Thursday, 4/17/97 Let’s face reality Inner-city gang problems
need action instead of an ‘Us-against-them’ mentality
By Scott Lunceford Daily Bruin Staff In a fractured city, where
the struggle to stop gang violence seems futile, 20-year-old Jeremy
Estrada becomes an emblem of hope. After spending his teenage years
with a gang in East Los Angeles, Estrada is currently enrolled as a
biology student at Pepperdine University. Although he has worked
his way out of the crossfire, he maintains a strong sense of
community. After spending years in and out of juvenile lockup,
Estrada now uses his base of experience to educate. In today’s
Q&A, Estrada offers a lucid discussion of education, inner-city
outreach and Los Angeles’ gridlocked "war against gangs." Recently,
Governor Pete Wilson declared "open season" on gangs in Los
Angeles, and at least one LAPD officer has claimed that L.A. is
losing the war against the gangs. Aggressive remarks like these
serve to solidify the current "us against them" approach to gangs.
Do you think this attitude is contributing to the current gridlock
and, if so, how do you think state legislators should address youth
and gang violence? I’m really glad you asked that because, in my
opinion, all the state has been doing for gangs is reacting. They
haven’t done anything proactive. Once there is a problem or an
incident, then they react to it: "OK, we’re sending you to prison,
we’re cracking down, we’re doing this, this and this." Instead, I
think legislators need to work at preventing the problem before it
happens. For example, in San Diego they have what are called
"beacon schools" or "second shift" schools. They incorporate a
child’s entire life into the school. It’s where they eat, it’s
where they learn. There is a lot of pride in these schools. It’s
all family-oriented. And it’s different from schools in L.A.’s
inner-city, where a kid goes to school and does his own thing, then
school lets out and he’s on the streets, doing his own thing there.
The kid has nothing to tie into, no structure in his life. In San
Diego, beacon schools are working extremely well. So I think that,
instead of relying on things like three-strikes laws and building
more and more prisons, California needs to invest in prevention
methods, and also invest in rehabilitative programs that work. Not
rehabilitation methods like prison, because it has been proven that
they don’t work. Where did you first encounter the Rite of Passage
program, and how is the program structured? Rite of Passage is a
three-level program in the state of Nevada. When I joined the
program, they were accepting only people from California. They were
accepting only juvenile delinquents, high-risk kids who were on
their way to the California Youth Authority, or had been there. To
be sent to a program like Rite of Passage, a kid goes in front of
the judge after being convicted of a crime, and the judge sentences
that kid to an out-of-state placement program. Any of
the-out-of-state placement programs would do. Aside from Rite of
Passage, there are organizations like the Arizona Boys’ Ranch, Glen
Mills and Vision Quest. I was interviewed by Rite of Passage and
was accepted. I spent a little less than two years in the program.
Like I said, it’s a three-level program and, for the first level,
you are in the middle of the desert. As far as you can see, there’s
nothing but sand and mountains. It’s a very structured environment,
comparable to a boot camp, except you don’t have a camouflage-clad
drill sergeant screaming profanities in your face. If you do well
there, you proceed to the second level, where you have to
demonstrate positive behavior, etc. And that takes you to the third
level, and then, from there, on to graduation from the program.
What can city government do to help address problems facing youths
in areas like East Los Angeles? City government needs to introduce
programs with structure, where the kids can feel that they are a
part of something positive. Sports programs would be a place to
start. Kids need to feel a sense of belonging, without having to
turn to gangs for that belonging-that sense of family. Programs
like Victory Outreach and the YMCA show kids that they can be with
somebody without having to be out on the streets. A lot of the Rite
of Passage program is based in sports. You can build your
self-esteem through sports and you get that sense of teamwork and
closeness. It’s a complicated problem, but they need to start with
something positive. They need to start helping instead of
punishing. How would you describe the conditions high schools in
East Los Angeles? The kids run the show. The teachers don’t really
have a say-so. The teachers are scared. Right now, I’m here at
beautiful Pepperdine University, but over there the roofs are
falling in, the walls are crumbling, the floors are terrible,
there’s a shortage of books and computers are a dream. Compare that
to schools in places like Malibu or Calabasas. There’s a world of
difference. So, if a kid grows up in that, he’s bound to have a
negative outlook. Coming from that environment, how did you begin
to see an opportunity for higher education? It happened in Rite of
Passage. Throughout my life, my power and control came from gangs.
You know, my homeboys were my life, and that is where my strength
came from. Prior to Rite of Passage, some things happened and I was
thrown in lockdown. I was put in a cell for about 30 days with
nothing but a cot and a toilet – no blankets, no towels, nothing.
And I realized then that, whatever I had, people could take away
from me – physical things, even my friends. People could take that
away, and that always stuck with me. Then, in Rite of Passage,
there was a teacher named Marlon Henvit. As far as education, he
showed an interest in me that nobody had ever shown before. He
helped me learn. I had always thought that it was a smart person
that could sit down and have a conversation with an adult; it was a
smart person that could discuss politics or history. I never
thought I could do that. Slowly but surely, with Marlon’s help, I
found myself able to talk intelligently about these things, and it
got addictive. I felt good and I wanted to learn more. That’s where
I gain my strength and power now. This month marks the fifth
anniversary of the L.A. riots. What were your feelings when all the
tension finally came to a head and the city began to ignite?
Although I was locked up, a lot of my friends were involved in the
riots. I was honestly surprised that it hadn’t happened sooner. If
you look at what the situation was like, police were beating up on
people, the police were discriminating, harassing people. There was
gunfire every night. Poverty. Everything was so negative. It was
almost like there was no hope, and people were asking "what can we
do?". I see the Rodney King incident as an excuse for everybody to
let out their tensions on society and poverty and the police. So,
yeah, I was surprised that they hadn’t happened sooner. I’m
surprised that they haven’t happened since. Inner-city residents
have said that some people in law enforcement and in the power
structure of Los Angeles have encouraged the violence within their
communities. Is there an effort to keep tensions high in
underrepresented neighborhoods in order to coerce fighting within
ethnic groups. Some people might not believe it, but it’s true. The
police have the attitude of "it’s us against them." I say "the
police" and that’s a very broad description, but the police I’ve
encountered have that attitude. The police have done this many
times. What they will do is go into a certain neighborhood and pick
up a kid, and maybe beat him up or whatever, and then drive to the
neighborhood of that kid’s rival gang and drop him off. They’ll say
"Look, so-and-so is right here, come and get him." There’s a man
named "Monster" Cody from 8 Tre in South Central. In his book, he
talks about how the police would go into neighborhoods and say
"You’ve got 15 minutes to go ride on that neighborhood – you can go
and do whatever you want in that neighborhood. After 15 minutes,
we’re coming in." So, I really would say that the police have an
us-against-them mentality, and it’s too bad. You left home at about
11 and spent your teenage years in a gang. You’ve felt the sense of
family and identity that gangs offer. When you started to pull out
of that lifestyle and pursue a college education, did your gang
support you? Some were a little angry, but there were a lot more
who were supportive, because there’s a lot of love there. There is
a lot of love in the neighborhood. A lot of my homeboys were
supportive, saying "Go to college, you can do it, help us (in the
neighborhood)." And when I see old friends, they are very
encouraging. And by getting an education, I’m also helping them.
SHAWN LAKSMI/Daily Bruin Jeremy Estrada, an ex-gang member
currently enrolled at Pepperdine University, discusses the problem
of gangs in the inner city and what needs to be done by police and
the state.