A Tense Truce : For Valley Gangs, Peace Is as Difficult as Conflict

The gang rivals who lined up warily along the walls of the shabby gymnasium in Pacoima had agreed on Halloween to stop killing one another. But living in peace was proving as uncomfortable as a too-tight Raiders jacket.

Although drive-by shootings had just about stopped among the Latino gangs in the San Fernando Valley, disrespect had not. Disrespect in the form of hats with gang insignia worn into rival neighborhoods. Or crossing out others’ graffiti. Or throwing gang signs from passing cars. Or talking up other gangs’ girlfriends.

To gang members, even the most innocuous incident of disrespect normally requires a response. In the past, the usual response was violent.

“Like, I know those vatos , homes,” said one gang member, using the Spanish-sprinkled argot of the street to refer to his rivals, “so how come they have to come around wearing their hats, homes? How come they have to hit on us?”

He was among 150 representatives of the Valley’s Latino gangs that met last Sunday at the Pacoima Recreation Center, as they had for eight Sundays in a row, to consider such questions.

The meeting offered a snapshot of how one so-far successful effort to achieve gang peace is progressing when gang violence continues to flare elsewhere in Los Angeles. Before the midday meeting, the gang members, most dressed in black, hung out in small clusters, some smoking marijuana to steel themselves for the tense discussion to follow. Once inside, they signed in and headed for the gym’s perimeter, as if wanting to keep distance from enemies.

Leaning against the walls, crouching or sitting on child-size chairs only 18 inches off the floor, the gang members, who appeared to range from about 15 to 30 years old, talked about their frustrations and their ambitions. They complained about rule-breakers and looked for guidance in keeping their homeboys in line. And they addressed grievances not only with one another, but with a society they believe disdains them because they are poor, Latino and dressed in gang garb.

“We don’t want to be judged by our appearance,” said Nino, 26, a member of the Pacoima Flats. But while he voiced hope the gesture of peace would bring greater educational and job opportunities, as well as respect, he acknowledged, “It’s going to take time to prove ourselves.”

*

A main organizer of the weekly “commission” meetings was William (Blinky) Rodriquez, a Van Nuys businessman whose son was killed by gang members in 1990. The early sessions were very tense, he said.

“At one . . I stood up and told them, ‘You are warriors with no war to fight, and there’s peace now,’ ” said Rodriquez, who works with gang members through a Christian group known as Victory Outreach.

Gangs have agreed before to put down their weapons. The Bloods and the Crips, the two main factions of black gangs, began talking about peace in spring of 1992. Latino gangs followed suit earlier this year, when a prison clan known as the Mexican Mafia ordered a halt to drive-by shootings.

Their edict was delivered in a series of large meetings across Southern California, including one at Elysian Park in September reportedly attended by 1,000 or more gang members.

Rodriquez acknowledged that “outside pressure” sparked the peace treaty among Valley gangs and that a representative from the prison gang came to their first meeting Oct. 31, attended by more than 700 gang members. But, he said, “the real truth . . . is that the gangs in the Valley have been given the opportunity to handle their own peace treaty.”

Another who has helped keep the peace going is Richard Silva of Arleta, 38, a former drug dealer. Four of his brothers have been murdered, three in incidents involving drugs or gangs.

Then there is Donald Garcia, a revered 52-year-old ex-gang leader who became a lay minister while serving 32 years in prison for two murders. Also known as Big D, Garcia opens the weekly meetings with a prayer and sometimes uses the forum to tell the youths about the brutal reality of prison life.

He tells them he understands why peace is more difficult than conflict.

“It’s hard doing right because all you know is doing wrong,” Garcia said. “We understand there’s going to be vatos who get out of line . . . but the homeboys got to check them.”

So far, the fragile peace seems to have had an impact. There have been 42 gang-related murders in the Valley this year, down from the 51 reported through mid-December last year, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Significantly, said Detective William G. Humphry, the top LAPD gang investigator for the Valley, Latino gangs have not been involved in a killing since October.

“I am glad to see they are getting along with each other . . . because when they are shooting each other innocent people get killed,” Humphry said.

Felony assaults involving gang members also fell, by 35%, during November, but gang-related robberies were up by the same percentage, he said. “If they want to show people out there . . . that they want to stop warring, then they need to stop doing graffiti, turn their guns in and quit doing the robberies,” Humphry said.

He and other officers said the peace is visible on the streets. Hundreds of gang members from neighborhoods formerly at war have attended raucous parties together, drinking side-by-side without incident. Neighborhood groups from across the Valley now show up at Sunday night cruising parties along Laurel Canyon Boulevard, which almost certainly would have resulted in altercations a few months ago.

“It’s hard to have a peace treaty with guys who have shot at you, but if you’re going to have a peace treaty, you have to let it go,” said 18-year-old Danny Nava, a member of the Pacoima Criminals gang.

“Everyone is tired of losing family,” said a 27-year-old Pacoima Flats Nightowls member known as Toro. He said two of his brothers were killed in gang fights.

Across the gymnasium, Toro said, were North Hollywood gang members who had stabbed and nearly killed him three years earlier. “I know how it feels to have a grudge against people,” he said, “and I know how good it feels to have peace and serenity.”

*

Omar Vasquez, 21, who represents a Vineland Avenue gang at the weekly meetings, agreed that the area feels safer. He has a 2-year-old daughter, “and now I feel like I can be with her and go to the store and buy her a drink and think that nothing will be happening to me,” he said.

He hopes the treaty will be a springboard to political involvement. “The sleeping giant is waking up,” Vasquez said, referring to the large numbers of Latino residents in Southern California, many of whom do not vote.

But such issues only surfaced late in last week’s meetings--and only after 20-year-old Eddie Avelar, a member of the Latin Times gang of Pacoima, had had enough.

“I came here to talk about peace,” he said, “and all we’re talking about is death and killing.”

Sensing an opportunity, Rodriquez told his story--how, after years of working informally with high-risk youths, his son had been killed by Pacoima gang members.

He said he had prayed to God for guidance and determined that the tragic death could be a seed planted for peace.

“We’ve got something precious right now,” he declared at the meeting. “It’s worth more than diamonds! It’s worth more than money!”

Then, overcome by emotion, Rodriquez cried. And the gang members applauded. Later, Rodriquez gathered the gang members into the center of the basketball court and asked them to hold hands as he prayed.

“This afternoon, as we stand with our heads bowed and just realize that something special is happening, Lord, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”