The messages that Juvenile Court official David Flores reads these days in the graffiti and gang slogans scrawled on East Los Angeles alleyways, homes and businesses are more disturbing than ever.
"I see new gang names showing up on the walls, and \o7 placas\f7 (logos) indicating that old, formerly quiet gangs are joining forces with younger groups and becoming active again," said Flores, administrator of Los Angeles County Juvenile Court schools. "It's very depressing."
The trend is also seen in crime statistics showing that gang murders are on the rise in some communities east of the Los Angeles River.
In the unincorporated area of East Los Angeles, for example, gang murders rose from none in 1988 to 11 in 1989. Similarly, the Los Angeles Police Department's Hollenbeck Division, which includes the community of Boyle Heights, reported 10 gang murders in 1988, compared with 20 in 1989.
"The sad thing about it is that many of the new groups are composed of very young boys, 10 to 14 years of age, who are trying to make a reputation for themselves," Flores said. "I think we are entering a potentially violent period in East Los Angeles."
There are no easy answers to the gang violence that has returned to East Los Angeles after two years of relative peace. But interviews with law enforcement officials, gang experts, concerned parents, educators and gang members suggest that old-line \o7 veteranos\f7 --imprisoned since police crackdowns in the late 1970s and early '80s--are returning to the streets as ex-convicts determined to revive gangs that had dwindled to a handful of members.
"The guys that come out of prison . . . have a reputation in the neighborhoods they came from," said Fred Martinez of the California Youth Authority's gang information services unit. "They also have the \o7 palabra \f7 (authoritative word) and influence."
One of the best examples is the Geraghty Lomas gang. Its membership was gutted by drug overdoses, gang murders and heavy prison sentences, and only about 15 aging Geraghty Lomas \o7 veteranos \f7 were left to claim their hilltop City Terrace barrio.
As their power ebbed away, a new group of mostly nonviolent but raucous youngsters calling themselves Rockwood Stoners emerged in the area. These newcomers wore their hair long, listened to heavy-metal music and partied with people who did not respect neighborhood boundaries.
