Can't Stop Won't Stop by Jeff Chang Page B
Authors: Jeff Chang
Mercado. âHow would you like it,â one of them asked, âif someone came along and took your kidâs life, your wifeâs life, or maybe even
your
life?â
Together, Dominguez and Fecher took the Ghetto Brothers, the Savage Skulls, and the Savage Nomads under their wing. At their West Village flat, they held what Fecher described as âsalons,â where they discussed youth crises, Puerto Rican independence, the criminal justice system, global issues. The two teachers became advocates for the gang members, particularly Melendez and Suarez from the Ghetto Brothers, in whom they found an uncommon wisdom and a desire to move beyond the streets.
Melendez, in particular, was ready for a change. âYou canât walk the streets peacefully these days,â he said. âYou could never tell whatâs gonna happen around the cornerâwhere those drug addicts could jump you or another club could stop you, say âGive me your money,â and right there they kill you.â 8
They secured the Ghetto Brothers a storefront clubhouse on 163rd and Steb-bins, fully funded by the cityâs Youth Services Agency. Through contacts at New York University, they provided the gang with musical instruments. The media, attracted by the teachers, came to the Bronx to report on the gangs.
The photogenic, articulate Ghetto Brothers were ready. Photographers captured them relaxing at a Friday block party, looking more like playground kids than fearsome predators. Black Benjie, Yellow Benjy, and Charlie appeared on network talk showsâthe hard-scarred, vulnerable faces of a forgotten revolutionary generation. Documentary producers flocked to the Ghetto Brothersâ store-front to capture their transformation into âan organization.â Through it all, the GBs delivered angry soundbites and played funky music.
The Bronx youthsâ invisibility was over. Indeed, the Ghetto Brothers cut a romantic profile of embattled, misunderstood youths struggling to do right. When that image reflected back to the forgotten youths of the Bronx, peace seemed to be an actual, viable alternative.
War in the Bronx
In 1971, the Bronx gangs were quickly burning down two tracksâone toward peace, the other toward more blood.
As the days grew hotter, the violence in the South Bronx escalated. Even as the Ghetto Brothers moved publicly toward the revolution, they became more embroiled in growing conflicts. In May, three Ghetto Brothers were shot in the clubhouse, leaving one paralyzed. Victor Melendez, Benjyâs brother, the musical heart of the Ghetto Brothers band, and then-president of the Savage Nomads, was stabbed. The Ghetto Brothers and the Savage Nomads figured that the Mongols were behind the hits. For weeks, Suarez and Buxton handed out beatings to any with the bad luck to wander near them. Beefs opened up with the Javelins, the Dirty Dozens, and the Turbans.
In November, gang wars seemed to hit a new level across the resegregated borough. âIt was catastrophe after catastrophe. If it wasnât Black against Hispanic, it was Black against white,â says Suarez. âJust hate on hate on hate on hate.â The Black Spades and a white confederation of the Golden Guineas and the War Pigs called Ministers Bronx went to war at Stevenson High. The Spades and the Savage Skulls, the largest Black and the largest Puerto Rican gangs in the Bronx, erupted into a rumble at a South Bronx movie theater. There were reportsthat heavy artillery was pouring into the streetsâhandguns, machine guns, even grenades and bombs. 9
Social workers urgently pressed for a peace treaty. Working with the gangs of East Tremont, a peace organizer for the Youth Services Agency, Eduardo Vincenty, secured truce commitments from dozens of gangs, including the Javelins, the Peacemakers, the Reapers, the Young Sinners and the Black Spades. 10
Separately, Suarez and Melendez had been meeting with gang leadership. âI
your
life?â
Together, Dominguez and Fecher took the Ghetto Brothers, the Savage Skulls, and the Savage Nomads under their wing. At their West Village flat, they held what Fecher described as âsalons,â where they discussed youth crises, Puerto Rican independence, the criminal justice system, global issues. The two teachers became advocates for the gang members, particularly Melendez and Suarez from the Ghetto Brothers, in whom they found an uncommon wisdom and a desire to move beyond the streets.
Melendez, in particular, was ready for a change. âYou canât walk the streets peacefully these days,â he said. âYou could never tell whatâs gonna happen around the cornerâwhere those drug addicts could jump you or another club could stop you, say âGive me your money,â and right there they kill you.â 8
They secured the Ghetto Brothers a storefront clubhouse on 163rd and Steb-bins, fully funded by the cityâs Youth Services Agency. Through contacts at New York University, they provided the gang with musical instruments. The media, attracted by the teachers, came to the Bronx to report on the gangs.
The photogenic, articulate Ghetto Brothers were ready. Photographers captured them relaxing at a Friday block party, looking more like playground kids than fearsome predators. Black Benjie, Yellow Benjy, and Charlie appeared on network talk showsâthe hard-scarred, vulnerable faces of a forgotten revolutionary generation. Documentary producers flocked to the Ghetto Brothersâ store-front to capture their transformation into âan organization.â Through it all, the GBs delivered angry soundbites and played funky music.
The Bronx youthsâ invisibility was over. Indeed, the Ghetto Brothers cut a romantic profile of embattled, misunderstood youths struggling to do right. When that image reflected back to the forgotten youths of the Bronx, peace seemed to be an actual, viable alternative.
War in the Bronx
In 1971, the Bronx gangs were quickly burning down two tracksâone toward peace, the other toward more blood.
As the days grew hotter, the violence in the South Bronx escalated. Even as the Ghetto Brothers moved publicly toward the revolution, they became more embroiled in growing conflicts. In May, three Ghetto Brothers were shot in the clubhouse, leaving one paralyzed. Victor Melendez, Benjyâs brother, the musical heart of the Ghetto Brothers band, and then-president of the Savage Nomads, was stabbed. The Ghetto Brothers and the Savage Nomads figured that the Mongols were behind the hits. For weeks, Suarez and Buxton handed out beatings to any with the bad luck to wander near them. Beefs opened up with the Javelins, the Dirty Dozens, and the Turbans.
In November, gang wars seemed to hit a new level across the resegregated borough. âIt was catastrophe after catastrophe. If it wasnât Black against Hispanic, it was Black against white,â says Suarez. âJust hate on hate on hate on hate.â The Black Spades and a white confederation of the Golden Guineas and the War Pigs called Ministers Bronx went to war at Stevenson High. The Spades and the Savage Skulls, the largest Black and the largest Puerto Rican gangs in the Bronx, erupted into a rumble at a South Bronx movie theater. There were reportsthat heavy artillery was pouring into the streetsâhandguns, machine guns, even grenades and bombs. 9
Social workers urgently pressed for a peace treaty. Working with the gangs of East Tremont, a peace organizer for the Youth Services Agency, Eduardo Vincenty, secured truce commitments from dozens of gangs, including the Javelins, the Peacemakers, the Reapers, the Young Sinners and the Black Spades. 10
Separately, Suarez and Melendez had been meeting with gang leadership. âI