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  1. #1
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    $2.5M Couldn't Keep Anaheim Gang Member Away From Old Frien

    So much for "rehabilitation"! The gangs want control and power....and they won't be stopped until they are off the streets PERMANENTLY! It's an outrage that this thug received $2.5M of our taxpayer dollars! The city should demand the return of the settlement!

    $2.5 couldn't keep Anaheim Gang Member away from his Old Friends


    Jose Luis Munoz , an Anaheim gang member raised by a single mother, received $2.5 million from a lawsuit against the city and police. He is back in prison for violating parole by associating with other gang members.
    A lawsuit settlement could have been Jose Luis Muñoz's ticket out of trouble. But he was caught associating with gang members and is back in prison.


    By H.G. Reza, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
    June 17, 2008

    Nobody wanted Jose Luis Muñoz to fail.

    The Anaheim gang member raised by a single mother had received a second chance -- or maybe it was his first -- to turn his life around when he settled a lawsuit against the city and police for $2.5 million.

    In December, he was waiting for the check and paving his future with good intentions. But four months later he was back in prison for violating parole; he had been caught associating with other gang members.

    When he was released from prison, Muñoz, 23, said he was eager "to do the right thing." He said he was going to move out of his gang-infested neighborhood and buy a house for his mother, who had worked two jobs while raising him.


    Muñoz's mother declined to comment last week when contacted at her Anaheim home where Muñoz grew up. She and just about everyone else, including the police, hoped that a financial cushion would steer Muñoz away from a lifestyle that had already cost him four years in prison and Juvenile Hall. His current prison sentence is 16 months.

    "We were all pulling for him. All he had to do was stay away from friends who could only get him in trouble," said Anaheim gang Sgt. Dennis Briggs, whose unit is well acquainted with Muñoz, whose moniker is Dopey.

    In 2005, Muñoz, on foot, was struck from behind by a police cruiser as he surrendered after a brief chase.

    He was wedged in the vehicle's undercarriage and severely injured. Muñoz said he bolted from police because he was afraid they were going to send him back to prison.

    Muñoz sued the city of Anaheim and the Police Department over his injuries and was awarded $2.5 million.

    Attorney Arnoldo Casillas, who represented Muñoz in the lawsuit, said he knew there was a possibility that his client would revert to his old ways.

    "I knew his background all too well," he said. "But I had high hopes and expectations. It's tragic that he's right back in prison."

    In a December interview with The Times, Muñoz said he had been visited by two Anaheim gang detectives after he was paroled in October. One of the officers took a special interest in him, he said. She gave him her business card with her cell number and encouraged Muñoz to call if he needed help or was in danger.

    "There was a safety risk. He had all this money. She went to his house two or three times to make sure things were OK with him," Briggs said. "You always hope you can convince at least one gang member to get away from that lifestyle. Jose had a perfect opportunity to get away, but he didn't. It's sad."

    Muñoz said his parole officer also encouraged him to move and offered to help him get settled in another county. The parole officer could not be reached for comment.

    On April 10, gang officers patrolling the northeast Anaheim neighborhood where Muñoz lives spotted an SUV stopped in the street. The driver -- Muñoz -- was talking to a female gang member who was on probation, Briggs said. The officers questioned Muñoz and three other gang members in the vehicle.

    Muñoz and the girl were arrested on suspicion of associating with gang members, a violation of their parole and probation. He was returned to prison the following day.

    Attorney Richard Longoria, who represented Muñoz in a criminal case, said his client lacked self-esteem, "which makes it extremely difficult for him to find a way out."
    "If you didn't grow up in that lifestyle, it's much harder to get out than you realize," Longoria said.

    Richard Ramos, a gang expert and author who grew up in Highland Park, agreed that identity and fitting in have a lot to do with Muñoz's recidivism.

    "People who don't have money transform their lives all the time," Ramos said. "In this case, $2.5 million wasn't enough. To kids like him, identity and belonging are powerful forces that keep them in gangs. There has to be an inside-out transformation or a life-changing event to bring change. Gangs compete with your family for loyalty.

    "It appears that his gang won."

    hgreza@latimes.com


    http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... 2818.story

  2. #2
    Senior Member Captainron's Avatar
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    Thank you for an outrageous story. Think I'll make some copies and hand it out.
    "Men of low degree are vanity, Men of high degree are a lie. " David
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  3. #3
    Senior Member tencz57's Avatar
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    Attorney Richard Longoria, who represented Muñoz in a criminal case, said his client lacked self-esteem, "which makes it extremely difficult for him to find a way out."
    Award me 2.5 mill and my self-esteem is ok . What BS . pure insanity imo
    Nam vet 1967/1970 Skull & Bones can KMA .Bless our Brothers that gave their all ..It also gives me the right to Vote for Chuck Baldwin 2008 POTUS . NOW or never*
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  4. #4
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    People who don't have money transform their lives all the time," Ramos said. "In this case, $2.5 million wasn't enough. To kids like him, identity and belonging are powerful forces that keep them in gangs. There has to be an inside-out transformation or a life-changing event to bring change. Gangs compete with your family for loyalty
    I don't know, but a 2.5 million windfall is as "life-changing" as it gets in my book!

    100 to 1 the money will be gone within five years and he will still be a gang banger with nothing to show for it.

    That was an absolute waste of tax payer money!!!
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