Black & Brown-Still Strong

Black & Brown-Still Strong
Pedro Baez

The recent arrests of the Azusa Street Gang shows a badly needed issue that needs to be addressed:

The targeting of innocent citizens of African-American ancestry by thugs of Mexican descent.

It is important to note that thankfully this is a small and I mean a very small minority of individuals who have committed these heinous acts. The strangle hold that the prison based Mexican Mafia has on neighborhoods must be broken. It is not only important to get these punks off the street, but they must also be prevented from continuing these acts of violence from the sanctity of the prison walls that confine them.

These acts which are reminiscent of the atrocities committed by the La Cosa Nostra against the Irish, and nonconforming Italians and Sicilians is an affront to decent law abiding citizens of Mexican and Latin American descent. In many communities where we live side by side, there is peace, brotherhood, and trust.

I urge all my brown brothers and sisters to hug a black brother or sister and apologize for the stupidity of these idiots who deserve the book being thrown at them.

If we are on guard against Al Queda, the so called Mexican Mafia deserves no less.

Pedro Baez is Vice President and Political Affairs Director of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, a community advocacy group that urges unity and love amongst all peoples. He is also Co-Host and Executive Producer of the “Hutchinson Report” heard on Saturdays at 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Pacific on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles and streamed globally on www.kpfk.org.