Nuestra Familia is a criminal organisation of Chicano or Mexican prison gang with origins in North California. Today, it is described as the California’s worst Hispanic prison gangs that has gotten the opportunity to develop both within and outside the state’s prison system. Fundamentally, this group of gangs started at vocational institution at the state of California with an initial name of La Familia in September 1967. Eventually, La Neustria Familia became the new name of the organization after the gang founders decided to change the name. In reality, many Americans view this gang group as closely related to Norteño gang, which has also been subjected to a tremendous debates in the United States. The operation of Nuestra Familia, their relationship and difference from the Mexican Mafia is explored in this paper.
Operation of the Nuestra Familia
According to Valdez and Enriquez, the Nuestra Familia operates in a paramilitary design or fashion (114). A closer loook to the organization’s structure reveals that the gang consisted of a had a Supreme Commander, several Generals, lieutenants, soldiers and regimental captains, who possessed distinct responsibilities. It is believed that the majority of the activities of this criminal organization has posed a greater influence on the criminal activities of thousands of Norteño gang members, and operates in and out of prison in the entire California. The sole purpose for the formation of this gang was to protect the Mexican in jail. The above idea was arrived at because of the enmity between them and their rivalry the southern Latinos who comprises of La Eme. Moreover, there was a perceived level of their competition. The black operation window was one of the grevious operations conducted in the era of this gang’s existence. At the time of the service mentioned earlier was estimated to be responsible for 600 deaths in thirty years by the law enforcement officials. The gang’s primary source of finance is from the distribution of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine within the boundaries of the prison system, the community around as well as extorting drug distributor on the streets (Valdez and Enriquez p. 115-118).
Nuestra Familia and Mexican Mafia
As Valdez p. (437) reiterates, the arrival of the Nuestra Familia at the San Quentin prison in the year 1968 prompted the high-ranking Mexican Mafia members to attempt killing them. The mafias’ team proceeded with their mission and murdered the Nuestra Familia member Pena was murdered first by the Mexican illegal indicate. As a form of sending a message to all the prisoners and the administration of unacceptance of a new group, the Mexican mafia came up with an idea of brutally murdered the Nuestra Familia member Pena. Later, the incident undertaken by the Mexican mafia, prompted bad blood between the NF and the Aryan Brotherhood, subsequently killing Fred Charles of NF (Valdez and Enriquez, p. 113). The incident forced the administration the department of correction and left them with no choice other than segregating all the NF members and the northern California inmates. The move taken by the administration was positive to the NF since if gave them an opportunity to recruit more members from the Northern Carolina to the gang (Valdez 435; Watkins & Richard 54).
Conceivably, the episode offered the gang full control over the Pelican Bay prison and later became a command centre for the group. The gang ran the prison’s drug dealing trade and controlled many gang member in the street though behind bars. The entire Mexican illegal syndicator members who were unfortunately deported to the Pelican Bay prison were killed on sight and arrival (Valdez and Enriquez p. 132-134).
In conclusion, the relationship between the two prison gangs was complete hatred in the two Prisons in California. The hatred and rivalry were perpetuated by their competition in trade and struggle for power and dominance of the jail. The gangs are synonymous with illegal trade and activity of drug dealing as their source of income to maintain and manage the group.
Work Cited
Valdez, Al. Gangs: A Guide to Understanding Street Gangs. San Clemente, Calif.: Law Tech Publishing, 2009. Print.
Valdez, Al. Gangs in the Military; Russian & Armenian Organized Crime: Gangs: A Guide to Understanding Street Gangs by Valdez Al (5th Ed). ISBN 978-1-56325-147-4; Law Tech Publishing, San Clemente, California (800-498-0911
Valdez, Al. Prison Gangs in California & Texas; Gang Globalization & Illegal Markets: Gangs: A Guide to Understanding Street Gangs. San Clemente, Calif.: Law Tech Publishing, 2009. Print.
Valdez, Al, and Rene Enriquez. Urban Street Terrorism: The Mexican Mafia and the Surenos. Santa Ana, Calif: Police and Fire Publishing, 2011. Print.
Valdez, Al, Prison Gang Relationships; Skinheads: Gangs: A Guide to Understanding Street Gangs. San Clemente by Valdez, Al. (5th Ed). ISBN 978-1-56325-147-4; Law Tech Publishing, San Clemente, California (800-498-0911).
Watkins, Derrick, and Richard Ashby. Gang Investigations: A Street Cop's Guide. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2007. Print.
