www.luisjrodriguez.com
I'm Luis J. Rodriguez, the author of Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. and several other books in short fiction, children's literature, nonfiction, and poetry. On my web log I'll be posting all the latest news concerning my work as a writer, along with news and opinions on the many political, social, spiritual and cultural activities that I find interesting.
Luis J. Rodriguez | October 29, 2007
One of the “solutions” we often heard in Guatemala to the growing gang violence there was “social cleansing.” Repeated by officials and common people alike, this literally means what it says: the active and violent removal of alleged gang members, including by murder. In their view, courts and jails are not quick or harsh enough [...]
Luis J. Rodriguez | October 25, 2007
Guatemala is a country about the size of Tennessee in Central America, surrounded by Belize, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico — with coasts in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Its name is Mayan — Coactemalan — and means “Land of Forests.” An estimated 13 million people live in Guatemala. More than half are [...]
Luis J. Rodriguez | October 19, 2007
Well, I’m on my way to Guatemala in a few hours. I’ll be catching a “red-eye” that takes off from LAX at 1 AM. I’m going with Fabian Montes and Pascual Torres, two young men I helped mentor over the years and who are now leading staff members for Homeboy Industries, one of LA’s pioneering [...]
Luis J. Rodriguez | October 5, 2007
I returned to Chicago last week to do a workshop and a keynote speech at the “Stronger Roots, Stronger Branches” conference (September 27-28) of violence prevention/intervention professionals at the Wyndham O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois. Leading practitioners involved with troubled youth, gang peace, and prevention/intervention programs from all over the state took part. Friends of [...]
