Can't Be Broken
Can't Be Broken
From Gang Life to Change Maker: The Real American Cholo
Ever wonder what could possibly drive a person down a path of gang involvement? You'll hear firsthand from our guest, a former North Hollywood gang member who has turned his life around and has been using his experiences to inspire a younger generation. Our conversation traverses his early experiences in a tough neighborhood, the allure of gangs, and how he broke free to become a voice for the marginalized and misunderstood through his podcast, 'The Real American Cholo.'
We'll also dig into his harrowing account of a false arrest in 1998 - a sobering look at police and societal bias. He shares how he harnessed the power of social media as a platform for activism, turning his personal struggle into a broader message. Our dialogue doesn't stop at his personal journey - we journey through the terrain of politics, leadership, the opioid crisis in California, the impact of COVID relief checks, and the damaging effects of smear campaigns.
In the closing chapters of our conversation, we reflect upon the importance of peaceful coexistence, of understanding and respecting boundaries. His transformation from a gang member to a family man, a force of positive change, carries an inspirational message for all our listeners. So tune in, and hear a story of resilience, redemption, and the power of transformation.
Well, get back to sleep now, man. I am your host, seamonster. I'm here with a good friend. I grew up with this guy here in the hood in North Hollywood and it's an amazing story that he's going to bring to you in a little bit. He how his life has changed in so many different ways to a positive way and he's giving back to the community. I'm here with my friend, gil, who has a podcast show. He's a podcaster, he's a community activist, the neighborhood you're part of the neighborhood council, yes, sir, and from North Hollywood and your next gang member, and your podcast is called the Real American Cholo. You probably have heard of him, I'm sure you have. I know I have. I know a lot of people. You have a lot of followers. Welcome to the show, brother.
Speaker 2:Appreciate it. Thank you, brother. Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, you're a busy man and I know you are, because you do a lot of things from the community and whatnot. But let's go back a little bit of how we grew up in North.
Speaker 2:Hollywood, absolutely, let's do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and tell a little bit of the audience of where you grew up and how you got into gangs and how that all worked out.
Speaker 2:a little bit. Yeah, and I grew up in North Hollywood. I actually came from Honduras in 1981 and grew up right there, off of Lord. I mean, yeah, moved right there first into Lord Canyon and where was that? Lord Canyon in Oxnard by 80. That area wasn't too bad at that time. But then by 84, my mom, my brother and my grandmother, we moved over to Willowcrest yes, willowcrest, close to where your house is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right there, right there in the alleys, right across the field, right there and there what you saw was a lot of the guys from Clanton, my neighborhood that I was from, or used to bang from the Hollywood boys. That was just beginning of that time and when I was in elementary school and that's where an Oxnard Street school, that's what you saw out there in the streets. You saw the guys. You know, the cool guys back then were the gang members. They had the girls, they had the nice cars. It wasn't like today where you see a lot of gang members and, unfortunately, you think, almost like drug addicts and intense. Back then it really was a style. You had nice clothes, maybe not the most expensive clothes in the world, but you had the guys who were creased up, the shirts were looking sharp, the cars were looking sharp.
Speaker 2:When, let's say, a family that has money and lives in Beverly Hills, or doesn't even have to be Beverly Hills, it could be Sherman Oaks, upper middle class or whatnot. They see, you know some of them, maybe they're older siblings or older uncles, and you know some are going to college, some maybe sports, like you were playing ball. Some of their uncles and aunts are doctors and lawyers, and ours it was and ours was. You know, people come out of prison. That's what we were looking up to and that's what a lot of the young guys were looking up to. So, therefore, we, as young men and women, that's what we wanted to be. We thought that that's what made you a man or a woman. You had to go through that trial and tribulation.
Speaker 2:That passage, that passage yeah, that's an unfortunate part of, like the Chicano community man that is, and still to this day it's still somewhat of a passage. It's kind of going away from that, which is a good thing, but it definitely was a passage to sit there and say, all right, man, you got to be part of the barrio, you going to go to prison or you're going to go to jail. This is just normal life. So some people that have never been in it, they have no clue, they think that sometimes it's just dumb guys doing dumb stuff. But it's not that. Like I said, we can swap out two people, one from an upper middle class community, one from the hood. Swap them out as babies and guess what? They're going to be a good chunk of their environment.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I think gangs, if we go back into history a little bit, it was evolved from protection yes, absolutely Right. So like people were coming in from other races and they were dominating and raping or doing whatever they were doing extorting, extorting. And so they're like hey, let's build the community to protect ourselves Absolutely. And so it led into different things and different styles as it grew.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and there was gangs in just about every race man. The Jewish people had gangs and Italians had gang, irish had gangs and it was a lot. A lot of it had to do with the you know, just the racism in America, you know, and everybody had their turn at the bottom of the barrel and that's what they did. They started organizing and, you know, becoming the tough guys. Unfortunately, a lot of times in history you can see in the gang world where they become the tough guy within, to protect, I guess, but eventually they become the guy being the predator and taking advantage of the community. And that's what eventually happened in the street gangs. Yeah, it became.
Speaker 2:Where we're not like. People will sit there and try to tell me oh, like, maybe young people, oh no, the waters were protecting. I'm like homie, I've been from the hood for 30 years. I'm going to tell you we weren't protecting nothing. The only thing I mean we were protecting our hood as a gang. But as far as the community, no man, I was out there on the stoop of the apartments at two in the morning bumping some music.
Speaker 1:This is on a.
Speaker 2:Wednesday, Thursday night.
Speaker 1:People got to go to work.
Speaker 2:I remember that Kids got to go to school, yeah kids got to go to school, but we're terrorizing the community. You're not going to come out here and tell me to stay quiet. And now that I'm at this age and I have grandkids, I have grown kids, I'm a homeowner and I think, damn dude, how scowling is this. How would I feel, and I tell my wife, how would we feel, if we had 20 guys sitting outside our house bumping music and you can't tell them anything? And that's what we were doing to our communities?
Speaker 1:We were destroying them.
Speaker 2:But it was something that was still fairly new. I joined my hood in 89. How old were you? I was 14 years old, 14. I was 14 years old. Were you really quick, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:Were you? Were you pressured as something that you looked up to them, or how did that all come?
Speaker 2:to you? No, no, not at all. It was like I really had no mentor, no guidance, right. Whereas you and some of our other friends were in junior high. You guys were sports guys. Your parents were pushing you into sports and that's a great thing to keep kids out of gang, because it gave you a purpose. You, as a teenager, you're out there trying to get good grades. Because, why? Because mom and dad or whoever is raising you and tell you, no, you're not going to play sports if you don't have the grades. I didn't have that. My mom was slaying dope at that time when I was in junior high. My mom's slaying dope, she's hustling, she's providing a roof for my head. I never went like I'm starving or needed something, but I didn't have any kind of guidance. I didn't have any kind of rules. It was like when my mom first first found out that I was in a gang.
Speaker 2:Now go back to your question. I just want to tell you this one before I forget. I got into a gang in junior high and in Walter Reed. Then I got kicked out and I went to Madison and then in Madison I was getting suspended as well for fights. The first fight I got into.
Speaker 2:The principal finally tells my mom, brings her in and he tells her hey, you do know your son's in a gang, right, and I might. When I heard that in my heart it's beating, I'm like, oh, dude, she's going to get into me right now. She's going to start talking shit. She just looked at me, said nothing so far and she said, no, I didn't, but now I do. Okay, good, I'm going to get out. And she said I'll take care of it. The principal was like okay, we go outside. There's probably like 20 of the homies out there the older homies from high school are coming down because we're having beef with some other hood and they're like what's up, I'm going to stop it. I'm so kind of scared. I'm here with my mom, right, I'm here with my mom. I stepped out. They're both no dope dealers. I get in the backseat of the car. We start driving off.
Speaker 2:This was the whole conversation I ever had about being in a gang with my mom, right, she? I remember Vivly. She's in the passenger seat. She turns back, she looks at me. She said are you in a gang? I said yes. She looked at me. She said good, you got back up, look forward. We never talked about it again. No, fucking shit, that was my life. I mean, what the fuck that was my life? I was, and I believe truly now as a as a older guy, right, I believe that I was searching for help, that I needed, that I needed my mom to tell me hey, now you're doing wrong. Hey, no, I love you. Hey, you know, like like a kid looking for, for some kind of guidance and nah, I mean, that's all I got.
Speaker 1:You didn't play sports. I remember you were good in some shit when we were playing middle school. I played these in like baseball football football, that's right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, more football. The baseball I always had a hard time trying to catch the five balls because nobody ever taught me. You know, if you've never really played it it's kind of hard. Now I can play a little bit, but no, you guys were straight balling, you guys were doing your thing. Do you remember also, brother Adam?
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely Well yeah, well, yeah, so you know my dad would keep us out of the streets and put us in baseball and we'd be on two, three teams St Patrick's Parochial League and so we would give rides to Edel. He was my age, so I was older, my brother's age and whatnot, and for a long time a lot of the kids in the neighborhood that were in gangs. You know they loved our family because you give them an outlet where their parents weren't doing that. And that's unfortunate, man, that's hard to hear. Do you think that? Obviously that was a big factor, but what other factors do you believe go into why people possibly, in your opinion, join a gang?
Speaker 2:Oh, to me I think I've got it pretty figured out, like how you were saying did you get pressured into it or anything. No, we're, we're. I can speak for young men and for men, right. I can't speak exactly for women, but I'm sure it's kind of the same thing. We are all looking for a purpose. We are all looking to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Great word, yep. That's exactly why sports is so huge because, whether you're on the field or not, people love baseball, people love football, people love being part of putting that jersey on on that football Sunday and be like I'm a Raiders, I'm a Rams and talking shit to other people. It makes you part of a certain community. Just like, just like. Sports is right.
Speaker 2:So when you have a young man like myself and you know mine stories, just you know a duplicate story of many others who whether my mom was slacking dope, other people's moms were just working, a lot of dads aren't around. There's no real mentor or guidance. You're not into sports, you may not be the most athletic, you don't really have anything that you can call your own. And then when you see all these guys that are claiming something and everybody's looking at them like dude, these are the guys. Man, look at these guys. Nobody mess with these guys. These guys from here. These guys are dressing. You see them get into fights. Then the girls are looking at it. It's like everybody's into it and they're saying, wow, wow. So you got a young man looking at this and say wait a minute, I want to be part of that man. This is because all you see is an affiliation to something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's. Yeah, all you see from the beginning is all the cool stuff or what you think. You think it's all you know. You're young, I mean you don't know what life is about yet right now, and the older people don't know. You know, even though they're 20 years, 30 years ahead of you. They do know, but you're just so young and foolish that you think you're not going to tell me what's going on out here.
Speaker 2:So then imagine, you know last week, I'm just a lonely kid, or a kid that really has no self-esteem, doesn't really, you know, feel like he's going to become anything in life. He's been hearing pretty much since he was in elementary school. He's a loser from either his teachers or whoever he's running around, which that's what I used to hear from a lot of teachers. You know, I was, I had no guidance, so there's no direction. There's no direction. So one week ago, let's say I'm just this guy, I get jumped to the hood. Now I'm so so from the hood man Now it was that that's so so from this neighborhood. This has now made you part of a collective and not your part of collective. You feel a little good, or you feel pride Now I got. I got something to fight for.
Speaker 1:Almost like your mom when she said good, they have your back. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. That's exactly what it was, you know, because she kind of knew that she didn't have your back at one point she was doing, she was serving financial thing, but she wasn't serving you as a parent.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we've talked about it now. I'm very cool, mom. I love my mom. My mom made me into the, into the person that I am. I'm a mirror image of her, and how she was and how she acted and all that she was taking the role of a man and a woman. She was always telling me you're not going to be weak, you're going to be strong, you're going to be this, you're going to be that, and I mean she regrets some of the stuff I'm saying. Mom, you brought me here from a third world country man. You did above and beyond what most people would do. So I think that's one of the main reasons. Is there? Is there a? Is there always like a? Other reasons? Yeah, there's always exception to the rule, but for the most part, that's what it is.
Speaker 2:It's a lot has to do with education, with with poverty and the cycle. And back then and this is the good part that's changed about then and now, back then you had guys my age coming out of jail, prison, even guys in their thirties I'm 48 now, right, but back then the older homies will come out of prison and just glamorize the hell out of it. Oh home, you got to go to the penthouse, you got to go to wine, you got to do this. You got another word they earn your bones. Yeah, you got to earn your bones and they would. They would make it seem how a, how an educated family would make Harvard seem. How would they make you know a, a prestige college man.
Speaker 2:This bottom, just came out the joint and we're like, oh shit, man. No, you know, you think that's where it's at. But now this generation is coming out, now they've gone through that whole ride and now they came out the right, they're like, hey man, that's all bull. That's all bull, brother. We don't want to do this and that's why I speak the way I do about the life.
Speaker 1:But unfortunately you have to. You almost kind of believe it before then you have to go and you do it and you come out realizing it's bull. It's like a fucking fake magic tree, like oh fuck, I thought they really disappeared but they didn't. It was a trick. And it's like, unfortunately you have to go there to the meantime, put in that, to realize it was bullshit and you've almost fucked up your life, not in a sense of that, but like you have a record now and it's harder to to get a job or do other things because of that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, some, some young people got to go through the connet to to know what it is. But nowadays you know social media definitely has it's it's it's bad stuff. But the good part is that with social media now you're seeing a lot of these older guys speaking the way I do and talking about this kind of stuff. When I first started doing it on YouTube it was taboo, homie, I did it.
Speaker 1:I started like five years ago, right.
Speaker 2:It was taboo.
Speaker 1:You would never see a cholo speaking about the way I'm speaking about it and I never disrespected it Because you think it's the hood or some of the other gang members like fuck that, almost like you're a traitor or why. Why are you saying that you were where?
Speaker 2:you were Right. So a young person will probably think that he's a punk. He's a this, somebody who's been through them. Wars have been through them, gang fights have been through them, shootings they know not. This was telling the truth. I mean, he's got the bosses to sit there and say what it is. They know future at home, just like fucking what's the name stand in colors. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:There ain't no future in the home, and it's the truth and real gangster guys.
Speaker 2:They know that, homie. I always say this to anybody who tries to oh well, this was okay. Is this a war? That you would want to send your kids to any hood, whatever hood? You from my question to anybody who says, nah, I don't mean, you're talking Okay, would you want to send your kids to that war? Would you want your kids to be from the hood and do the same nine times at a time? They say hell, no, because they know it's, they know it's not true, they know it's a fake war. It's a, it's something where we're fighting each other out here in the streets and then we go to the county jail and we get along. Yeah, I can literally have one of my homies get killed by one of these guys and then I'm in the county jail. I'm sitting right next to this guy.
Speaker 1:I'm like nothing.
Speaker 2:What does that tell you? It tells you it's not. It's not a real war homie, it's something that some a couple guys from different neighborhoods, 30, 40 years ago got into a fight over. Some female started fighting each other. 20, 10 years down the line, they're killing one another. You asked most of the hoods nowadays hey, why are you guys beefing? They don't know. They just they just know that's. I'm from the hood. Now this is my enemy. And these are all fights from way back when that were actually probably petty fights that have turned now into straight murder after murder, after murder.
Speaker 2:And so we as a community, especially older homies, we got to send a message down to younger guys. And those younger guys are sending out to young guys because me, the age I am, I'm not going to, I'm not going to be. People say you don't speak to the little kids. Little kids don't want to listen to me. I mean they're not going to listen to me. I can, I can try, I'm sure some will, but the majority don't. Majority will, like a 15 year old is going to listen to more like an 18, 19 year old, right. So the way I think about it is listen. I'm 40 something. Let me try to spend my message down to 30 something, that 30 something, or send out the 20 something. That 20 something is another teenager. That's it's. That is just.
Speaker 2:You know how the hierarchy works to get that communication down and make it where it's not taboo to talk against gangs. When I talk against gangs, I'm not talking against the people and I'm just talking about that life. And I say this, and people have gotten very friendly this when I say gangs are low level, homie, and they're like oh, how are you going to talk? I said no, no, I didn't say the people in the gangs are low level. The gang itself, the whole lifestyle, is low level.
Speaker 2:The rest of the world is looking down and saying what are these guys doing? How many? These guys are fighting for blocks that don't belong in. These guys are fighting for streets that don't. And that's the same thing here and over and over. And the younger guy will say you don't know. Well, I take. I say this the young guys, where's all your older homies at? Do you see them out there on the block? Do you see them out there? No, because they all figured out it's a waste of time. If they are the block, most likely they're on drugs and they're stuck there, but you don't see no 30, 40 year old guys kicking on the block anymore, because it's not a real war.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what are? What are some of the myths that you know? Outside people look at gangs that you, from being in a gang, are different and you're like, oh dude, all these people that don't know what it is to be in a gang. They always say that, hey, you got to get jumped in for eight seconds or whatever. What are some myths that you can bust from?
Speaker 2:people that don't know what the fuck is to. One of the bigger myths that I hear a lot of time is almost like blood in, blood out. Now, that may be true for some prison type stuff, but on a local street level, as far as a gang member you can get in and you could eventually just kind of walk away, unless you actually lived it right in the heart of your hood, which most guys really don't even live in their neighborhood I mean mostly don't. Back in the days, yeah, every. But nowadays, and especially like in the Los Angeles, they're already priced out. Most people can't even afford to buy a, rent an apartment in their own hoods.
Speaker 2:So I think it's the myth of you can never get out. They're going to kill you. The only way that's going to happen is if they say you get into the hood and then maybe like a week later you claim Mr Gangster, and then you just stop but all ofa sudden you're hanging around with a rival neighborhood, something like that. Yeah, but as far as getting out the hood, if you've been in the hood for a couple of years, man, and you want to sit there and actually get your life straight, most people are not going to sit there and really worry about you, because the hood's going to be there. The hood's there before you, the hood will be there after you. The hood will be there in 10 years. The hood ain't worried about just one person.
Speaker 2:So the thing about getting out and getting your life straight, no, I want to say most homies like especially like once you hit your 20s and all that no, they want to see you get your life straight. They don't want to see you just fucking ruin your life. And unless you're just like a complete punk, I mean like you got in and everyone knows you're just a straight punk and yeah, you might get your ass kicked, but you don't really hear about people getting killed because, oh, he wants to get out the hood, especially out here, not as much.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember having this I wouldn't say a myth, but a belief that gang members were fucking vicious and hardcore and had no heart, kind of deal, right Right. But I'll give you a first person experience. I remember I was a Walter Reed and I played baseball my whole life, you know that, and that was my vehicle to get to college and a better life and all that stuff. But I remember I don't know why, but I was going to get in a fight with some black guys that they wanted to throw down and we would go out of Walter Reed to that tunnel. Remember, and some of the homies that I grew up there in the hood that respected, saying, hey, man, you family's good, you know, play baseball, keep doing it, you're not one of us, right? So the myth was so, anyways, at the end of the fucking, the school, by the time I got out of the fight, they already fucked them up. They fucking fought them for me. They're like you're not going to get in trouble, you're, you're representing us the road and we year better than that.
Speaker 1:And the myth was that, oh, they don't care, but they do. They understood at that age, at middle school, and the people that I was hanging around with. They understood that that wasn't, that was them, that wasn't me, right, and they looked out for me, bro, they had heart. You know a lot of heart too for that. Some of them you know what I'm saying, right? Yeah, some of them maybe a your fucking chivalra or whatever, but most of my homies that I went there, they took care of business and I'm like what the fuck now, why'd you do that? And they're like, nah, you ain't doing this shit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I, I not even think I know that a lot of us that were like joining gangs back then, we kind of knew what we're doing, we kind of knew that we're screwing up, we knew that wasn't right. But, like I said, we had no nothing else and that was the same. That was the same thing with Oscar, you know, with Oscar he was a friend of ours back then, you know, and I know he still talked to him here and there the day I got jumped in. The next day Oscar comes, hey, man, should I get jumped in? And I said and my exact words to him, you can ask him I said do I already? I already ruined my life, don't ruin yours. Those were my exact words to him. But if I was some kind of punk guy, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, get jumped in. Like misery loves company. But I never. I can honestly say I don't know. I never jumped anybody in.
Speaker 1:I never jumped anybody in because I was like, nah, man, I I know and does jumping in just for the people of listeners like jumping in, meaning you voucher somebody, hey, I'm bringing them in, or actually jumping him in as well? There's two separate things.
Speaker 2:Oh you can vouch for somebody that's kicking it with you. But but as far as, like, when I say jumping in is actually like putting hands on it, putting them on the hood, right, I've seen guys get jumped Nah, I was like I'm good, I kind of, I think I kind of felt, even at a young age, like I don't want to be responsible for that. I already know where I'm heading and I knew it. I mean, my, my, my mentality was really I don't care about myself.
Speaker 2:You know, I think a lot of gang members, whether they want to win or not, they have very low self esteem. They have very low self esteem Because if you're willing to lose your life for a block, for a name, for a street, if you're really willing to lose your life, that means your life is not worth much to you. You know, and that's why people sit, we'll sit there and think that you know, gang members are hardest and stuff. But it's not that, it's just a lot of low self esteem. And they're young, they're foolish and, and you know they, they need some type of guidance and mentor, just like all of us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do you think that now that you're older, right, have gone through all these experiences and come out, do you think that a bit part of like guilt of things that you've done throughout being tonsil has changed you to now talk about? Hey, don't do what I did Like, and I'll give you an example. When my dad passed away, I don't think it was guilt, it was more of like fuck, I don't have him in here anymore. I wish I did, and I had lost time to show him who I was, the best version that I was a good kid and the best kid that he raised. And I think he obviously he knew that right, but now I've, I've transformed into a better version of myself, right, and so, and so have you. Obviously we'll talk about everything you do now, but what do you think has guided you into the change that you are now and how you got out of gangs and speaking. You know the way you you give back to the community now.
Speaker 2:Uh, I feel I feel responsible to a point. I definitely you know I am one of the guys responsible for keeping the hood going and all that you know, and like many others. But yeah, I feel it's just my responsibility as an older homie to some of these young guys to guide them in the right direction and be that mentor. You know, when I was a young guy I would see the older Vato with the Rocha and the big cloud right on the block. You know he's in his 30s, 40s. I'm a kid, I don't know any better. Uh, I'm thinking, damn, I mean, that's what I want to be. I want to be 30 years old, 40 years on the block on the beach cruiser.
Speaker 2:Now I'm thinking that fool probably had no job. That would probably get out the joint level as mama's house, you know. But that's the young, that's the young me looking at him. Now I am that guy on the block because you still catch me in the hood. But I'm on the block driving the nice truck coming from work. You'll see me in my construction, close up the other, with the homies for a little bit, the new studio we're at in my hood.
Speaker 2:And now you got the younger homies saying, hey, that's the older homie. Yeah, that's the older homie. What's he doing? That's who works construction. That was a neighborhood council, that was got a podcast like that. In other words, I'm trying to give these young guys hope that there is a way you can still be good in the hood, still have respect in the hood, but you don't got to kill nobody. You don't have to slay no dope. The real hustle's out here. I mean that's slaying dope. It's going to last for a year or two. After that you're going to be in jail and all that shit's gone. I mean the real hustle is out here working hard and getting it in. So to me is I'm trying, I'm trying to be a role model to some of these guys in the hood and I think I think we're doing it because you know a lot of young guys they're like oh man, you're very control right, you're the homie right, yeah, homie, and they just trip out.
Speaker 2:It makes them look at the homies a little bit different.
Speaker 1:And you have more of a voice. Now, in today's society, we have more of a voice too, because there's social media, right. There's all these outlets, the podcasting, ig, twitter threads, whatever you might call it, tiktoks and so people can go on different things without actually knowing you from wherever and go Fuck, look at this guy's doing it rather than just where you grew up and you're just affecting those people right in that area. Absolutely, when did you start? When did you start your podcast?
Speaker 2:The actual date was 2019, when the podcast I started doing videos. I want to say October of 2018. Okay, that's when.
Speaker 1:I like YouTube videos, kind of the first YouTube video was October 2018.
Speaker 2:It was just me breaking down pretty much the history of who I am, how I got here. You know the whole raw and you go back to it and it's like it's pretty cool because it's the same message. My message has never changed, has never wavered. It's always the same message. And I'm like you know, my name is Gil I'm you know I'm a stranger from Hollywood boys. You know I gave the whole thing. But in that first video I'm talking about what I'm talking about now. I'm not saying you know what. I want to change this stuff. I want to start doing interviews eventually, like kind of I'm kind of breaking down the whole blueprint of what I want to do and what I'm actually doing now. So it's kind of cool from all that time.
Speaker 1:And then two questions, two part questions, same. One you said you, they called you stranger from North Hollywood. One how did you get that name? And two the second one is how did you get the real American cholo and how did that come about?
Speaker 2:Okay, so that's a good one. So stranger. There is actually the other homie stranger right, johnny right, and that's the homie. I used to actually sleep in that guy's, that guy's a closet, when, when I was living on the streets, the homie spanky boy boy was the one before I started with spooky and blinky, because I blink a lot, right, and then and then and then boy was like nah, for now not kind of so strange and homie. That's why I leave it around because he's kicking out the bigs.
Speaker 1:And after that I wonder they call him stranger. He's never around.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, but he was kicking another, another part of the hood. And then, yeah, they call me a little stranger. But then after, like because I had some homies, hey why? That's because by the time I got out 96, I mean I'm like he was in, he was doing the family thing, but at that time and I was like, nah, homie, I'm not, I'm, I'm putting a strange on this, I'm not putting a little on a little yeah he knows it and I'm like you know what.
Speaker 2:I've been on the hood putting the work out and that's it. So I stick myself that in and that's how I got the name. As far as American cholo, I knew I needed a handle right. Everybody's have a handle right. What was yours?
Speaker 1:Sea monster. Sea monster like my alter ego, bro.
Speaker 2:So I'm, I'm looking, I'm like, okay, I'm telling my wife, I need a name, I need a name and I, I cholo. I knew the cholo has to be in there. I just know that's me right. And I did that with the leader. Now, like conservative, because I am conservative, you know about reput, I'm not Republican. No, I'm the conservative cholo.
Speaker 1:You are, you are, I follow you and you're fucking. You are. I like everything you put out there.
Speaker 2:So I'm definitely a conservative guy, but I'm like no, that's not going to work. And then I'm just thinking that, like American. I was like man that kind of rolls off the tongue pretty good. And I told my wife, because she's the one that at the end kind of said I said, hey baby, what do you think American cholo she's like well you do love America.
Speaker 2:And you are. I said, oh there, it is American cholo and it and it it's. I mean it rolls off the tongue real good and people hear it, it. Just it kind of gets your curiosity what the hell is American cholo? But then when you start seeing like, oh shit, and the reason why I was at the end was, you know, I lived that cholo life to the fullest only for 10 years, you know in and out of YA.
Speaker 2:for six years I heard banging, acting a fool, and for the last, now, 22, 23 years, I've been living the American dream. So I've been living both, both lives. So now, therefore, you got the American cholo, the real American cholo brother.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you said, obviously you did it in and out of CYA and all these different things. Where is the furthest you you went to and how long were you like getting out of prison or county, or my was all California youth authority.
Speaker 2:Did a few months in the county, but my was all California youth authority. Yeah, from 16, well, from 16. And I, I, I paroled the last time when I was 24. So I was one of those guys I went in there for for shooting at some cops and and and for a tool. Saw with the firearms. That was my original charge.
Speaker 1:I remember you since we're middle school. Oh, you went to outside? No, yeah, I remember you since standard elementary and all that you know.
Speaker 2:It's not that I have a bad memory.
Speaker 1:It's just sometimes you just, you live life and you know that's the way we are, but I remember you carrying a strap at a young age and I was like this motherfucker can strap like at that age. You know, maybe high school or some shit. But now you were carrying a gun at a young age, yeah for sure you were fucking Bill. You were like a rock. I see like you live, like if you were lifting 200 pounds you're part were you part of that lifting?
Speaker 2:program. Yeah, yeah With the green shirt. Yeah, they give you the shirts with Mr Sopansi and yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, dude, you had the head shirts, the head shirts, and then you would go like the 100. Strongman or Ironman, ironman.
Speaker 1:Ironman, ironman, ironman, you would go like 100, 150, 200, whatever and you're like yeah, and you'd wear it. Yeah. Yeah, I had that. You're part of that one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was part of that one, that's true, yeah, so I went to, I went, that was my original commit, a commit and offense to the youth authority. Then, after like 91 or two, I got out 93 for a little bit, I believe it was, or 94. And then I got caught up with it. I got caught at Tech Nine when they did another two years for violation, the Stahlapistov. Oh yeah, I was a gunner.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And then and then in 97, they raided my mom's house, not even for me, they raided for her, for Coke, for sales, and they caught me with two more straps right there and they went back in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're lucky dude because some of those things have been enhanced with like gang enhancement stuff and all these different things that happen at certain times. I know.
Speaker 2:I should have gone to prison on the last one. And, believe it or not, I was like, all right, fuck, I'm gonna join now.
Speaker 1:Right, that was a different thing.
Speaker 2:But for whatever reason, they caught me with two straps that were coming out of the apartment. Two straps and a big old, like Ralph's plastic paper bag full of bullets full, because you know you need the bullets right.
Speaker 2:Yeah so they ended up the detectives, aware that the paper were screwed it up they, when they booked me, they booked me with possession of Coke and they booked my brother's ex-wife with the guns. So when we went, they're like, wait a minute. No, they're like, yeah, but you guys booked them on this. But they kind of knew already that I was gonna go to YA and they gave me 27 months and so that was it. But they definitely could have sent me the joint for those two straps right there.
Speaker 2:So I always got this big old tattoo of a kind of angel thing on my back. I've always felt somehow, some way I've had some kind of guardian angel around me because I've been through some crazy shit that, like a lot of homies in the hood, like you know, people see me now and they say, oh, that guy can't be that cholo he doesn't have. You know, they want to see this typical Rochulo Waton. Hey, homie, hey, not a lie. But the homies from my hood, they don't know what it is, homie, if I wasn't the guy that I was, they would have already ran up on me all day long. But homies that know ask is that fool about? Oh, that fool's a fool Like they all know it. So they respect my gangster then, but now they respect me more for what I do for the community.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there was you and some other guy. I don't remember his name right now, offhand I remember. Later on we'll probably talk about it. But those two guys that I was fucking super scared of, I'm like I don't want to be on the wrong side and I think one time we almost fought because I was hanging out with Ziggy or Renee Avalar was around, and then Oscar Dosekin, we're all beefing about something. I'm like no, I don't want to fuck around with Gil over here because you were about it.
Speaker 1:You know there's people that talk about it, there's people that do, and you're a doer. You know what I'm fucking doing? I don't. Let's all stop talking. Let's fucking handle where we came in.
Speaker 2:That was scary.
Speaker 1:You know, as a kid you're scared because I fucking played baseball yeah but I grew up there so I can't be a punk. Yeah, you know what I'm saying, but I got. I didn't want to go to jail or nothing, I just fucking caught up with Shane, yeah and my mentality back then was I don't care if I'm jailed.
Speaker 2:Now you didn't give a fuck. No, I mean the second time I paroled. I'm walking out, I got my box and there's an African-American counselor there right and they're like the hell you going right. I was paroling, he looked like you got paroled, I got paroled. Fool like that. He tells me oh man, you be back. I looked at him and I stopped. I said, yeah, I don't give a fuck. Straight up I told him yeah, I'll be back. I didn't know. Fuck this, yeah, like you ain't phasing me.
Speaker 2:I know like another, yeah, I know I'm going back. And when I came out that time yeah, I came out in 96. I came out with a vengeance brother. I literally came out with the mentality that I'm out here on borrowed time, that's why I came out.
Speaker 2:I'm thinking, all right, I'm trying to do my best. I'm thinking I'm going to join, I'm going to do. But that was them telling me, I'm going to join, I'm going to do life. We think that that's where you made it. I don't know if you've ever seen that. What was that cartoon with the bulls? It was a kid's cartoon that all the bulls thought they wanted to go and Fernandez Fernando or something like that. It was a pretty cool.
Speaker 1:Can't think about it right now.
Speaker 2:It's a pretty cool cartoon movie, right. And all the bulls wanted to go to the big game. They wanted to go to the big stadium and meet the Matador and they thought after that they're going to go to Gloryland. And then the bull ends up running into the house and he looks around the house and all the bull heads are up there, all chopped off. So that's the reality of prison. You think I'm going to go to prison, I'm going to do life. I'm like, nah, you're going to put you in a box. You're going to put you in a box or you're going to eventually rot and die that's the Gloryland and lose more hope.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's it.
Speaker 1:More faith, more possible purpose and shit like that. Yeah, of course. How long have you been doing your podcast? Why did you start it and how's it going? I started it because police brutality, oh yeah man.
Speaker 2:Good, yeah, my house was rated in 2018. My house got rated right. It had nothing to do with me, it had to do with a couple of younger homies, right. And somehow, someway, I got put into the mix. They raided my house.
Speaker 2:It's a Saturday, about 8 in the morning. I'm out on victory by Radford and first of all, I had been seeing the cops around the blocks, right, and I told my wife two days before that. I said, hey, you see the cop sticking on our house and she's like you're tripping dude. Like I said all right, I said every single two blocks, there was a black and white, black and white, black and white. I'm like, nah, dude, they're sticking on, you're just paranoid. I was like all right, so I'm hanging up my Christmas lights. And this is when I tell her right, so it must have been around November, december. And then it's actually it would have been 2017 then. So it took me about six to eight months to shake right.
Speaker 2:So sure enough that next Saturday I'm driving, go hit the right cop pulls me over to young black and white and I'm like what's up? And again, can you get out the vehicle? I said, what's up, can you get out the vehicle and I'm recording with my phone. And they're like you don't need your phone, we're recording. I said all right, fine, put my phone on the dashboard. I get out, they start talking to me what's your name? I said I'll get my name and all that. And as they're doing that, I see like 12 to 20 cop cars driving by and I'm thinking it's a funeral procession.
Speaker 2:And then I said what's up with those guys? They're going to the funeral. I said no, they're going to your house. I said what? They're going to your house? They said look at the Gettlebird. I look up. I was only like quarter mile from my house. I said that fucking thing's at my house. They're fucking around. Yeah, they ain't fucking around. What the fuck are you? They're like where are you from? I said man, you guys are ready? No, obviously you're going to my house. Are you going to tattoos? I said no, I got no tattoos. And they're like yeah, we just saw you. We hadn't even told me the young guy. He told me we just had a meeting about what happened. We had you on a board. You're up on top of the board and everybody else is below it.
Speaker 2:I said, oh, you got the wrong guy on me because I know I work for fucking living and he was actually pretty cool. So we sat out there for about 30 minutes and then after 30 minutes they bring the K9 unit. K9 unit's all up in my truck. They're fucking there. I mean they're flipping it, they're trying to find something. And I'm like dude, you got the wrong guy right. They searched my shit and then after like all right, we got to go. We got to go back to your house. I said am I being arrested? I said no, you're a witness. Okay, I said let's go.
Speaker 2:They said turn around. I said turn around for what? We got to cuff you. I said no, no, wait a minute, wait a minute. You just said I'm a witness. Well, yeah, but for us, no. I said bullshit, if I was a witness, you wouldn't have to cuff me. And they're like no, you got to. I said I'm not turning around. And here comes the challenger or whatever. Here comes the fucking training day. Guys, right, those fucking big old goons come out. The fuck's going on. They say you don't want to cuff up what he starts getting in my face. You don't want to cuff up, motherfucker, you could tell these fucking guys start beating me down and I'm like, turn the fuck around. They cuffed me. I said, hey, I need my phone. It's payroll day. I'm just going to go fucking get the guy's payroll. And they're like, no, I will put it in the glove.
Speaker 2:Went back to the house, I'm cuffed up in the front. They got my wife cuffed up. They got my in-laws cuffed up. They got my couple of my other family members cuffed up. And I'm like I finally start talking to the sergeant hey, what the fuck's going on over here, man? Well, we start talking about 15, 20 minutes. After that he kind of starts getting the vibe with me, right? He tells one of the guys hey, take the cuffs off this guy. They take the cuffs off me and I say, well, because I came in talking shit. I said how the fuck are you going to have my in-laws cuffed up? They're fucking 70-year-old people doing the fucks wrong with you guys. And then after that, I took my cuffs off.
Speaker 2:We went in the house and they're looking around Like, yeah, it's a nice house. I said, yeah, I work for a living man. And hey, we're going to take your video camera, the whole thing right. I said yeah, what are we going to find there? All you're going to do is see me putting up Christmas lights. They let us go. Nothing, no charge, no nothing. This is where the part that really pissed me off. I go back to my truck. They say your truck's over here. My phone disappeared, bro.
Speaker 2:My phone disappeared. I go to the police station. I say where's my phone? At what I said, where is my phone at? You guys just rated me right now. You guys said you're going to put my phone in the globe. You fucking guys thought I'm going to be in the county jail, but I'm right here. Where's my fucking phone? Oh, we don't know. I said we'll talk to the officers over there, call them. Here's where the bullshit kicks in. This is what really pissed me off with the police department. They start saying that those two officers have worked 30-hour shifts and then they're off right now and they can't call them. I said, come on, that's the bullshit line. They go yeah, they had this, they had that.
Speaker 2:When I went to go, finally pick up the recorder, right, one of the officers told me when we went downstairs in Van Ies he's like oh, so now they're saying and he pretty much ran at him out I mean he's like hey, they left the phone on the hood on the top and they drove off and I said, all right, where's the cameras? Oh, they all had them off. I said, wait a minute. The guy specifically told me don't trip, I had the cameras off, so they lost it on purpose. I'm sure they thought they were going to go through my phone and they were just trying to find some dirt.
Speaker 2:And when those handcuffs went on me, caesar, it just shook something in me, bro, because I'm thinking, even though I'm not doing anything wrong, bro, I'm thinking, damn, do I got guns in the house? Do I got dope? But like it, just, it, just it, just it just sparks something in me and I'm thinking I'm gonna go to a fucking prison right now, at 47 years old, I'm fucking working construction, making good money doing. I'm like I can't see myself back in a cell doing all this shit. Plus, I didn't do anything, bro, but those cuffs just shook something in me and it was like all right, you guys want to know who I am, let me start my channel. I'm going to show you who I am and that's where it came from.
Speaker 2:It's funny that some people believe that they'll say you're a bootlicker, because I don't sit there and just say F the police and not police. You know it's. We need cops. I've said that. I've never shied away from it. But the reality of is my channel started because I want to say it was some kind of police brutality, but no one in there doing all that and then you know stealing the phone, which they all knew they did it, and the hiding of it and all the cameras were all you had six guys and all of a sudden all the cameras are off. Now Many guys are full of shit. You guys started to find some and that's where the channel began from.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's crazy because you know it happened when you were older, obviously, that situation. But you know that when you were younger as well, as far as when we were growing up, if you ran from the deputy sheriff you would. You were looking at, like, fuck it, they're looking for dope and guns, but you're going to get your ass for it. Oh yeah, it was part of the deal. It's part of the deal and that's not what triggered you back then. You know getting your ass whooped and whatnot. And I'm not saying it was a good thing. What I'm saying is those were the times and that's the games they played and that's the way. But those were the rules. Those were the rules, right. And nowadays, like as you got older, they put cuffs on you and now your mind is going like fuck do I?
Speaker 1:I don't have shit, that I'm a good fucking man working trying to do this and that situation rather than the other situation kind of didn't trigger you, but you were younger like you said.
Speaker 2:you know it wasn't that in that other situation you know it was a criminal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was a criminal.
Speaker 2:There's no it, and that's where, right now, you got so many woke gang members. I see all kind of videos on Instagram. I saw one today or yesterday, right so it's the injustice of during that time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, motherfuckers, I was being this guy fucking. I get what I get.
Speaker 2:Of course, and now.
Speaker 1:I'm like no, I'm this guy and I'm being treated like the other. Yes, absolutely To me back then?
Speaker 2:no, for I had to come in. No, even when I see like people getting beat up in certain jail, no, I've been there. I know some that some people either fucking ask I'm sorry, it just happens, but like I saw a video on on IG I think it was either today, this morning or yesterday right, there's this one guy. He is resisting the hell out of these two cops, bro, and as he's, as he's sitting down the ground, the cops are like cuff up, cuff up, so they're sucking them. Yeah, that's what they're gonna do. And then, oh, do you think it was right? He sucked them in the face. How about this player? When they tell you to cuff up, cuff up, it was. It was just like that situation when that guy came up to me and I know I was not in the wrong, but there's a time and place to fight it for me to sit there and act all of a sudden and start screaming and and resisting not how many. They're gonna start putting hands on you and that's. But that's a problem.
Speaker 2:That happened really after the movement, I mean after the BLA movement, everybody got pumping their chest. Or you can't do this, people get pulled over. Why do it? It's part of the game. I mean, especially if you're fucking wrong dude, if you're wrong and you're acting a fool, it's funny. That's what I said. It's the woke gangster. Yeah, they want to sit here and be with the be with the gun, do the high speed chase, but then, once the high speed chase is over, they want the police to act like robots and not have any emotion. I have any adrenaline going. No man, if you want to act a fool, there is price for them. The price may be gain your ass kicked Right now.
Speaker 1:Everybody feels like they have a voice in different ways and manners and it's like cops are being handcuffed themselves and doing their jobs. And it's kind of crazy because, as you see it in today's times, society's complaining about the crime and how it's going up and all these fucking people coming into Beverly Hills and Santa Monica and doing all that shit, yeah.
Speaker 1:And so what ends up happening is you complain and you bitch and you have this shit and we're going to fucking resist. And don't get me wrong, I'm against police brutality and injustice and all these different things, but there's a fine line as well. If you're being scammed this, if you're fucking up, if you're fucking out there playing the game, you got what's coming to you Now the people that are doing good, like yourself and other people in society, and you're getting mistreated. That's fucked up. Okay so, but you have to understand. If you're fucking playing that game, if you're in that shit, don't be complaining, bro. You got pulled over for a fucking reason, yes, and you're hiding something. And now you're acting a fool and you're hoping you get a payout because you're going to get your ass work. It's like it's like everybody's in the camera too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I just saw recently and I think you you called me up and we had a brilliant description about the Lancaster thing that was going on and I was like dude, I haven't really seen it.
Speaker 1:Let me check it out and I can literally tell you that we've had, I've had situations like that and the reality of it is that nobody knows the whole story. Right, was he right and punching her or throwing her down or whatnot? From the outside perspective, one thing that I learned was when you use force, you use it hard and quick, right, okay. Two, how many fucking times do you have to tell somebody to do something Right, before you have to take it to another level? You can't sit there for an hour. You know what I'm saying. I mean, I saw the video from beginning to end. There was a communication, a dialogue, and it wasn't budging. Eventually you have to fucking escalate it. And then the thing is you have to overcome their resistance, whatever resistance that is if it's the highest level, or gun or life-thurning well, you have to overcome that. Yeah, there's a force level, like I'm going from least resistive to the highest fucking resistive and there's a pie chart in there that it kind of bounces. Sometimes you can go overboard.
Speaker 2:But to me, what that one was. I want to know did they go on their steal? Because to me, okay, if they didn't steal, then yeah, that cop should be absolutely fired, right, but they don't know that right.
Speaker 1:I know, I know, but I they don't know that the word was that they had assaulted the security as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they did.
Speaker 1:Right, that's what they did, yes, and that they were shoplifting or whatever they were doing and that they had assaulted. I think it was just shoplifting. I think it would be like, all right, cool, whatever. Now there's an assault and the officers get. The only information they get is what they hear from the caller, right, right. And there could be a couple of several callers and the information could get escalated so it could be false information at the end of the day, but that's what they're there to investigate and the reality of it is.
Speaker 1:You know as well as I know. If you don't have anything to hide, the person should be like, hey, no problem here, let me put my hand behind my back.
Speaker 2:Of course We'll figure it out. Talk to some people.
Speaker 1:I have some witnesses over here. We'll figure it out. I don't think that was the case. Now I don't. I'm not saying that I agree that he threw her down, punched whatever it was. All I'm saying is that there's more to the story.
Speaker 2:But the thing is this right now and I like talking to California because California is its own country, you know people would try to sit there. Oh, california is its own country, home, you just like they say we're, we're our own, like, as far as economical world, we're number five in the pie or whatever, we're, we're our own country. Now, what's going on in California right now is zero, accountability, like zero, zero. I mean, it's like if somebody steals from you and you fucking crack them with a bat on the on the leg oh, you assaulted him. Yeah, all he's doing is no, what do you mean? All he's doing? He's coming to my shop, it's like, it's just like coming to your house and taking your TV right in front of you. Are you going to let this person do that? But people are so scared to touch anybody because they're scared of having somebody protest, they're scared of being called a racist, they're scared to to to just get sued Go.
Speaker 1:He was just taking the TV. Well, what the fuck are you talking about? New policy, bro? I, if you have a business, I have a business.
Speaker 2:I have a store.
Speaker 1:Everything you took out of my it's out of my fucking pocket, Right? You know what I'm saying Whether they're a bit, it's a big fucking store, a small store, or they have insurance. No homies, that is so dumb. You know, I hear that all the time. That's stupid.
Speaker 2:I hear that all the time, and only because they haven't. So that means that I can go in a steal your room from your car. You got insurance?
Speaker 1:Yeah Right, no you got to pay the doctor for the hurts and your car sits.
Speaker 2:It's like your business sits. You're losing money, you're going backwards and the more you say stuff, the more people get emboldened. Brother, right now, where our studio is at across from the 7-Eleven we've been there for three weeks. I got to get some cameras over there. I can do a whole reality show out there. Brother, I swear to you, we have a patio. We sit out there every, every time we're working. We just sit out there and just watch and our somebody's come out screaming she get the hell out of my store. They took all the cups off of there, they took all the, and they're just as respectful. And the lady's like I can't do anything.
Speaker 2:I call the cops, they don't need no company two hours. I had a guy in here. I went in there last week. She had ice chest drinks chips. She's like, look, this guy came in here. I locked him in the store. You're not going nowhere, I already know him F you bitch, oh no. And she calls the cops.
Speaker 1:The cops takes down an emergency, A lot of the problems we have too is one is whether it be prescription drugs or just drugs in general, which leads to mental health problems. You know, altering the mental, the way the mind works and stuff, right, and that's one factor. Two factors is homeless. This is a big factor right now with increasing prices and all kinds of shit that are putting people on the street. We have that law that you posted up recently about you know the, the eviction stuff and the renters. You know that shit's going to change the game recently coming up pretty soon.
Speaker 2:But I mean, there's so many issues and that's why I love your show.
Speaker 1:Let's get back to your show the real American Tolo. So you started this. That's what happened, and now I know that you bring in a lot of different people for a lot of different reasons. What was the premise, what was the whole thing going behind that that you? You said, this is what I want to do with this show, this is who I want to influence, and this is the community and people I want to talk to.
Speaker 2:I think it's just the person that I am. That's why the American, tolo I, american and the Tolo I since I was a young guy, even sitting in the youth authority at 17 years old, I'm on lockdown. Whatever I'm listening to talk radio, I am brother. I've always followed politics. When I go home, my wife I said the TV goes onto some kind of news station. I'm just a news junkie and it's exciting if you really know how to read the game. A lot of people don't know how the game's played, right, yeah, so my thing is I try to. You know, I'll do some rap interview, some street guys interview, but it's always got to be a positive message. And then what I'm trying to do is I'm trying to educate our people on how politics works, how the game works, and to me it's. It's not a Democrat or Republican thing, it's a policy thing. And that's why I try to tell people don't vote party line vote policy.
Speaker 2:And in California it's its own country. California is ran completely by Democrats and Democrats are okay. But what happened was they have gone so far from the left. The center hasn't changed. The left has completely changed. We're in a world now that Bill Maher with HBO show he used to be a known as a super left show. Now they're calling Bill Maher white supremacists. Now they're calling Bill Maher this guy. Because Bill Maher saying, hey, what's going on in all these states? You guys are letting people rob, you guys are letting men and women sports you. It's like they've gone off the cliff.
Speaker 2:And when I tell people, look who's running California, stop throwing all this federal politics, the president doesn't really matter. California does whatever California wants to do. Homelessness is through the roof and the majority of the homelessness is drug addiction. That's just the fact. Nobody is in a city here and tell me statistics, this. I live in the statistics. I live in that focus group. I'm completely across. I see, every day in my neighborhood I talk to my homies or drug addicts. I live on the streets and they all tell me, yeah, it's drugs. Are they enabling? Yeah, they're enabling us.
Speaker 2:They all say it. They said, nah, we'll never get to it.
Speaker 1:We're the consumers, yeah, the biggest. We're making fucking other Latin countries and other worlds rich based on our consumption of not only drugs but also sex trafficking and other shit that's going on.
Speaker 2:But you don't see one single politician in California actually saying hey, we have a drug problem. They said mental, mental, because they don't want to admit to have a drug problem. As far as the evictions go, is there people there that are getting evicted that, yeah, really lost their job? Yeah, but to be honest with you, the majority are people who got money and blew it. I had and again I don't need a.
Speaker 2:I don't need a focus group. One of my homies real good friend of mine, we laugh about it he took two years off no work, and not because he couldn't find work. He's like fool. They're paying me more to stay at home. I was hoping that my company would lay me off, just like. All right, I do more content. These guys were getting about, they were getting whatever they were doing. The point was plus 600 bucks a week, right, so they're coming at home 1200, 1400 bucks a week for not working.
Speaker 2:It's making the society of lazy people. It's making a society of people who have no, no accountability. And that's what we're at in California right now. Because everybody, just like when they go steal and shop, they're making excuses for everybody. Give me, give me, give me. Yeah, they're making excuses for everybody. What I'm trying to show you if I don't, if the Democrats really cared about you, they would actually make affordable housing, because there is plenty of housing. There's just no affordable housing. Why? Because they're making, they're getting big kickbacks from from from the developers. I'm not saying Republicans don't, but this is listen, if this was a prison yard, the Democrats run this yard on me. Let's keep it 100. 100. 100. And it's not, even maybe a little. No, this is, this is 100 Democrat run yard.
Speaker 1:I remember going to Vegas a couple years ago, right after COVID and whatnot, and I was there and I was staying at the link and I'm like God damn, this fucking place is popping. You know, it just had reopened up right after COVID, mask were, I don't remember if you still had to just wear them inside, or when you're sitting down you're good, but when?
Speaker 1:you're walking some stupid shit Same thing, you know trying to fucking control you and all these different things. And I remember I'm in the fucking elevator with my wife and and these people would jump in. We're kind of a packed in there and they're like, fuck yeah, bro, this fucking check from the government they're just spending. I was listening to they're just blatantly saying it out loud that they're not working, they're getting paid unemployment and the COVID checks were coming in and all these different things that they were getting free help from. And I'm like I'm busting my ass off. I just came over here for a weekend vacation. I'm like maybe I should fucking do it, but the reality of it is it's so sad that there's no accountability in that.
Speaker 1:We're at where we're at, based on like exactly what you said. It's a democratic run state based on policies and based on votes and based on so many different factors. So then you started this show to kind of speak up against injustice and so many different ways For sure, right, for sure, and give back because you have a voice, because I know you bring on so many different people on there about so many different social issues and and and also to promote them. You have rappers and singers and people from politics on there and some cops and all these different shit.
Speaker 2:Everybody, brother. I like bringing everybody that way, Everybody. There's something there for everybody to sit there and learn, and that's the whole premise I want to. I want to not just elevate the conversation, I want to elevate the people's minds, man, and show them that listen as street gangs. That's why I say it's very low level. This the difference between why Latinos are not as a hierarchy is because we fight over the pettiest things and really fight and kill one another.
Speaker 2:What the white man and I say this respectfully what the white man figured out long ago was there's no money in all these fights. When we got to fight yeah, we'll fight we went to war with Germany. We dropped bombs in Japan. Millions of people died on both sides, Literally millions of people. There's. There's some of our biggest allies right now. There are some of our biggest allies right now. We have wars that were happening in the 40s. You know, gang wars over some gruka. They're still killing each other here in LA in the streets because he killed my homie.
Speaker 2:Generals and real presidents go there and say that's childish stuff. I mean, okay, we lost this many in the world, they lost so many. We're not taking numbers. Real men sit there and say, okay, we went to war, it is what it is. How do we move forward and make that war something that's worth it? Where we're now going to progress and make something out of it and we're not, we're fighting over the dumbest things. So what we have to do is elevate the conversation. That's what I'm trying to show people. When, right now, we're going to have, we're going to get into the political debates here pretty soon, right, it's going to be mostly the republicans.
Speaker 2:It's going to come up now, yeah, desantis, trump or anybody else. They're going to be throwing all kinds of mud at each other, disrespecting each other, saying all kinds of stuff about each other. Once they actually get one person, everybody else falls in line and supports that person. Everybody's all of a sudden their best friend. Well, that's how the game works. That's how the game works. But we don't. We'll sit there. We'll have that be forever, and that's the difference.
Speaker 1:Well, the Latinos and everything you know, it's that one word that comes back to everybody Machismo Segue you know what I'm saying and it's like pride and ego. Jealousy and enemy brother.
Speaker 2:One thing that I that was that they should go. That was the biggest thing that I learned by doing what I'm doing is the amount of jealousy, brother, and I never knew that. And I've gotten it where I had to blog people like, bro, oh, you're riding my wave, oh, we've been doing this, oh I'm like hey, homie, I didn't know it was a competition, I really didn't Shucking people, I didn't know trying to help people was a competition. You know, if you want to have a competition in a positive way, like oh, I'm not, no problem. But to sit there and hit me up and be like we've been doing this, you're just wait a minute, brother, I'm not, I'm not saying anything. If people like what I'm doing, great that they don't don't. But don't sit here and try to get all upset because you know, maybe this guy's getting a little more shiny than you are, but that's what it is, but it's, it's, it's insane.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how many. How many followers do you have on your podcast, on your social media, and how did it grow to be so big?
Speaker 2:It's. It's right now. I think on YouTube we got about 75,000. I think Instagram is almost like 30 or something like that and TikToks. But no, instagram is like 37 and TikToks like 30 or something. I don't really go on TikTok that much because I got to dance. I'm not a good dancer but no, it's grown. It's if it was a stock. It's growing very well.
Speaker 2:The only thing is that I've had man, I've had no more to smear campaigns. I mean I mean smear campaigns, I mean major. I've had people edit videos saying, look, I'm doing racist stuff, and then the real video comes out and it's like, dude, this is crazy how that should happen. I have people saying, oh, I said this. And then when the person is actually, I mean, and these are campaigns that went viral on our social media, right.
Speaker 2:The last one was this was about a month and a half two months ago they started reading some paperwork every, just about every, but every, every podcast. Everybody had it. Not everybody read it. It was some fabricated paperwork saying that I'm a child molester, that I originally went to jail for this. They got somebody my last name's Tejada. They got somebody named Miguel Tejada. Somebody found it. As a matter of fact, some one of the somebody ended up sending me the link. They're like, hey, here's a real paperwork and, sure enough, you put it side by side, all that. They was put my name, but then in the it was like a child molestation of a 14 year old. And then they put strange in our Hollywood was I'm like what the hell do they put fucking gang monikers.
Speaker 2:But the crazy part was there was numerous guys who ran with it and they were podcasters that are supposed to be Latino podcasters that want to help the community. And these guys were gloating, bro I mean smiling, laughing, haha. The truth comes out and I went and I went, went home, took a nap you know the stress gets to you and then I got up and I told my wife, all right, I'm gonna go live right now and got my head and just went in on it, brother, and like you fucking idiots, man, this, this is you guys. You guys are all about Rasta.
Speaker 2:But the first stupid ass fake paperwork comes on. You guys are gloating, thinking, jumping on it. Yeah, jumping, because they don't, they don't want to see anybody doing better than them. A lot of people. And that is sad, brother, to me, the more we win, the better our opportunity is, because somebody can open the door for you and if he doesn't know what, that gives us more exposure. But unfortunately people are just so quick to want to sit here and just knock each other down, because they want to see you do good, I mean, but they don't want to see you do better than them.
Speaker 1:Well, the bigger you get to, I mean, the more somebody's just kind of fucking, like you said, jealousy and like what the fuck this guy doing? What can we find to put him brown? And it sucks. Man, tell the people like what you're doing. Now I know you have the real American cholo, which is an awesome podcast. Thank you, people. Please go fucking follow, go listen. It really is. It's real. He's talking the truth and if you have a debate about something he'll invite you on a lot of people will fucking do that.
Speaker 1:They'll just hate on you or do whatever. This guy will say hey, let's talk about it, Take life on cause let's do it.
Speaker 2:I mean.
Speaker 1:I seen how you do it. The way you do it, you come out with with facts and you listen to the people there. You listen to the other person in front of you and you're not hard on like on this way. You listen, you go, you have a point that let's fucking move forward, let's go. So I like that. So please go follow the real American cholo podcast. Get in a new studio pretty soon, but tell the people right now, like what you're doing in the community. I know you have something going on tonight, yeah, today, yeah, and then also the, the neighborhood council that you recently became, and what's going on in your life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, today, like we're at Redstone, I get out of here, I'm gonna get ready. We're giving away with collaboration with Victory outreach church to the Paso Ray and blinking some other people. We're gonna give out maybe like about five to 600 backpacks filled with school supplies for the kids. You know some food, some, you know just community stuff for the community to come through and then on August 12, we're gonna be doing a show out there Valley Plaza Park to as well. No writer food, Just how nice it's just to bring.
Speaker 2:It's just to bring the community together. Man, the neighborhood council. I got sworn in about three weeks ago. We got the next meeting this Wednesday, the night. I hope a lot of people come out there because from what I got from day one, I was already getting to people there and I'm not talking to the special, you know with other council people. They want to bring more homeless stuff into North Hollywood and I'm saying no, we're maxed out, we're maxed out. I think a lot of the people there are completely out of touch and they need the community to come on and say hey, we're tired.
Speaker 2:Every time you turn on the news now what do you see? You see West Hollywood complaints. And when I see West Hollywood complain, I laugh because I said this is what you voted, this is what you wanted. You guys wanted to hug your way out of crime. You don't hug your way out of crime, you do not, and that's what's going on. So at the neighborhood council I'm hoping to learn how the game works and eventually hopefully by next year when the new votes come in there vote the people out, vote the people out who are not in our way of thought as far as cleaning up the neighborhood To me is this we have a huge tree with a bunch of rotten apples, which is the drug addicts, and when they're ready to get clean, they're going to get clean.
Speaker 2:I speak to addicts every day. As a matter of fact, one of the boys is going to go help me there. He's one of the biggest addicts you'll ever know. He's clean now, mohawk Matt, and he'll tell you when you're ready to get clean, you're going to get clean. Right, we're wasting all our resources on the rotten tree, but we have a bunch of little baby apple trees out there and we're ignoring them. We're ignoring the kids, we're ignoring the families. We're having children walk through tents with needles, by their schools, by their parks. It's something that really needs to get cleaned up. And I finally figured out that, hey, if you don't get involved, nothing's going to change. You got to sit there and let them know. Hey, we don't want this anymore. And if they don't want to listen to us, we start voting them out. Could you imagine a bunch of American Cholos sitting at the Norhollywood neighborhood houses and going what the hell are these guys are taking over.
Speaker 1:And that's what they're going to be afraid of. Yeah, they're going to be afraid of. Yeah, to go back on two things. And then I have a question is you know? You're absolutely right, I think, from our upper politicians to our presidents, to our people in there doing federal law, they're out of fucking touch. Yes, they're fucking. Those people are fucking. Old.
Speaker 1:Joe Biden has been around since fucking. He was like 18 in the fucking politics and has done shit, has done nothing. You know what I'm saying. And as wishy-washy as way just to be at the highest level, you know, you see these old videos and you fucking hear him talk about immigration laws and he wishy-washy Nothing. At one point he was against that, at one point he's for it. Oh, this and this, and so people get sworn in and they stay there forever and they're out of touch with the fuck is happening.
Speaker 1:So I applaud you for doing something about that, brother. Thank you, my man, because we need more people to step up and do something. One and two that are in touch with shit Right, you know what I'm saying that are, that know their neighborhood, that have experienced shit, rather than people that are out of touch and that have in there for paycheck or just to say that they did something they're giving back. Like don't fucking do it. If you're lazy and you're doing it for the wrong reasons, you're doing it for the right reasons. I applaud you for that, brother, thank you. The other question is what was the process in getting in there, like how did that work out? Like you know, and it did Like you feel like you were out of your box and out of your comfort zone and how do you feel about it now?
Speaker 2:Well, actually the process was because of homie Bruno. He's the one that pretty much today, man, you need to get into this.
Speaker 1:Yes, I said all right.
Speaker 2:He's like, yeah, you need to go in here and figure out. This is something you may want to do and that way you get your be quit. And he's like I'll help you with the paperwork and all that stuff. And, to believe it or not, I got a little anxiety, man, the day of we were there, just because I was so frustrated hearing these people and I wanted to scream like what's wrong with you guys, man, they're just going back and forth over the dumbest things. I feel like I was at work and I had two guys is put. It was almost he, he was almost he.
Speaker 2:But I think this way and I'm like all right, this is. It's like I got a feel for why there is so much bureaucracy and politics, and this is on a very low level. This is the Hollywood Neighborhood Council. But I can see now why these people aren't like that, because it's almost like they really don't have any leadership skills. It's just they're there and this is what I think. But no, dude, there is crap all over your neighbor. Oh well, I think they're my neighbors. When they're not, they're not your neighbors. Tweakers that can steal all your stuff. They're completely out of touch. But I think most politicians. Unfortunately, they're just. They're just there to get voted in Perfect example. Something to fucking put on the resume.
Speaker 1:Well, and not everybody, and they'll change and they'll change. Seeing what's the way the vote goes right.
Speaker 2:Joe Biden, hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Barack People say oh girl, you're right, brother, I have never had an issue with gay marriage, even since the 90s. One of the chulals don't care, you want to get married. You want to be as miserable as me? Go ahead.
Speaker 1:They'll change the fucking immigration.
Speaker 2:As soon as they came, before when they were running. Oh yeah, we're against it.
Speaker 1:It's before they're having a man religion.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And then all of a sudden I say wait a minute, we can get more votes over here. Yeah, for sure we can, and the movies will be with us. They switched up that was right there, the big eye opener, and I just haven't had time. I want to do a video and show people. This is what's going on. This politics works.
Speaker 1:And you know what I know I don't give a fuck. But, like you know, at the end of the day, when Trump came into there, there's good and bad, but he spoke from the truth. He was a guy who said I want to fucking, I ain't going to fucking lay down to you this is the way we're going to run shit. America first is what we're going to do. Right, did he do some stupid and say some stupid shit? Yes, yeah, for sure. But he wasn't a politician. He was a guy who had a lot of money and said, hey, and he doesn't change his mind, let him fucking stay who he is. He's not. You know what. One of the biggest fucking things I hate is hypocrisy and two-faced motherfuckers. Right, and to be honest, trump stayed this route. Well, you know.
Speaker 1:I mean sure, maybe different ways, but like you said, you just mentioned the other three names, totally fucking.
Speaker 2:Let me get the vote. Yeah, career politician yeah, trump Pito is a derpeg. Trump Pito, I call him Trump Pito. Trump Pito is a derpeg. Let's just get out of that, right. I definitely had an issue with Trump, and I definitely, but I think that the four years without Trump was a good thing for America, even though it because it showed us what we're kind of missing. On me, I will say this If it's between Trump, last time I didn't vote for Trump, I voted for myself. I put American cholo on All right.
Speaker 2:I'm just on principality, right. Yeah, if it's between Joe Biden and Trump, I'm not voting for Joe Biden. If it's between the only one I would vote against Trump would be if it's RFK. I like RFK, I think he's he's. He's the Trump from the Democrat side, right. But what we have right now, this will tell you how out of touch these guys are. How are you going to have this very elderly man? Everybody can see it, brother, he's the old grandpa, right? Somebody said and that's funny, but it is his grandpa Simpson, bro, he's, he's right.
Speaker 2:He is he is literally grandpa Simpson and they're trying to get him an office again. Come on now.
Speaker 1:That's tells you, they don't care no he's had a touch, bro. They just thrown that there because they have. They're like, fuck, we better rush and try to see who else?
Speaker 2:Oh, who do we got yeah, and they don't want RFK either.
Speaker 1:The one reason Trump won was because let's be fucking keep it real he was going, he was fucking running against the worst, the worst evil, which was Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton, Like what the fuck she did in? Was it Benghazi? I think it was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, benghazi, and then all this shit and people got killed over there, bro. And then they know the history of the Clintons and the emails who else you gotta vote Trump, like? A lot of people are like oh fuck, let's just vote Trump Then, because they hate it the Clinton so much and they didn't want to see her be the first female.
Speaker 2:The amazing thing was that even the Republicans hated Trump For sure. Fox News hated them. All the Republicans hated them For sure they were ragging on it.
Speaker 1:Nobody expected him to win, bro. No, no.
Speaker 2:To me. I thought he was okay At the first one. I did not. We all thought it was a joke. Yeah to me, but I loved it. I was like it was great because Trump was the guy when he was at the Bay with Hillary Clinton and she started talking about money. He's like wait a minute, wait a minute. The the tax holes you all use them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, all your donors use them. Hillary, you've been there for how many years? 20 years. Why don't you close those loopholes Right? Because your donors won't let you Correct. Don't sit here and tell me that.
Speaker 1:I use whatever loopholes you leave me. He was the one that spoke out against that.
Speaker 2:That's what I'm saying Like he was oh you what?
Speaker 1:Oh you want to talk about that he knows that All right. Here we go. I'm going to put out another politician. He knows the dirt.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying? That's what it is. He knows the dirt, but the the establishment, they don't want that guy in there.
Speaker 1:Look at all the fucking shit they're doing to keep him out for this year.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, brother, come on, you know what I'm saying. Come on, it's going to be interesting because he can literally be the first president independent Tenturi and then have part himself. Crazy, huh, yeah, because there's never been.
Speaker 1:They didn't write in the constitution and they're fucking up again and I'm talking about the Democrats and the word. They're going about shit, Because the more you fucking go after somebody, the more the people that you had votes from are hating you on. They're like, hey, dude, okay cool, we're not going to vote Trump, but leave him alone. Let's fucking move forward. Let's focus on on making the shit better rather than focusing on fighting this one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, my focus group, like I said, I people pay millions and millions of dollars, hundreds of millions, for focus groups. Right, I get it all on the streets or everywhere else. My focus group that I said, oh no, trump will be the needies guys right now. I got compas I work, uh, concrete construction. I got compas at work that should hate Trump and I like, dude, we need Trump. Like guys who some guys that I know that can get deported I'm serious bro and they're like, hey, dude, this full man, like he's not hating it. I said I know he ain't it. That's crazy. And there's a lot of people not even my comment section like dude, I hated this guy's guts, but it's like that manager, like we have this manager, oh, he's gonna be the cool man with a cool man, just fucking, we're tanking, yeah, our business going down. Trump is the. You know he's a dirtbag. I said I've never spear from that because people, oh, he's not, my god, he's no right, he's a fuck he's a.
Speaker 2:He's a New York developer. You think he's a real nice guy? No, but who do you want to make in deals for you? The New York development of grandpa Simpson.
Speaker 1:Is there any more seats over there? Can I fucking join, or what? Try to fucking get in there. How hard.
Speaker 2:Where? Oh, no, no council member.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for there definitely is. Yeah, there's definitely not right now, but in a year.
Speaker 2:Okay, these ones, let me know. Oh yeah, no, that's I guess it. I'm gonna scoop, scope it out.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna be the young, 48 year old fucking for what to live in North Hollywood.
Speaker 2:I don't know, I don't know, I don't, I don't think so.
Speaker 1:Hey, I was raised in North Hollywood, bro, I won't know you got your mom's edges.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, you got your mom's edges. Yeah, I don't.
Speaker 1:I don't think you have to. I'm gonna be like Trump they're gonna start coming out. You don't live there.
Speaker 2:No, that's only that's only when you get like a actual councilman seat over there. But I don't think you do, because one of my boys is a is a council like one the same thing in Venice and he don't have a yeah, I don't think you do.
Speaker 1:I think different positions are different requirements.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but that's the goal to get to know how it is and eventually go in there and take over the whole place. They're gonna be, and you know, the main council guys gonna be like, hey, our whole neighborhoods council getting taken over by this guy. So I will, he's coming next yeah, that's then. If it goes well, that's it be next. All right, taking over for the right reasons.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah Is if you feel like you have no impact, like self-evaluate yourself here, like I've been here too long, I'm out of touch, get the fuck out of your own. Yeah, okay, go fucking find somebody who's gonna replace you in the right way. All right, these people know I'll level kid, I'll study. Yeah, I'm making a difference. You know I'm making a ship different now you're making it worse, get fucking in touch with reality.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's what they're doing. They're making it much worse.
Speaker 1:Um, so you got that going on and and a new studio brother.
Speaker 2:Yeah, new studio new studio yeah in north Hollywood still in north Hollywood and that's coming around pretty good. Yeah, we should, we should have, we're gonna have like a soft open just us. We're gonna do a. We hopefully do a podcast this Saturday, brother I mean it's a studio brother, it's like it's very exciting.
Speaker 1:I've seen some videos.
Speaker 2:We're gonna be pushing out constant a lot, because even the young guys and boo would all my time hey man, you guys do, I'm gonna do interviews, I'm gonna do my stuff, we'll do our stuff, but you guys better line stuff up, because we got this place.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you have some people obviously helping you on this process. You got boo boo and and somebody behind the cameras and all that. That show gets booked. You guys work as a team to get people booked and what not and then editing, so you have a full team on all that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we, we got boo boo, the, the co-host, we got a Taurus, which is the co-host, who is also photographers. We got a professional photographer. We got the two Chris's doing the soundboards and all that stuff, the editing, all stuff. I'm kind of doing it all right now, but most of the time it's live and we do the small clips. It's me, but I'm hopefully, now that I got the studio is not in my house I can actually, you know, hopefully get some interns in there that do some kind of editing. I we know, and, and hopefully by the end of this year I'm gonna be out of doing the construction thing and just doing the podcast full-time. That shit has to go.
Speaker 1:That's the goal. So you you're making monetary financial Competition. I'm all right.
Speaker 2:Right now it's just breaking even, let's say yeah, but what? I'm home sponsorships, no that's that's what I'm hoping, okay. Once to get the studio, I start taking pictures. All right now I'm gonna start hunting out for some sponsors, but I want to get some sponsors in there and I think we've got something special there. I really know.
Speaker 1:I think you do too. I mean, I not that you you have something special from day one in regards to who you are, man and and the person you've become, because I've known you since the chavalito yeah, we grew up in the same streets and and Watching us, you know, through different paths and lenses, how you have overcome adversity is amazing. That's what this shows about is can't be broken, and you're a person that can't be broken, you know.
Speaker 2:And and I applaud you for that, and I got a question for you. Yes, sir, when was the first time you saw American Troll?
Speaker 1:This is funny. It's funny I had a guy that I'm training. I'm a personal trainer here for UAG Fitness. I've been doing this now for 10 years all going on 10 years and have a client and a couple clients and the conversation came up like man bro, something about like the real make and show low this podcast. This guy was talking because I talked a lot about podcasts. I listened to a lot of podcasts and the guy goes oh man, real make and show low Podcasts, if you ever listen to that. I'm like no, what is that? And he's like, oh, this guy bringing up different things that I heard on this podcast and he was telling a story. I'm like, oh, no shit, okay, cool, I just heard. Okay, that was it, no big deal. I'm like, well, where's this guy from? Or what? What do you mean? Real American, you know?
Speaker 2:what does that mean? You know like what the fuck?
Speaker 1:a real American cholo. And then, and then I saw you. Because he goes, go follow him suddenly. All right, follow IG. Like fuck, this guy looks familiar, he looks for me. And then I recognized you on my oh fuck. And then I started listening. I started listening, so somebody who brought it to my attention, that's cool.
Speaker 2:It didn't come up through my feet or nothing for some reason.
Speaker 1:But yeah, and after that I'm like next episode, let me see next one. Do you have some really good ones? I'm a guy that I'm like I'm gonna follow. I'm probably not gonna listen to the one that you bring in a rapper.
Speaker 2:Yeah, of course it's not in my genre.
Speaker 1:Yes, you know where I want to be, but you've brought in some some stuff that I'm like I want to listen to this one real good. That's right, and that's what it's about. That's why you bring in different people right, it's the little, everything for everybody. Yeah, I think my highest views are when I bring in. I'm in the space of like ultra marathons, triathlon, so I brought some of them in, also baseball because I played baseball, and so when I bring in coaches.
Speaker 2:You should come into one of ours when the boys are playing with talking sports.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, let me know, brother, let me know. I just had on. I don't know if you know Ray Rivera. He's a head coach at Silmar. Okay, nice, so he he's a head coach. Been there for 24 years. I played baseball with him. He went to San Fernando. They won the Dodger Stadium Championship when he was there and then recently he just won the last one at Dodger Stadium as a coach.
Speaker 2:Oh, I brought him on. That's where I saw one of the news when they won that yeah, yeah. So he we.
Speaker 1:I brought him on to talk about that, like talk about growing up first of all in San Fernando Bacuema. You know, silmar area, being a player was a difference between it being a coach, and so he's got a big following because he's coached a lot of people right. So his following is a lot of alumni and current players and so, man, his episode hit hard as though it was really cool. But you know, you know I'll get some small views on Whatever somebody I bring on, you know, but that's the way it is you know, of course.
Speaker 1:I have a couple quick rapid questions and we'll get into kind of finally. Yeah, what is, what does peace mean to you? What?
Speaker 2:does peace mean? Yeah, I Think peace just means not. I mean it depends like on the street level. It means not being a you know best friends in the world. I think it's like when it comes to like Gangs and all that stuff, I think it's just you kind of, stay on your side, we'll stay on our side, don't come right on our walls. We want to write in your walls pretty much respect man, just respect one another, like my neighbors.
Speaker 2:I don't necessarily know my neighbors first hand. I know some of them, but every neighbor I come out to wave, hi, how you doing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you don't have to be best friends, yeah but we're peaceful with one other.
Speaker 2:Respect that's exactly what I said. I think it's. It's about being respectful towards one another and other spec. You know, treat, treat. Treat a person how you would want to treat it or how you want your family to be treated. How about internal peace to yourself?
Speaker 1:Internal peace to myself is you can sleep well at night. You know what I'm saying. Your mind is right.
Speaker 2:Everything's good, I think it's Living a good moral life, man. Yeah, when I was not living a good moral life.
Speaker 2:I was paranoid all the time. I'm walking out of my, my mom's, apartment, I got a gun in my pocket. I'm looking left, I'm looking right. I'm walking down to the, to the parking space. I'm looking left, I'm looking right. I'm on the blocking. That's when you say you got your head on a swivel right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's no inner peace nowadays, like something my wife gets kind of scared. Hey, aren't you afraid somebody, a solicit man? I don't know anybody anything. You know anything that back then I didn't know somebody had it coming and that would have been me. But uh, now it's. You know it's living a good life man. You know raising your kids right. You know doing good at work. You know taking care of business. When you're doing good, doing right, giving to the community, whether it's God or whatever faith you have, you know you're gonna get rewarded for it. It's that karma part and if you're doing bad living, a bad life, that karma is gonna come back and get you. I'm not afraid of karma because I'm, I'm doing good man and it, and it feels great.
Speaker 1:You were peace, it reminds me of what you just said is you're peaceful and then you got pulled over by the cops and it became like, oh fuck, what the fuck happened to my peace? Almost yeah for sure, you know. Like, do I have something in my house? I know, I don't because I'm fucking straight but it goes over your head. That's some peaceful. You're almost. They created this, this peaceful guy that you were in my body and soul Absolutely, and created this paranoid fucking thing again for no fucking reason it's.
Speaker 2:It's like a PTSD kicking in. That's why you got pissed off, because you had peace.
Speaker 1:They fucking took it really quick for a little incident and back then, when you didn't have peace, it's because you were doing shit right and that and that triggered it. 100.
Speaker 2:I really triggered it. What does success mean to you? Success means Having a great relation with your family. Man. I think that's the most important thing in life. You know, if, if I had a million dollars but my daughter thought I was a piece of shit, yeah, or my or my son or my mom, and and every family said, all that guy's rich, but he's a piece of shit, I'd rather be broken, say he's a great guy. He's a good guy. My, my father-in-law Is a very, very humble man, right? He's in his eighties now, raised five children. There were pretty much all involved in gangs at one time or another. Now they're not. We're all family people. They're all like me, doing the right thing. What I think was making 15, 17 bucks an hour for 20 some years. Brother, he's got more money the bank than I do, but more than that he's got. Oh, go away, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:He's got so much love from his kids and and so much respect.
Speaker 2:You know, and I see a guy like that and I look up to that man. May we be so lucky. Because you know something. We speak with my wife. She's like man, my parents again. Now they're getting to that stage of life where you know you got much less years and you have more head of you. And I tell her, yeah, may we be so lucky, man, we be so lucky, live up to 80 years old and have the love of the family that we have, and to me and to me, that that man has lived a completely successful life, even though he's not Know, have these huge houses and cars and all that, yeah, but he's got family. That's the richest thing you can have, yeah, well, 100%.
Speaker 1:What would you like? Well, what could you tell somebody Right now, whether it be their, their confidants, whether it be their, their confused about joining the gang, or they're struggling and thinking about, or they're in in dope right now, or they're almost homeless, or they are homeless right Adversity, all these hardships that they're going through. They have no family life, right their parents one of them is not at home, that's not around. What would you tell somebody? The best couple of the Advices that you can give them of how to overcome that adversity, that hardship, that that stress. You know how did you do it and what would you? Your opinion, obviously, right. What?
Speaker 2:do you do? I think you gotta evaluate yourself and know that you're worth something, especially when you're on the streets and when you're on drugs. You think that there's no hope out there in the world, that that you know. You know you're just a piece of crap, that this is what life has to offer you. And I can tell you I wasn't those pits man. I slept in cars, I slept in closets, I was smoking dope, I was doing everything you could think of. And you know it took me going to jail Few times and beating a cell by myself and just looking up at the concrete and just stressed out and saying this is all I got, this is all I got.
Speaker 2:And then eventually just you know Saying ah, man, there's more to life, to this, especially if you're in a you're, if you're a young person, you want to join a gang. My first advice Just don't do it. Just don't do it. It's gonna be one of the worst mistakes you will ever make. Life is so much more beautiful. And to the young person I will say this when you're about I don't know 10 years old, and then you turn 15, you're not thinking the same, you're thinking a completely different life. And then, when you're 20 years old, you're thinking much different than 15, and so on and so on. So when you're 30 years old guess what? You're not going to be thinking that way. So Know that there's a different, a different life.
Speaker 2:I know something it's easier said than done at times and to the people out there, although it's up to you, it's, they all know it. It's up to you and you got to take it. Really, you got to take it one day at a time. Yeah, you got to take one day at a time. It's just like work. Um, some people believe that you're gonna go in there and you're gonna be the head for the first day, or if you're a boxer, you're gonna be the greatest boxer. But no, it takes work, it takes dedication, it takes you saying you know what I'm worth building this, and once you do that, you take it one day at a time. It's gonna take a little bit of time, but you know what. That's how it is. Yeah, right, and that's that's what I can say.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, that's fucking great advice. No 100. I have one more before we leave. That thought that was gonna be the last one, but I keep on looking at your tattoo. The 170, all right, why the 170? The?
Speaker 2:170 homie. That's where north hollywood starts with a hollywood ants, that's right, that's right yeah. No, I love it Um it's probably one of the most unique, uh, you know a little freeways.
Speaker 1:You should have got the circus fucking. Uh, liquor one. No, they might sue me home. Hey, the 170 might. So you don't know.
Speaker 2:The 170s gangster.
Speaker 1:What's that? Hey, oh yeah, north hollywood. There's some symbolic areas of north hollywood that are fucking. You're like, oh, that's north hollywood shit, like whether it be in movies or whatnot. I remember one time we were talking about it off camera real quick and, uh, wherever I travel, whether it be wisconsin for baseball, texas, where the fuck? Oklahoma, wherever I've been like, oh, where you from and I'm like, well, live in la, oh no, but I'd say north hollywood before la and they're like oh, you see a lot of stars.
Speaker 2:I'm like they think I'm in north hollywood, not fucking hollywood. Well, you're over the hill.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you don't know that shit over there. Hey man, I really appreciate your time. Thank you very much for coming on. It was a pleasure. I mean, we're just bullshitting like, if I can middle school kids right now talking some shit. Thank you, it's bigger, bigger minds and more education Absolutely within us. Good luck, brother. Give out as many fucking things as you can tonight, appreciate all that for everything you do for the north hollywood community.
Speaker 1:My mom still lives there. Oh, cruise by her pad, fucking. Check it out right there. She's still there. You'll see catch me on the weekends. They're taking out the breakfast. I appreciate you. Um, I'll cruise by your pad, one of these days right there in the studio? Yeah for sure, and then hopefully I'll have you back on here, because I have now. We could have been on here for three, I'm sure absolutely.
Speaker 2:I appreciate you Bye. Thank you for that.
Speaker 1:Maybe bringing you back on to talk about some, some issues that you have gone through through the north hollywood council. Yeah, for sure I appreciate you and everybody listening man. Go follow the real american cholo and the real american cholo podcast my boy gill. Thank you very much. Great advice, great talking. And remember you can't be broken.
