Mexican Mafia member ordered gangs to target blacks

EXCLUSIVE: Mexican Mafia member ordered gangs to target blacks, police say

By BRANDON LOWREY blowrey@nctimes.com | Posted: Saturday, April 14, 2012 6:00 pm

A local leader of the Mexican Mafia prison gang ordered Escondido's rival Latino street gangs to stop fighting among themselves and target black people instead, leading to a surge in such attacks, say gang members and authorities.

According to court testimony last week by Erik Witholt, an Escondido Police Department gang detective, the order focused on "getting blacks out of Escondido."

Witholt didn't name the leader, but federal authorities have said that Rudy Espudo was the Mexican Mafia member who directed street gang activity in inland North County. Espudo was arrested in January and indicted, with 118 other people, for a range of crimes, including racketeering and drug dealing.

Attacks by Latino gang members on black people ---- who, police say, have generally had nothing to do with gang activity ---- increased sharply after the Mexican Mafia's order was handed down, about two years ago, Witholt said.

Gang members and experts reached by the North County Times say the order probably stemmed from turf feuds and long-running rivalries in prison between black and Latino gangs, and are not an indication that a local race war was heating up.

Police say one of the most brazen examples of Latino-on-black violence occurred Feb. 6 in Escondido. A black man, with his girlfriend and her child, was waiting for a pizza in a car at Rose Street and East Valley Parkway when seven Latinos armed with knives surrounded them. Someone stabbed the black man, nearly to death.

A suspect in the stabbing, Ulysses Ocampo, 22, of Escondido eluded police for about a week. Police said the gang member was arrested after hurling racial slurs and attacking a second black man who was moving into an Escondido apartment complex. Before the attack, Ocampo said, "We don't want no n----s in our 'hood," the victim testified.

Serious attacks by Latino gang members against black people have not been limited to Escondido ---- such attacks in the past two years include a fatal stabbing in Carlsbad and a rash of assaults in Oceanside.

In the Carlsbad incident last year, police say Juan Rocha, 21, fatally stabbed Devin Allen, 27, a black man with no known ties to gangs, outside a popular bar. Last week, Rocha was in jail awaiting trial on a murder charge.

Carlsbad police Detective Bryan Hargett testified at a preliminary hearing last year that Rocha belonged to a Carlsbad gang that had committed several racially motivated attacks against blacks, including a 2007 stabbing that led to an attempted-murder conviction.

In Oceanside, black gangs have a strong presence. Federal authorities last year said they broke up a major prostitution ring run by three of Oceanside's mostly black gangs.

Some territories claimed by Latino and black gangs overlap, leading to rivalries.

Last year, five Latino gang members and associates were charged with hate crimes against black men in the Crown Heights neighborhood.

Also last year, several black gang members were charged with murdering two Latino teens who weren't gang-affiliated in Libby Lake Park. Prosecutors said the slayings occurred soon after one of the black gang members was attacked by Latino rivals.

But Latino gangs have battled each other at least as fiercely.

Using the race card

The Mexican Mafia order to unite rival Latino street gangs against a perceived common enemy may have been a commonly used tactic by the prison-based syndicate's leadership to stop infighting and increase profitability, said retired Sgt. Richard Valdemar, who spent much of his career investigating the Mexican Mafia as a gang detective with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

"Because they can play the race card to motivate their soldiers on the street, that's what they do," he said.

Minor racial tensions turned into a cycle of violence during the Los Angeles riots in 1992, Valdemar said.

Damian "Football" Williams, a young black gang member who famously beat white truck driver Reginald Denny on live television during the riots, similarly attacked drivers of other races. When footage aired of him attacking a Latino man, Latinos began attacking blacks in prison and jail, Valdemar said.

The Mexican Mafia put out an order to kill Williams, and later, to go to war with black gangs, he said. Williams was not killed, and is currently serving a state prison sentence for an unrelated crime.

Mostly Latino gangs that included black members were ordered to purge them from their ranks.

Prison politics

But Mexican Mafia leaders' motivation for stoking racial tensions had little to do with actual racism. Instead, they were based on profitability ---- they wanted to take over drug-dealing operations in South Central Los Angeles, where black gangs thrived on crack dealing, Valdemar said.

"It's all about money and power," he said.

The Mexican Mafia originated in California's prison system, which remains its home turf and the center of its power. Some Mexican Mafia members direct activity from behind bars, and when they get out, they bring their prison rivalries with them.

Prison rivalries are mostly drawn along racial lines, said Michael Ruff, special agent in charge with the California Department of Corrections' Special Service Unit, which investigates prison gangs.

But that doesn't always mean feuds have much to do with racial hatred, he said.

"Most incidents are not racially motivated ---- they're gang-motivated," he said. "It's usually over a drug debt or a disrespect issue or a power play."

That may have been the case in Escondido.

A North County Latino gang member familiar with the order to attack black people in Escondido said it was one of the first commands issued by Espudo, the man accused by federal authorities of being a Mexican Mafia member who directed some local Latino street gangs.

"When he first got out (of prison), that's one of the first things he did," said the gang member, who spoke to the North County Times on condition of anonymity. "He saw how things have changed, from when he went in to when he came out, so he made that 'green light.'" A "green light" is a gang term for permission from the Mexican Mafia to beat or kill someone or a group.

"But he also declared a peace treaty" between the two major Latino street gangs in Escondido, the gang member said. "He basically said he didn't want to see any more violence between those gangs, and to (instead) be racist, basically."

The gang member's account was echoed in federal indictments, in which authorities said Espudo extracted "taxes" from street gangs, and forbade graffiti in San Marcos and Escondido, in order to increase profits and reduce conflict and police attention.

Black gangs from Oceanside and elsewhere had been moving into prostitution in Escondido and nearby cities, the gang member said, a point made by federal and local police.

"It wasn't so much race-based, but when you have that sort of activity, you get more police presence," he said. "And probably because they (the Mexican Mafia-controlled gangs) aren't making a buck off of it, either."

Call staff writer Brandon Lowrey at 760-740-3517 or follow him on Twitter @NCTLowrey.​

EXCLUSIVE: Mexican Mafia member ordered gangs to target blacks, police say

This article is so full of bullshit! Look how it claims the Mexican Mafia started in US Prisons when the real origins of the Mexican Mafia is MEXICO thus the name.

Also, look how many times this article tries its best to claim that RACISM is not a motivating factor with all these latino illegal alien gangs and individuals going around and targeting blacks.

Even when they use racial slurs before they stab or kill someone, it is not racism.

The creators of this article are doing their best to try to hide the ethnic cleansing and genocide that awaits us all if the illegal alien invasion of America is not stopped and reversed.

W

Was added to the Homepage earlier today:
http://www.alipac.us/content/mexican...et-blacks-384/

What an alliance between Los Zetas and MS-13 really means

Mexican Mafia Said to Urge Campaign Against Blacks

Eva Knott, April 16, 2012

The Mexican Mafia has put the word out for Hispanic street gangs to stop battling each other, to “focus on getting the blacks out” of their territories, according to an Escondido police gang specialist.

Detective Erik Witholt said it was a couple years ago that police started hearing from contacts on the street about the new directive. Detective Witholt gave testimony in a hearing for alleged gang member Ulysses Ocampo, 22, who has been charged in two separate knife attacks in Escondido that occurred in February of this year.

Ocampo denies being the man who attacked a group of friends hanging around a parking lot in front of a pizza place, near the corner of Rose Street and East Valley Parkway. The group, described as black and “mixed race” by witnesses, was reportedly waiting for their pizza dinner when a Hispanic male approached. The stranger announced a gang challenge — “Where you from?” — and then punched one man and stabbed another, witnesses said. A group of five Hispanic males rushed the group while the first attacker reportedly jumped into the driver’s seat of one witness’s gold 2003 Saturn and took off — but the carjacker soon jammed on the brakes and demanded the woman in the backseat with her three-year-old child “Get the **** out of the car!”

Detective Witholt said he spoke to the stabbing victim at Palomar Hospital, where he was recovering after surgery, “He told me that he got stabbed in the chest.” The alleged victim was unsure if the weapon used was a knife or a screwdriver, but he was able to identify Ulysses Ocampo from a photo lineup, Witholt said.

Surveillance cameras from a nearby business assisted police in identifying Ocampo, who has been a documented gang member since 2005, when he would have been 15 years old. Ocampo has the word "DIABLOS" tattooed across his chest, is a “self-admitted” gang member, and is known by the gang moniker “Grumpy,” according to Witholt.

A week later, on February 13, a dark-skinned man of “mixed race” said he was moving into his new apartment in Escondido when he was approached by a man he later identified as Ocampo. The stranger asked, “Where you from?” and, “You’re not one of those Crip or Blood faggot ******s, are you?” before he announced, “This is Diablos” and, “We don’t want no ******s in our 'hood” and then punched his new neighbor in the face. The attacker pulled out a knife, according to this witness, who said he managed to escape without being stabbed.

Ocampo was arrested after a chase through backyards and over fences the night of February 14, 2012, by officer Nicholas Rodelo, a six-year-veteran of Escondido’s specialized Gang Enforcement Team.

At the end of a preliminary hearing April 12, superior court judge Richard Mills found insufficient evidence of a “hate crime.” The judge said Ocampo treats everyone “very badly” and dismissed three “hate crime” allegations.

Ulysses Ocampo has a record in San Diego County dating from 2007, including two alleged prison “priors,” and is scheduled to be formally rearraigned on a dozen new charges April 26, in the Vista courthouse.

"Mexican Mafia Said to Urge Campaign Against Blacks" by News Ticker | San Diego Reader

The Mexican Mafia (Spanish: Mafia Mexicana),
also known as La eMe (Spanish for the letter M), is a Mexican American highly-organized, ruthless crime organization in the United States.[1][4] Despite its name, the Mexican Mafia did not originate in Mexico and is entirely a U.S. criminal prison organization.

Surenos use the number 13 to show allegiance to the Mexican Mafia. M is the 13th letter of the alphabet. Law enforcement officials report that La eMe is the most powerful gang within the California prison system.[16]

Government officials state that there are currently 155–300 official members of the Mexican Mafia with around 990 associates who assist La eMe in carrying out its illegal activities in the hopes of becoming full members.[7] Sureño street gangs and the Mexican Mafia are almost ethnically homogenous, that is, they consist of almost entirely of Hispanic members. When Sureños enter correctional facilities, they are required to put aside their rivalries and obey the Mexican Mafia or suffer possible lethal consequences.

Contents
[hide] 1 History 1.1 Rise
1.2 New Mexican Mafia
2 Location
3 Culture 3.1 Allies and Rivals
3.2 Mara Salvatrucha
3.3 Symbols
3.4 In popular culture
4 Criminal activities 4.1 1970s
4.2 1980s
4.3 1990s
4.4 2000s
4.5 2010s
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

The Mexican Mafia was formed in 1957 by 13 Hispanic street gang members from different Los Angeles neighborhoods that were all incarcerated at the Deuel Vocational Institution; a California Youth Authority facility which is now an adult state prison in Tracy, California.
[2][5]
They formed in order to protect themselves from other prison gangs at the time.[15][4] The founder of La eMe is Luis "Huero Buff" Flores who was an active member of the Hawaiian Gardens gang in Hawaiian Gardens, California. Gang warfare between Hispanic neighborhoods was the norm during the 1950s and 60s so the fact that Luis Flores was able to get established enemies to set aside their rivalries upon entry into the prison system was something that was not thought possible. This requirement exists to present day. Hispanic street gangs like White Fence, San Fer, Avenues, Clanton 14, Varrio Nuevo Estrada, and Hoyo Maravilla were already into their second decade and firmly established as self sustaining entities.[3] Luis Flores initially recruited violent members to the gang in an attempt to create a highly-feared organization which could control the black market activities of the Deuel prison facilities. La eMe member Ramon "Mundo" Mendoza claims that in the beginning the overall goal was to terrorize the prison system and enjoy prison comforts while doing time.[14]

As new members of La Eme filtered out back into the streets, Anacleta "Annie" Ramirez, a well-known member of the East Los Angeles community, took many of them under her wing and paired them up with neighborhood youngsters who lacked direction. Ramirez, a sharp, tough woman, taught the youngsters discipline, rules of street life, and, at first, petty crime. This later escalated to her role as a shot caller—as drugs became a major part of the trade—who would get rid of her enemies by ordering youth loyal to her on missions. After she had given the directive, many of her enemies were reportedly murdered on sight.[3]

[edit] Rise

By 1961 violence got so bad at the Deuel Vocational Institution that administrators transferred a number of the charter La eMe members to San Quentin Penitentiary in the hopes of discouraging their violent behavior. This tactic, however, failed to work. Cheyenne Cadena arrived on the lower yard of San Quentin and was met by a six-foot-five, 300-pound black inmate who planted a kiss on his face and announced this scrawny teenager would now be his 'bitch. Cadena returned a short time later, walked up to the unsuspecting predator, and stabbed him to death with a jailhouse knife, or shank. There were more than a thousand inmates on the yard and no witnesses stepped forward.[14] A string of other slayings soon followed as La eMe members sought to establish a reputation among the inmates of San Quentin. The Mexican Mafia's quest for complete control alienated many other Mexican-American inmates who were fed up with Mexican Mafia stabbing, killing, and stealing their watches, rings, cigarettes and anything else of value. Some of them secretly founded a new prison gang called La Nuestra Familia (NF) or "Our Family." It was first established in the mid-1960s at the California Training Facility in Soledad. Some of the early members were from the Los Angeles area, but NF soon drew inmates primarily from rural communities in Northern California. The Mexican Mafia saw Nuestra Familia as inferior and "just a bunch of farmers", or farmeros. However, in 1968 at San Quentin, a full scale riot broke out after a Mexican Mafia soldier, or soldado, stole a pair of shoes from a Nuestra Familia sympathizer. Nineteen inmates were stabbed and one La eMe associate ended up dead. The battle became known as the "Shoe War" and it established Nuestra Familia as the major La eMe rival.[14][17]

[edit] New Mexican Mafia

La eMe must not be confused with the New Mexican Mafia. Around 1974, a group of Hispanic inmates at Arizona State Prison, Florence, formed a prison gang known as the Mexican Mafia.[18] Arizona Department of Corrections officials at that time obtained information that this group patterned themselves after the California Mexican Mafia which had been in existence for several years. Several Hispanics who came into the Arizona Prison System brought the concept and philosophy of the California Mexican Mafia.[18] In 1978 the Mexican Mafia split into two organizations. One kept the original philosophy and structure and currently refer to themselves as the Original Mexican Mafia, "Califas Faction", "EME".[18] The other, which came into prominence in 1984 and is the organization addressed in this workbook, refer to themselves as the New Mexican Mafia. Many assaults and murders of members of both groups have occurred as a result of each organization claiming the title of "Mexican Mafia" within the Arizona prison system. They have created their own rules and regulations and have established an organizational structure.[18] Each member is allowed to vote on issues regarding membership and leadership. The leader, approved by the members has the power to solely decide important issues. Some of their members were previous La eMe members.[18]

[edit] Location

The Mexican Mafia's power base is in the California Prison system, but they are active in many other southwestern states and the pacific region of the United States; including the Federal Prison system. La eMe is ative in 13 states.[6] Most members are male from Southern California Sureno gangs.[15] La Eme is most active in the California and Texas prison systems. However, in Texas, the Mexican Mafia is called The Mexikanemi.[8]

[edit] Culture

Mexican Mafia Insignia
Law Enforcement believes that La eMe presently is not presided over by a single leader. Many Mexican Mafia members have the authority to order murders and oversee various other criminal activities. They have almost a thousand associates that help carry out those orders and have the theoretical control of all Sureno gang members.[15][7] Members are expected to engage in tests of their loyalty to La eMe, which may include theft or murder. The penalty for refusing orders or failing to complete an assigned task is often death. According to the gang's constitution, members may also be punished or murdered if they commit any of four major infractions. These include becoming an informant, acts of homosexuality, acts of cowardice, and showing disrespect against fellow gang members. According to gang policy, a member of the Mexican Mafia may not be murdered without prior approval by a vote of three members, yet the murder of non-members requires no formal approval.

During the early 1960s at San Quentin Prison, Luis Flores and Rudy "Cheyenne" Cadena established a blood oath for members of the Mexican Mafia.Prior to the establishment of the oath, members of the Mexican Mafia were allowed to return to their street gangs after incarceration. The new oath stipulated that the only way for a member to leave the Mexican Mafia was to be killed. Flores and Cadena also established a set of gang commandments. These included policies such as: a new member must be sponsored by an existing member, unanimous approval from all existing members to join (no longer policy), prioritizing the gang over one's family, denial of the existence of the Mexican Mafia to law enforcement or non-members, respect of other members, forgiving street conflicts which existed before incarceration. Execution of a member of the gang for policy violation must be committed by the gang member who sponsored him. La eMe has a blood in blood out credo: Murder or drawing of blood is a prerequisite for membership and anyone trying to get out will be killed.[12]

[edit] Allies and Rivals

The Mexican Mafia is the controlling organization for almost every Hispanic gang in Southern California. Members of almost all Hispanic gangs in Southern California are obligated under the threat of death to carry out any and all orders from made Mexican Mafia members. The Mexican Mafia also holds a loose alliance with the Aryan Brotherhood, mainly due to their common rivals within the prison system.[12] The primary rivals of the Mexican Mafia are Nuestra Familia.[19] The Mexican Mafia is also a rival of the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang, which holds a loose alliance with La Nuestra Familia.[19]

[edit] Mara Salvatrucha

In 1992 La eMe sent an edict stating that all Southern California street gangs would pay taxes on illegal activities and in return they would be offered protection when they entered the prison system.[11] Because of their notorious reputation for murder, violence and control of the drug trade, many gangs complied and paid taxes.[11] However, this edict particularly offended Mara Salvatrucha because they said the money they earned was theirs and not the Mexican Mafia's.[11] This led to a bitter conflict between them and the Sureno street gangs under La eMe's control. The Mexican Mafia put a green light on them, which meant it was open season to attack or kill them for their defiance.[11] By 1993 the rivalry was finally put to rest and Mara Salvatrucha become MS-13. The number 13 attached to their name to show allegiance to the Mexican Mafia.[11]

[edit] Symbols

Mexican Mafia symbols include images of a black hand. The gang's primary symbol, which is often used in tattoos by members, is the national symbol of Mexico (eagle and a snake) atop a flaming circle over crossed knives. Street gangs that are aligned with the Mexican Mafia often use the number 13 as a gang identifier, as the letter "M" is the 13th letter of the modern Latin-derived alphabet.

[edit] In popular culture

The Mexican Mafia received mainstream notoriety after being featured in the 1992 movie American Me. The film was co-produced, directed and starred in by actor Edward James Olmos, who allegedly received death threats by members of the Mexican Mafia for what they considered an unflattering depiction of the gang.[20] Three consultants for the film were murdered shortly after the film's release.[20] The Mexican Mafia was allegedly displeased with the portrayal of the murder of Rodolfo Cadena (who was the basis for Olmos' character Santana) as being committed by his fellow gang members.[20] Mexican Mafia Members were also allegedly offended by the portrayal of homosexually inspired sodomy committed by Olmos' character in the film. Olmos subsequently applied for a concealed handgun permit, which was denied to him.[21] Joe Morgan, while serving a life sentence for murder at Pelican Bay State Prison, filed a $500,000 lawsuit against Olmos, Universal Studios and other producers of the film. Morgan claimed that one of the principal characters in the film was based on him without obtaining his permission.[20]

[edit] Criminal activities

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mexican Mafia had arranged for contract killings to be carried out by the Aryan Brotherhood, a white prison gang. Both the Mexican Mafia and the Aryan Brotherhood are mutual enemies of the African-American gang Black Guerilla Family.[22] Even though homosexuals are barred from entry into La eMe, they are engaged heavily in homosexual prostitution in the prison system.[6][16][23][4] Many of the street level homicides in the Highlands Park area of Los Angeles committed by the Avenues gang were done on orders issued by the Mexican Mafia.[3] The Mexican Mafia is involved in a variety of criminal activities both inside and outside the prison system, but its main source of income is extorting drug distributors outside prison and distributing various narcotics within and outside the prison system.[6] In 1992, an example of La eMes influence and power over Surenos was made clear to Law Enforcement. Joe Morgan, a prominent Mexican Mafia Leader, ordered that no more drive-by shootings and violence was to take place by Surenos.[11] Between April, when the edict was announced, and September of 1992 there were no Drive-by shootings in East Los Angeles and this area was notorious for violence and drive-bys.[11]

[edit] 1970s

The first murder outside of prison that was ordered by La eMe occurred in 1971 when Mexican Mafia member Alfonso "Pachie" Alvarez was found shot twice in the head in a secluded area of in Monterey Park. His offense: collecting taxes on narcotics dealers without kicking up the profits to Eme leaders behind bars, known in the gang as "Big Homies" or Emeros.[5] The person responsible for the murder was Joe "Pegleg" Morgan - the notorious white godfather of La Eme who had ascended by then to become one of the highest-ranking bosses of the entire Eme organization, even with no "official" Mexican blood himself. His connections with cocaine and heroin suppliers in Mexico helped pave the foundation for the Mexican Mafia's narcotics distribution throughout California. During the 1970s, while under the control of Morgan's protégé Rodolfo Cadena, the Mexican Mafia often took control over various community groups. The gang was able to filter money from alcohol and drug prevention programs to finance their criminal activities.[3] The Mexican Mafia and the Italian-American Los Angeles crime family collaborated in skimming money from Get Going, a taxpayer-funded drug treatment program. By 1977, Get Going founder Ellen Delia was determined to expose the infiltration of her beloved program. Shortly before an appointment with the California State Secretary of Health and Welfare Services, Delia was murdered. Her collection of evidence on Italian and Mexican Mafia infiltration of the Get Going program was never recovered.[24]

[edit] 1980s

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[edit] 1990s

In 1995, United States federal authorities indicted 22 members and associates of the Mexican Mafia, charged under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act with crimes which included extortion, murder and kidnapping.[25] One of the arrested members, Benjamin "Topo" Peters, was allegedly the Mexican Mafia's highest ranking member at the time, and was engaged in a power struggle with fellow member Ruben "Tupi" Hernandez.[25] Another indicted member was accused of having plotted the death of an anti-gang activist who served as a consultant for the film American Me. The indictments marked a two-year investigation by federal, local and state law enforcement officials.[25]

[edit] 2000s

In 2006, a 36-count federal indictment was brought against members of the Mexican Mafia. The arrests were made for alleged acts of violence, drug dealing, and extortion against smaller Latino street gangs. According to the federal indictment, Mexican Mafia members exert their influence in both federal and state prison systems through either violence or the threat of violence.Members and associates of the gang remain fiercely loyal to the criminal organization both in and outside of prison, particularly in Southern California cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego. The gang asserts its influence over Chicano gangs throughout Southern California by threatening violence against their members should they ever become incarcerated. Gangs and drug dealers who refuse to pay a protection "tax" to the Mexican Mafia are often murdered or threatened with murder. High-ranking members of the Mexican Mafia who are locked in private cells for 23 hours of each day are still able to communicate with their associates, through methods which range from tapping in code on prison plumbing pipes to smuggled letters.The primary goal of the Mexican Mafia is to control all drug trafficking in all areas that they have been established.[15]

[edit] 2010s

In early 2012 there was a a federal indictment of 119 San Diego County gang members, including a Mexican Mafia boss that was arrested in a raid of his San Marcos home, portrays a sprawling, well-organized criminal network that ran drug dealing on the streets of North County and even extended inside the Vista jail.[26] Rudy Espudo, 39, was in control of the Hispanic gangs in the area and forced drug dealers to pay taxes in tribute to La eMe or face the consequences.[26] The local gangs were smuggling narcotics into the Vista Detention Center in order to sell them for the Mexican Mafia. On North County streets la eMe ordered Surenos to obtain taxes from the local drug dealers.[26]

Mexican Mafia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia