Last weekend I was eating at Campisi’s and my very chatty waiter began to spill his life story to us. He was a twenty-something Hispanic man from lower Greenville. His story started with how he had been shot 7 times and stabbed 15 times. He had been part of a Hispanic gang in Dallas. This young man had come to the conclusion after seeing friends and family die, that being in a gang isn’t worth it. He told us that there are only two outcomes, you either die or you go to jail. I mean you really don’t see that many forty-year old gang members running around the streets.
This anecdote brings me to my point today. Since it is the beginning of March, it is the beginning of gang initiations. I am from Houston, and I remember this time last year there was a bunch of hype about the MS 13 gang. They are an El Salvadorian group who seems to be the most merciless of all gangs. In order to be initiated into the gang you must kill someone. One of the ways they do gang initiations is by having a potential new member bump your car from behind and when you get out of the car to exchange information, they will shoot you.
Am I the only one shocked by this danger that goes on outside the confines of SMU? We are surrounded by this lush beautiful campus, and today could be the day I leave these sheltered conditions and find myself facing life or death out in the real world, where people die for no reason. When I got a text from my friend reminding me to be careful over these next few weeks when I’m driving, I realized how isolated I am as an SMU student from the real world. It’s crazy to think that just over off Greenville, some of the deadliest men alive are plotting ways to initiate their new members. It’s good thing I always carry mace me with then, even though I don’t think it’s enough to keep off these violent attackers.
Oh my gosh. I was absolutely baffled by this post. I agree with you. I believe that the kids at SMU are living in their own bubble and oftentimes do not realize the dangers that lie outside the confines of campus. My Mom has always mentioned to be careful when heading into downtown Dallas. She reminds me that it is a big city and “you do not necessarily blend”. It is scary to hear how gang members are initiating new members around this time. I have spent several nights on Greenville. Hanging out amongst SMU students but I never realized that there could be potential gang members lurking. I feel safe here at SMU and think that I sometimes forget that our campus is surrounded by a city. This post brings things into perspective. Oftentimes we need to come back to reality. There are bad people out there. Not everyone can be trusted. I will definitely have my guard up and be more aware of my surroundings when I head to downtown or Greenville.
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing about getting a different point of view and sharing that young man's experience. When I looked at the picture of the gang members--are they all gang members or were the ones in front prisoners of the ones in back?--I thought of the young Mexican men in the desert in The Devil's Highway, risking their lives to make some money. Is that part of the explanation for the drug gangs--the poverty in Mexico and Central America? Your post reminds us that we can't ever really isolate or insulate ourselves from the problems created by the injustices in the world.
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