I can’t decide if it’s the awesome tats or the baggy duds…still stylish a decade later, apparently!

It’s always First Class to get an article written about you on the front page of the Times, and this time it’s the Avenues gang that hit the jackpot. I imagine gangs all over the city are envious, and wondering how they, too, can get such reportage and press. Don’t hesitate to read it: it’s family-ready, and really very forward-thinking!

The title of the article sets the tone:

A gang’s staying power

There’s a positive spin for you! Here are some of the other highlighted phrases that tell me the Times is in love:

• [the Avenues gang] continues to defy the forces of law
• The young men who rule Drew Street have survived countless convictions, injunctions, evictions and deportations.
• Police have tried to crush them for years, but for all the law enforcement rained upon the shabby two blocks of wrought-iron fences and stucco apartments, homeboys still command the street…
• …the notorious Avenues gang … has tenaciously retained control over a wide swath of Northeast L.A., defying both the forces of gentrification and heavy crackdowns by police
• The insignia tattooed on many members’ bodies speaks to their virulent history: a skull with a bullet hole, wearing a fedora. (how very colorful!)
• …resilience through the decades
• …one of the most powerful gangs in the city
• …shared history breeds loyalty. Several residents interviewed Friday said they supported the Avenues. “I’ve been here 25 years and they’ve never disrespected me,” said Modesta Hernandez. “On the contrary, they protect us. They help us.” They depicted the police as hostile and corrupt, and several said the shooting of Daniel Leon was unprovoked, although one neighbor said he clearly saw Leon raise the assault weapon at the officers.

The reporters, Joe Mozingo, Sam Quinones, and Richard Winton, don’t have their heads in the sky however. Their affection for the gang is tempered by some cold ugly facts, and they admit there are some negatives with this gang. (For instance, on Feb 23 they killed 2 people and shut down the whole area for hours. That wasn’t very nice.) The reporters also used these descriptions:

• virulent history
• wreaked havoc
• illegal
• And in 2006, the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles won hate-crime convictions against five members for a murderous campaign to force African Americans out of their turf.

So let’s compare the negatives and positives: the love shines through. You’re busted, guys!