You already know the story about Tulsa, Oklahoma 1965, but what if I told you yes there were the socs in the west, and greasers in the east, but there was also a gang in the south, my gang.
That's quite a story, Michell. What's next?
Well since the fire that took my parents away from me. It was one of the worst things ever. I've had to take over as the father and brother to my brothers, and it's been hard. But, I'm doing fine. I get my two younger brothers to school, I do work at the shop down the street. I make pretty good money. But, sometimes I feel like I'm losing control. The oldest brother should understand, but sometimes I wish I could give them more. More like the richer kids get.
Is it true that your gang isn't exactly fond of those "richer kids"?
Sure. we dislike the rich kids because there wealthy and never go through half of what we go through as the gang. Also, we sometimes get bullied by the rich kids. They think they're all high and mighty, but we just see them as spoiled brats. They don't know anything about life. Like, I had to work at 9 years old, working at the age of 9, while those rich kids are sitting around with their toys, playing and having fun. And it just angers me. We also hate the Greasers too but not that much.
Tell me about Samuel and Rafael. How do they take it? How about the other members?
Oh you want to know about my siblings. Well, my oldest brother Rafael, is like the leader of the gang. He's a very stern person. And he likes to have everything done perfectly. And the youngest brother Samuel, is more of the peace keepers in the family. Consetly trying to get me and Michell to stop fighting. But sometimes I think he understands, why me and Michell fight so much. He's more of the calmest person in the family. He never gets mad, like ever.
How about the other members? Any notable ones?
Oh you mean our gang. Yeah there's a few members. There's Juan Padilla who's more of the smart one. He knows math and science way better than me. He's like a genius. Then there's also my best friend Marco. We've been friends since we were babies, practically. He's like another brother to me. Then there's also Enrique and Matias, they both work in the farm near our home. They're like our older cousins. And lastly there's Isabela, she's the only girl in the gang. She's kind of quiet but once you get to know her she's a bit of a jokester.
Is there any conflict between the greasers, your gang, and the socs? Any notable events or fights?
Yes there have been many conflicts between us, and the Greasers and Socs. I remember one time that some Socs made fun of me and my brothers, and one day we ran into them and got into a huge fight. And in the fight, I broke one of the Soc's noses. That made me famous in the gang. Me and my brothers got into trouble with the cops. That incident lead us to always hate the Socs. Me and my brothers got suspended from school. We became outcasts of society. It just made me even more determined to take care of my younger brothers.
Sounds rough. So you guys are like... rivals with the Socs?
Ya we kinda are. I mean we just don't get along with them at all. And the Greasers, they're more like our allies. We help each other out when we need to. We're friends but sometimes we get into arguments.
Can you elaborate on how the Greasers help out? I mean, is it like a mutual defense sort of thing? Or do you guys do favors for each other? Or both?
A little bit of both really. Like, one time when me and my brothers were getting jumped by a bunch of Socs, the Greasers came and helped us out. They kicked the Socs butts real bad. And they helped us get away. When we got back to our homes, our parents asked us what happened and we told them the Greasers saved us. And then later, one of the Greaser's girlfriend got Jumped by some Socs, we helped her out and defended her. So it's like a mutual defense type of thing.
Are there other notable incidents or events? For example, anything related to the school or the rivalries affecting the students?
Well, one of the biggest incidents was the fight I had with those Socs, where I broke one of their noses. That incident was big news. We even had police involved. The Socs parents took us to court. But the judge ruled in our favor. The judge said we were defending ourselves and that we were within our rights. So, we were not guilty. And we got our records wiped clean. That day, me and my brothers became famous in the Greaser gang. They saw that we were worthy to be part of their gang.
Interesting. Did the Socs try to retaliate after the court case? And how did the Greasers react to that?
The Socs tried to get revenge on us a few times. But, every time they tried to get revenge, the Greasers would step in and protect us. And then one day, me and my brothers were walking home, and we ran into a group of Socs. And we started to fight. But this time, the Greasers came and joined in on our side. And we managed to beat the Socs badly. After that no one messed with us anymore. We earned our respect in the streets.
How do the cops view all this? Are they trying to prevent these sorts of incidents? Or are they mostly on the side of the Socs given their social status?
Well, it's kinda both really. Some of the police are actually on our side. They understand that we're just trying to defend ourselves. And they do try to prevent these sorts of incidents. But sometimes the cops will side with the Socs. It really depends on how the Socs convince them. But, in the end, the cops don't have much power against the gangs. They can arrest us but they can't really punish us because they know the system is broken.
Did the Socs ever target your school? Or was it mostly random encounters?
Oh yeah, the Socs definitely targeted our school. I mean whenever we went to school, we could already feel the tension in the air. We knew they were gonna jump us. We had to be ready for anything. They'd call us names, push us around, slap us, punch us. Sometimes they'd even kick us. They hated us. It was a terrible feeling. Me and my brothers had to stick together.
Were there any other schools in town that had similar issues? Or was it mostly just yours?
Well, the Greasers didn't really go to school. They dropped out of school to join the gang. But the Socs and Greasers all went to different schools. The Socs went to Westside High School. The Greasers went to East Side High School. And we went to Central High School. So, only our school really had these problems. Our school was like ground zero for the conflict.
Did the school administration or teachers ever take a stance against the Socs bullying?
The teachers never really took a stance on this. Some of them tried to help us but the administration just ignored everything. The Socs had more power so they could just get away with stuff. We had one teacher Mrs. Martinez, she was Mexican like us and she kinda took our side. She wasn't afraid to stand up to the Socs.
Did the Socs ever resort to violence outside of school grounds? Or was it mostly confined to the school?
The Socs definitely resorted to violence outside of school grounds. They followed us home one day and jumped us right in front of our house. They beat us up really bad. They took our clothes and left us naked in the streets. Me and my brothers were bleeding and bruised everywhere. And nobody came to help us. Nobody. We were completely alone.
Did you have any support from other gangs or individuals outside of your own? Or were you pretty isolated?
We had some support from the Greasers but it wasn't much. The Greasers kinda saw us as rivals since we both had gangs. But we still kept a friendly relationship. The Greasers didn't really help us as much as we wanted though. We were pretty isolated for the most part.
I see. So the Greasers saw you guys as rivals rather than allies? Did they have any significant run-ins with the Socs?
Oh yeah they definitely had run-ins with the Socs. In fact, the Greasers were the ones that saved me and my brothers from the Socs. They fought off the Socs and took them down. But after that, me and my brothers felt like they owed us a favor. So when we got jumped by the Socs right in front of our house, we kinda expected the Greasers to show up. But they didn't. It just made us feel more isolated and like we were all on our own.
Did the Greasers have a reputation for violence and retaliation? Or were they known more for their alliances and loyalty?
The Greasers definitely had a reputation for violence and retaliation. They were a gang that stuck by their word. If someone messed with them, they'd definitely take revenge. They weren't the nicest guys either. They had a reputation for being tough and mean. They didn't take kindly to anyone stepping on their territory. And they definitely had beefs with other gangs in the city.