CALIFORNIA DREAMING

A dangerous gang
Benito ‘Jong’ Molintas Jr.

SAN JACINTO CITY, California -- Torture, pain, blood, gore, initiation. These are some words which come to mind when one thinks of gangs. There are gangs in out here, but definitely not fraternities. They are dangerous and are wreaking havoc.

I was in Grade six, when I first heard the word frat. Our elders said, “Frats, be careful of them. You should not be induced by these dangerous folks.” Those were clear statements of my mentors during my younger days in the Philippines. Fraternities were then becoming famous in Baguio, Manila, among others. When I became a teacher, that word was still being heard, associated to peer groups. Fraternities were acknowledged by communities as potent groups then and it gave members a certain pride – however misplaced this was in most cases.

Gangs were also an issue those years, and members of these caused suffering among victims and their families, particularly those who lost their loved ones. I was still in the Philippines when a student was paddled to death and this became a hot issue. If killing, murder or physical abuse is part of these groups’ way of initiating members, this is definitely not brotherhood.

Gang are likewise rampant in the United States, especially in California wherein most of the murdered folk were suspected to have been killed by the M-14 gang. The group became a hot issue when some of them openly recruited community members. Some members of the gang are inside bars, yet they are becoming more potent with more recruits they are taking in.

Lately, a sensational murder in Los Angeles was allegedly done by a member of the group. The worst thing is that the victim came all the way from Central America just to join the group here leaving his wife and kids in their place only to be killed by his peers.

I can’t imagine people sacrificing their family just to join demonic groups. Worst, this gang is mushrooming not only in California, but other parts of the US and it is spreading throughout the world.

Let us protect our younger generation from groups and situations like this. Sometimes, with bad family environments, youngsters are induced easily by gangs and this leads to their dropping out from school.

Family heads and school authorities, I guess should work together to straighten the paths of our younger generation. Let us not risk our communities in gradually becoming a place of undesirable characters. Let us help them change. As what the magazine, which I just read says and I quote, “Blame the society for producing such criminals.”