Blog #10

Luis is now expressing himself with the use of art, instead of violence. As soon as Luis got released from jail he stopped attending Cal State. Luis had ran out of money and now is working a full-time graveyard shift in a paper factory. He realized that going to school and just sitting there did not help him, he just sat and remembered all those people that were killed. Violence continued to go on. Luis experienced another shoot out in front of his friends house. There was a car that started shooting and then a guy got off and began shooting but then a man approached with a shotgun and shot the guy that got off the car.  

Blog #9

Lomas is backs. Luis old friends from lomas told them to run but chava just stood there not moving a single lim. He watched shadows get closer and closer and stood quiet from where he was standing. The shadows decided to do no harm and just leave. Chicharon with his year old kid makes him act like a little kid. Chicharon was different, he was not the same. Luis senior year has arrived and he was been getting more involved in school. For example, he was the president of the school, succeeded obtaining chicano studies and was the students council speaker. Luis is trying to change everything around and make chicanos know that school is for them.

Blog #8

Luis has been accused of murder. There is a group of bikers who go out and kill people as well. There has been a scene where the bikers went out to go and kill people and as soon as they left Luis arrived. People around called the police and they had taken Luis and his group in. His mom was very disappointed and could not believe what has happened. Before anything has happened Luis dad was taken in because the officers could not find who killed the people and accused his dad. The gun belonged to Luis but he did not do anything. He was caught at the moment when the real murderers had already left. This case has been taken up to the court so the judge could decide. Luis had nothing to do with the case just that he had showed up at the wrong time and he was not accused of murder. But on the other hand the bikers were accused of murder.

Blog #7

August 29, 1970 is the day that marks chicano history. That day in Los Angeles Luis has decided to go out and see what has been happening or what is going on. Most chicanos did not want to go to the Vietnam war. They are marching and protesting so they do not have to go to war. Luis was just walking around until he decided he wanted to steal a pack of beer but the store that he decided to steal, his friends had already beaten him. Since there was already a robbery at a store the owner had to close it for the day. He then decided not to go through it after all. Luis went to the park where a police officer had told him to move or he was going to get shot in the head. Luis did not want to get shot so he moved. Later on the officer threw Luis down to the floor and arrested him. There are jails that are assigned to kids under 18 but since they were Mexicans the police deputies did not care. Although all of his cell mates respected him. Luis knew a kid from Aliso Viejo housing projects. The kid that he knew, he had killed a teacher. Luis did not show any fear and moved on. He later started playing cards with him and became friends.

Blog #6

Luis dad mentioned to Luis that he has to wake up about 4:15 everyday. He now has to go to work with his dad because there is a school next to his job and has enrolled him. Luis is not so great knowing that he is going back to school after last time, but he is willing to give it another chance. First few days where not so well for him. The classes he signed up for, he could not take due to the fact that at his past school he did not take the courses needed to be in the academic class he chose. Luis was bummed out about it but he did not want to continue on. As days past by Luis old teacher from Keppel high school called him. He wanted to inform Luis that that there is going to be a change in principal. Luis did not want to go back but his teacher had convinced him. He implied that the new principal wanted kids from Lomas to enroll and be apart of the school and get an education as everyone else. Luis went for it and did decide to start again. But as soon as he did not like it he went back to the streets but it did not feel the same for him as if he lost apart of himself while he was learning what he was doing out on the streets.

Blog #5

Luis has decided to be part of the Sangra, which was a another gang in another city. At that time they did not care to who was in what group anymore. Before if you were in one two you were part of that specific group but now you have to do what the group leader requests. In order for Luis to be in Sangra he would have to get beat up and he did and survived. Chicharron one of his friends from Sangra advised him to put his hands over his head so he would be okay. Luis did as he said and passed. Now that he is with the gang Sangra, his old group of friends from Lomas does not know any of what happened. One day his friends from Lomas went to his house and ask if he wants to go get back at Sangra for what they have done. Luis did not know what they were going to do but he still went on with it. As the night went on they when to Chava’s canton and put gasoline everywhere then threw bottles with flames. No one was injured since the family evacuated rapidly and no one was caught. As time passed Luis sister decided she wanted to be apart of Lomas. It was a bad idea for her to join. One day she went to an event, it was noon. The girls from Sangra went as well but as soon as they had heard that Shorty, Luis sister, was related to Luis the had made a plan to go after her. Luis did not hear anything from them but he had already assumed what was going to happen. Shorty calls Joe to pick her up where she is. As soon as Joe gets there, there is no sign of shorty and her friends around. After a while they rapidly run out while the girls from Sangra start shooting at the. Shorty barely got in the car and made it out. Helicopters surrounded the perimeters of the building is occurred.  

Blog #4

Luis had been thinking of committing suicide. He wondered what he has been doing in this world why is he here. Luckily he decided not to. After time passed by he went to the carnival with one of his friends and met a girl there. She was not where Luis was. Eva was her name, they went on the Ferris wheel and Luis did not how how to feel or do. She got closer to him but nothing was said from his mouth. Once the Ferris wheel ride was over they went on top of a roof and sat there. As they were sitting there Luis saw one of his friends about to get beat up. The people that  were going to beat his friend up was where Eva was from, Sangra. Luis had the need to go and help his friend out but Eva kept on reminding Luis that it is not his fight so he would not have to go. Luis has been thinking of committing suicide later on but what really stopped him was listening to Led Zeppelin's music. He then realized that he was meant to be in this world just as everyone else. Later that next day he went to his mom’s house and asked her if he can stay for breakfast and she responded with a yes he can. All the anger that his mom had has gone away.

Blog #3

Luis had ruptured a sac that held the bottom of his intestine that had split and spilled its contents. This has happened only a few years after his family and him had moved to L.A. Luis had to get immediate surgery but once the doctors found out that they were immigrants they called the police. But after the surgery had gone the doctors realized that he had a circumcision. Doctors had to get that fix as soon as they could. After all that had happened the doctors called of reporting his family to the police. Time passed by and it was when Luis was in gangs and “tribes”. Luis and his crew decide to go to Huntington Beach to celebrate Clavo coming back home. Huntington beach was where most whites are. As the night was ending a few white males approached them. They began calling Luis and his crew greasers, beaners and more words. One of Luis “homey” Black Dog, as they would call him, replied back to the men that approached them. As soon as they kept replying back and forth the white male pulled out a police badge and a gun. They pointed the gun straight to group and made them squat for minutes. One of the police checked their jackets to see what they had. Everyone was clean besides black dog. He had caps of mescaline and joints. He got sent to a juvenile facility. Luis and everyone else was sent to the deputy office where the parents of everyone had to go pick up their kids. After that situation happened Luis started working for Yuk Yuk who would steal mainly anything and everywhere. It has gotten to the point where Luis had to point a gun to a innocent man so they could give them the money. If Luis did not complete what he had to do or if he backed out then he would be on the other side of the gun.

Blog #2

Luis Rodriguez has started to be part of the “thug life”. He has been visiting “the Hills” as everyone calls it, and has been spending a lot of his time out there. The Hills is mainly were all the cholos and cholas are. Going to the Hills is not a good example or a good way for Luis to be spending the night out there when he sneaks out of his house. Luis has started dressing like a cholo with the baggy pants, white t-shirt, and with their flannel shirts just buttoned on the first one. People from the East Bay that go to the hills take a little of the East Bay over there, but they still turn into cholos. Luis has been getting into trouble at school and not doing what he is supposed to do. One day Luis’s principal from school calls and talks to his mom. The principal tells his mom that he is a good kid, smart and he can get far with what he has. Since he has been misbehaving his principal mentioned that if it happens again then he will get expelled. His mom just cursed him out but his dad grounded him he told Luis that every day that school ends he has to go directly home but there's no point because later on when it's dark out Luis sneaks out and heads out to the hills.

Blog #1

“Grillo” as his dad would call him, him and his family have had been struggling living in Los Angeles. All his family do not know how to speak english that well. People do not see them as normal citizens even though they are not. They are all immigrants coming from Chihuahua Mexico. Grillos dad does not want to go back to Mexico because he feels like has nothing to do over there and wants to work in the US because he feels as if he has a better chance of being more successful here. Grillo’s mom begins to work just for part time since she still has to go home and make food with what they have at home. They have been struggling having to earn money just to have food or a piece of bread. Grillo has started going to school at the age of 6 his mom did not want him to go to school because his little sister was not at the age she would go to school. He was not able to learn anything most teachers had no idea what to do since he did not know english so they just had him sit in the corner building blocks. His dad decided to be a spanish teacher, unfortunately since he did not know english he did now know how else to teach the kids and he had to go look for another job.