How a former Mexican Mafia member became my favorite Author...
Exploring the life, legacy and impact of Ramon "Mundo" Mendoza
As a child, Mundo’s stepfather told him; “If you’re going to do something… Do it right.”
These words made a lasting impact on him, and one could say manifested in ways that were completely unexpected. The path he chose was fraught with violence, incarceration, and led to his induction into the most powerful criminal organization in California; La Eme aka The Mexican Mafia. As a member, Ramon “Mundo” Mendoza became an undeniable mover and shaker in the streets and in prison.
After nearly half a lifetime of crime and prison life, Ramon was about to be released and back on the streets. While being held in the Kern County jail, Christian folks would visit his cell block, sharing the word of God with the inmates.
At first, Mundo paid them no mind. Considering how boring isolation can be, he could not help but listen to the testimonies of those who had turned away from darkness and found not only peace, but forgiveness. As he lay in his cell, the word forgiveness slowly crept into his mind, something that was inconceivable to him.
What seemed to speak to him was the Book of Genesis, a brief scripture which read “My spirit shall not always strive with man…” (Genesis 6:3).
He began to envision himself in the shoes of those he had made suffer. The key to his salvation lay in the word “forgiveness.” One night, while the other inmates slept, Mundo fell to his knees and emptied out nearly a lifetime of darkness, asking for God’s forgiveness.
This was a first for Mundo, as he desperately wanted to right all the wrong he had inflicted. He knew praying wouldn’t be enough. He needed to demonstrate his remorse and make a proper sacrifice.
Mundo’s transformation baffled law enforcement. When a Carnale turns, it’s usually because they have run afoul of the organization or are pressured by a wife or girlfriend to give up the life. With Mundo, this was not the case. He was in good standing with his brother’s. His turn did not make any sense.
It wasn’t long before Mundo was testifying against his former accomplices in open court, much to the shock of those on both sides of the law. Mundo made himself a target while helping law enforcement eradicate the evil he had once been a part of.
Given the fact that Mundo was once a part of La Eme’s inner circle, his expertise proved to be invaluable. He became a frequent collaborator with law enforcement.
For those who are unfamiliar with the Mexican Mafia and it’s origins, let me take you back to the infamous Deuel Vocational Institute in 1957. The DVI or Gladiator school as it was known, housed the most violent juvenile offenders in California.
Among them was a young man named Louis “Huero Buff” Flores, from the Hawaiian Gardens gang, who proposed that the wards who hailed from Chicano Varrios unite to create a brotherhood, a supreme gang comprised of the most ferocious and capable inmates. Neighborhood disputes were set aside in favor of an alliance which would allow them to achieve status and respect within the institution.
Ramon “Mundo” Mendoza was born in 1949 at the LA County General Hospital, his family moving from Boyle Heights to East LA in 1952. After a journey through various Juvenile facilities, Mundo was jumped into the Tiny’s clique of the Varrio Nuevo Estrada street gang. He proved himself worthy after undertaking the criminal voyage and demonstrating a propensity for violence. It was at San Quentin state prison, during the early 1970`s, when Mundo was sponsored into La Eme.
My first time hearing about Mundo was in the film American Me, a classic piece of cinema based on the true story surrounding the formation of La Eme in California’s prison system. American Me was a staple of my childhood.
I was raised in a blue-collar town in Northern California. As I grew, so did my town, to the point it transformed into a small city. The high school I attended experienced a tiny influx of gang affiliated youth from Los Angeles. At the impressionable age of 15, I was introduced to Sureno gang culture.
While LA is considered the mecca for street gangs, many can be found throughout the cities and neighborhoods of Northern and Central California. Stockton, Fresno, Modesto, Merced, The Bay Area and Sacramento, just to name a few.
During my teenage years, the influence of Sureno culture spread amongst many of my friends and associates. They emulated the style; Plain t-shirts (Pro-Clubs), Dickies, Shaka Shorts, high socks, Nike’s or Jordan’s, buzzed heads, tattoos. Blue was the color that identified them, no red under any circumstances.
At the time, I was the only child of a single father who struggled to keep a roof over our heads. As a young man who sought belonging and respect, I slowly became susceptible to the gang lifestyle. It wasn’t long before I adopted the customary dress code and adjusted my behavior to fit the new look.
I descended into delinquency in hopes of garnering a solid reputation. As the token white boy amongst my Mexican and Chicano counterparts, I felt it necessary to accelerate my criminal activities in case I was perceived as a wannabe. In reality, most of us were wannabes.
Like most of the working class, the mortgage crisis of 2008 hit us hard, with many families becoming homeless. My father and I were one of those families.
The delinquency I had been involved in up to that point evolved into a lifestyle of petty crime. At 18-years-old, I was homeless, a graduate of a local continuation school, and aspired to be nothing other than a well respected career criminal. I felt it was the only way I could make a mark on the world.
The majority of my friends and associates were in and out of Juvenile hall, on probation, or under house arrest. Drugs were sold and used by all of us, excessively. Burglary and theft were the most common forms of criminal enterprise, as they carried both the possibility of a lucrative pay day and a guaranteed adrenaline rush.
I was always looking for the big one, the caper which would not only be financially rewarding, but solidify my career, as well as my reputation. One day, the opportunity I had been searching for fell in my lap. Without divulging too much detail, it did not go as planned and nearly resulted in the death of my father.
I was left questioning whether this was the path I wanted to embark on. The reality of the criminal lifestyle did not coincide with my expectations. I had no idea of what to do with my life, but I was tired of where I was and scared of where I might be headed.
Storytelling was the only thing I had ever been passionate about. I wrote short stories as a kid, read books, devoured cinema. It was while working at a metal shop that I received a brochure from the Los Angeles Film School. I must’ve marked film as an interest while filling out a job application online. I read through the packet they sent me and it felt like a sign.
I had never wanted to make a career as anything other than a storyteller or a criminal, and my first love felt like the best way to go.
It took about 8 months before I officially enrolled. That timeframe consisted of navigating many difficult and tedious tasks; securing financial aid, housing, co-signers with good credit, Etc. I would regularly walk 3 miles to the local library and use their computer to fill out financial aid forms ( I didn’t have a computer or an email address.)
After many difficult and sleepless nights, and a slow but significant philosophical transformation, I packed what belongings I had and moved to Hollywood where I attended the Los Angeles Film School.
This turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. Not because of the degree or the student loan debt I accumulated, but because it was the beginning of my educational journey. It is where I met my writing partner, where I discovered my passion for writing Serialized TV Drama, where I took my first step into discovering what the world is made of.
Upon graduation, following a bit of unfortunate post-college stagnation, I began to immerse myself in the world of TV drama and develop my screenwriting portfolio.
A piece of advice all aspiring writers will inevitably be given is “write what you know.” As a writer who writes crime, family and coming-of-age dramas, realism and authenticity have always been important to me.
In 2015, I moved into a studio apartment in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, right on the corner of Cesar Chavez and Soto street. This is when my education really began. I reconnected with old classmates and began to develop a pilot centered around Chicano gang culture in Los Angeles.
I felt it necessary to take the David Simon approach and began to conduct on the ground research. A former classmate took me to a skate park in the San Fernando Valley, where I got a first hand look at the skater/tagging scene in Los Angeles. This led me deeper down the rabbit hole of LA gang culture.
My childhood experiences, combined with on the ground and online research, compounded even further when I discovered a YouTube channel featuring Ramon “Mundo” Mendoza. The now defunct channel, aptly titled Perplex News, featured Mundo recounting stories of his life, as well as the experiences he and his comrades underwent during his years in The Mexican Mafia. Not only was it fascinating history, but the more Mundo spoke, the more I began to develop a deep admiration for this man.
Prior to this I had only ever known Mundo as one of the three central characters in the film “American Me.” After discovering his YouTube channel, I bought his book “Mexican Mafia: The Gang of Gangs, From Altar Boy to Hit Man.”
Every writer has a collection of mentors they look up to and aspire to emulate. Upon reading his book, Mundo shot to the top amongst my favorites. His use of the written word, his description of people, places, events and periods of his life, are described with a beautiful combination of precision and intellect.
Not only do I admire Mundo the writer, but Mundo the man. The juxtaposition of who he was, versus who he became, is a testament to the strength of the human spirit. I have heard many criticize his decision to turn on his Carnales and cooperate with law enforcement, but I honestly believe he did what he did for the right reasons. He surrendered himself to God and did what he could to vanquish the wickedness that he had once been a part of.
Although our lives are vastly different, I can identify with Mundo’s desire to be a part of something, to belong, to make his mark on the world, as well as what it’s like to transform from someone who causes destruction to someone who contributes and creates.
I would often take early morning walks through Boyle Heights, through the streets Mundo grew up on, while listening to him talk about his life and the history he was a part of. Not only was this educational for my writing, but for my growth as an individual as well.
Ramon “Mundo” Mendoza is proof that an individual can transform for the better, that forgiveness is there for those who seek it, that redemption is possible.
That is one of the beautiful things about life, about the human condition, no matter how much we may be consumed by darkness, we can still find the light.