez is a good example that a person can go from doing wrong, to someone that can be successful and a family man.
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English. 838
04/30/13
Jeremy Wallace
Life In the “Barrios”
Luis J. Rodriguez was born on the U.S./Mexico border in 1954. At the age of two, his family migrated to Los Angeles. He began stealing at age seven and joined a gang at age eleven. He dropped out of high school at age fifteen, and he was also kicked out of his home; eventually, he became homeless until he returned to live in his family's garage. However, his life starts changing after being convicted for a six-year sentence in prison at the age of eighteen. Because of his new found participation in community work, and once members of the community wrote letters on his behalf, Luis was given a reduced conviction and a county jail term. Looking at the opportunity that he got, he turned away from his old life, meaning the gang life in the streets, and he dedicated himself to conscious revolutionary thinking and activity, leading him to write a book called, Always Running. In this book, he talks about how difficult his life was in the environment of poverty that he grew up in, and how he slowly started getting involved with gangs. The gangs he was involved in caused him to do bad things such as getting into fights, getting involved with the police, and breaking in into houses and robbing them for example. Using his experience as it is talked about in the book, he gives us a few ideas of what causes young kids to join groups of gangs so that we can try to avoid violence in the streets and other things amongst gang related activities. The environment, poverty, discrimination, and corruption all take part in this book, and each of them show how young kids turn to gang involvement and are involved in crimes because they feel safe in these groups with other kids like themselves. They believe that joining the gangs will be a better solution and alternative to their way of life in poverty. They believe that joining the gangs will guarantee them safety since others like themselves will have their back no matter what as if they were a real family.
It is hard for young children to learn what is right and what is wrong when they grow up in an environment that has a lot of violence. A deprived environment sometimes causes people to do things that they do not want to do in desperate times such as stealing in order to obtain what they want or need. In Always Running, Luis J. Rodriguez writes "Thee Mystics were a tough up-and-coming group. They fired their Rigged .22s at the school and broke a couple of windows with stones. They rammed through the gate and front entrances. Several not-so-swift dudes who stood in their way got beat. Even teachers ran for cover. I wanted this power. I wanted the power to hurt somebody" (42). Kids grow up learning everything they see in those who surround them, especially if they observe the people when they do bad things such as stealing. Kids get used to the idea that in order to obtain something you want or need, then you need to do whatever it takes to obtain it, even if it means stealing. They commit crimes such as stealing in order to keep living the lifestyle they want to achieve, although they are attempting to achieve that lifestyle the wrong way instead of the right one. Although these kids may have plans on how to steal certain things or rob items from houses, their plans can backfire on them and lead to worse crimes such as committing murder or getting killed. In this type of environment, kids are easily drawn towards gangs and temptation since gangs also commit crimes like robbing and stealing, and because it is easier to commit crimes in groups. Gangs also sell drugs illegally in order to obtain money. Knowing that you can get money easily and growing up in that environment as a kid and having the mentality of in order to obtain something you must take it does not leave you with much choice, making you take the easier way to joining a gang.
As long as there is racism, there will be hate, as long as there is hate, there will be fighting. Racism is a way to hate people when they think they have the right to do it because they think that they are superior to other people when in reality we are all the human beings with different looks and personalities. No one deserves to be treated less than others nor think they are superior to others just because they think they come from a better place or because they think they have the right to. In Always Running, Luis J. Rodriguez writes "Our first exposure in America stays with me like a foul odor. It seemed a strange world, most of it spiteful to us, spitting and stepping on us, coughing us up, us immigrants, as if we were phlegm stuck in the collective throat of this country" (19). Racism is hurtful to many people causing suffering and anger, and it is not fair to them because they have done nothing wrong. Causing anger and hate to the people who discriminate others, causes people to form groups so they can support each other by not getting offended every time they walk around the streets by someone discriminating them. In time the groups of people that have been formed become gang members looking for revenge on the people that discriminated them by taking out all their anger towards them and creating violence by fighting each other.
What kids need is a good mentor and daily activities that can keep them busy and off the streets so they will not conform, or join any type of gang that would only lead them to nothing good. In Always Running, Luis J. Rodriguez writes "I soon worked with community leaders who battled against police terror, labor issues, the rights of the undocumented, for tenant rights and decent education. I began a new season of life" (243) With a good mentor, kids have an example to follow instead of following the wrong person like a stranger who becomes a friend in time, who might be a gang member. A good mentor for a kid could be someone close to you like a family member such as mom or dad, a cousin, an uncle or siblings. Keeping kids busy by putting them in recreation centers that are mainly to keep kids off the streets can be entertaining for them by doing a lot of activities such as sports like baseball, kick ball, dodge ball, football, soccer and many more. Recreation centers not only do sports, but they also help kids with their school homework whenever they need it. They also have trips to different places to do different activities such as fishing or going out to explore in aquariums and other places. As long as kids stay off the streets and have a good mentor, gangs will have no place or need in our neighborhoods.
The experience of Luis J. Rodriguez in Always Running can be used to help others prevent joining gangs by explaining the bad things that come out of them. It may not only help others prevent gang formations, it also helps us be aware on what gangs are capable of doing so we can be prepared in order to avoid them. This book also shows us how not all gang members turn out to be bad, Luis J. Rodriguez is a good example that a person can go from doing wrong, to someone that can be successful and a family man.
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