Always Running: La Vida Loc Gang Days In L. A By Luis Rodriguez

In every city in the world there are gangs lurking around. Many people have their own thoughts and opinions about them, but instead of helping them change their life they judged them. Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. written by Luis J. Rodriguez talks about his own life as a gang member in Southeast Los Angeles during the 1960s through 1970s. Rodriguez came to the United States at a young age by his parents due to Rodriguez father being accused of theft. Both his parents could not afford to live in a nice neighborhood and had to live in rough neighborhoods in Southeast Los Angeles. Things were not going well with the family, thus almost causing the family to go to Mexico, but his own mother knew that being a single parent with

When the gangs were taking over the area, if you did not belong to one hood, they would assume you were the enemy. Rodriguez joined a gang called “Thee Impersonations,” because he was an easy target due to him not being a part of a gang (41). After the leader of this gang died, again Rodriguez was a target, thus having to going another gang called “La Lomas”(54). Throughout his life as a gang member Rodriguez was always reference as a “softy,” meaning that he had a heart, and truthfully not meant to be a part of a gang. Another reason why kids join gangs, it is because they feel powerless. They are harassed by their own community, from not knowing english, to just by the way they look. Police were scared to go into the Lomas area without any backup or heavy fire power, buses also did not want to go in there as well (41). They also needed protection from the discrimination that they were receiving. Yes, even though joining the gang, cops were still harassing them, they now had people to back them up if anything happened. For example, Rodriguez and his buddies were going to dine and dash. Trying to escape the owner called the cops on Rodriguez, while the cop was trying to persuade the owner to press charges outside was rodriguez friend waiting to hit the cop with a pipe (143,145,146). They needed protection not from other gangs, but as well from people around in their own

Putnam Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis. In chapter four “Schooling,” In Putnam’s chapter he gives an example of two people, Clara and her brother Francisco. Just like Rodriguez, they also had great mentors helping them be lead to a greater path in their life. They came from a disadvantaged place in Los Angeles as well, but instead of mentor from a community center they were lucky to have caring teachers. These teachers helped Clara get a scholarship for college, took them Disneyland and in a way was their for emotional support (141). If it was not for these great mentors early on in Clara life, she might have also joined the wrong path of life. With these mentors in their lives, Clara and her brother were able to live the rough area of Los Angeles, and Rodriguez was able to escape the hood with the help of