WITNESS
Daniel "Nane" Alejandrez is the Founder and Executive Director of the National Coalition of Barrios Unidos, acknowledged as one of the nation's most impressive grassroots organizations addressing issues of youth, violence, and gangs. A primary focus of the Barrios Unidos peace movement has been to build community-based structures that support social cohesion by restoring the cultural traditions that have historically bound families and communities together.
Mr. Alejandrez is a veteran activist in California's Latino communities, struggling to stop what he calls "the madness that destroys our youth." He is actively involved in decreasing the incarceration and recidivism rates of youth, adults, and those at risk of the penal code system, by providing alternatives within the institutions and communities. Mr. Alejandrez has served as Co-Chair of the Urban Peace Summit in Kansas City.
Mr. Alejandrez has been recognized for his inspiring efforts and is the recipient of numerous awards including the National Fellowship of Reconciliation Martin Luther King Jr. Award, the Sankofa Lifetime Achievement Award, and a fellowship for the California Wellness Foundation. Barrios Unidos has received the Leteher-Moffitt Memorial Human Rights Award from the Institute for Policy Studies.
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STATEMENT
To address the topics of gangs and why prisoners join gangs is not an easy task. In almost thirty years of organizing in different barrios and institutions, I am still searching for answers to these questions.…
I think some causes for individuals to join a Prison Gang is when they initially come into the system, it's primarily with fear. They don't know what to expect; they've never been locked up before. Some are already in neighborhood gangs before prison. Some have been born into it. Some individuals join because they want to be part of an elite inner circle at all costs. Prison gangs are highly organized, with sophisticated rules and regulations. They have their own laws, oaths, and constitutions. The gang not only provides protection; it becomes a way of life, driven by strong ideological convictions. Others join because they are placed in those positions to join, based on where they came from and whom they associate themselves with. Prison Gang members may also select some individuals when they demonstrate a sense of promise or value.
"When I first went to Pelican Bay," says Willie, "you're like so fascinated by 'Oh, here's all these guys you've always heard about, all these guys who run everything.' You're just fascinated with it all. And you hear the way they talk, Aztec language, just all this knowledge and philosophy from reading all this stuff. 'Oh, I want to be like that, I want to be smart and educated like he sounds.' Unfortunately, some that join never make it out. Others realize this is not what they really wanted."
Excerpted from a written statement submitted to the Commission
Download the complete written statement
Note: Some witnesses submitted documents in addition to the written statement they prepared for the hearing. In most cases, those documents are not available on the Commission's web site.
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