Finally his mother threatened.
to send him to live in Mexico if he continued to go out. "he does not want.
that, so he stays inside." But that has not stopped him from dressing or.
acting like a member of the Sur 13. After the incident of the shooting.
Rodriguez also found out that all three of her older sons were part of.
gangs. She states '"My 16-year-old threw away his cholo clothes right when.
he heard about his brother. He hasn't been with the gang since then. The.
two older boys are very repentant , but it is hard to step away from their.
pasts."'(Horton 232) The past of the two older boys were not only hard to.
step out of but also proved to be hard to avoid. It is not surprising.
that the thirteen year old brother joined the gang, after all his older.
brothers all belonged in gangs. Because of that the youngest child felt he.
had no other alternative, he had to prove his bravado. He too had to.
belong to something because his future was paved for him. His brothers.
were all able to blind their mother of their gang affiliations and even at.
9 years old were able to stay out later and later. That fact served as an.
attraction and also a form of peer-pressure to join a gang. Also his.
father "had always left rearing the children to [the mother]" he did not.
have a strong ,active, male role-model. So, perhaps he felt as if he had.
no other alternatives. He lived in a community where gangs were prevalent,.
and his brothers were all gang members, and his father had nothing to do.
with raising or discipline. Perhaps he could have beaten the odds and.
raised above but it was easier to join them for there were no reasons why.
he should beat them. Maggie Garcia also has a son who is a gang member.
but her view and approach to her sons affiliation is very different.
Because she was raised in the same neighborhood as she raises her son in.
she understands how much the neighborhood could mean. She states '"Here.
the neighborhood, it is family.
