Chow time meant that vast numbers of inmates would be crowded together in one room. The Aryan Brotherhood is a white supremacist gang that operates primarily within the federal prison system in the United States. Everybody knew about this scum. Yet Apple Jack went unpunished: He tithed a share of his profits to the Texas Syndicate and gave the supervisors something to crow about by setting up a guard now and then. When they got there they found Joe Arredondo lying on his back. In the Kikuyu language, "mungiki" means "united people" or "multitude," and the basic goals of the group include rejection of all things Western and embracing traditional African culture. The guard said he wasnt tied to anyone. The new boot suffered the usual abuse from veterans and inmates. The Triad is the most widely-recognized of Chinese gangs and has chapters all over the world; basically anywhere in which there is a large Chinese community. house for rent waldport oregon; is thanos a villain or anti hero There are members in North America, Western Europe, Australia, and of course, all across Asia. The members then gather a large amount of fecal matter and urine and proceed to dump it on that new recruit. To defend themselves against harassment and assault by California prison gangs, they formed their own protection group. Video cameras monitor the hallways. Absolutely not. Sandoval buckled. The ink from U.S. district judge William Wayne Justices signature on his 1980 Ruiz v. Estelle decree had not yet dried before critics were predicting that the prison reforms specified in the judges order would leave a dangerous power vacuum. The TS rules provide that the TS is to come before family. The assailant was nowhere in sight. They were founded in Nigeria over a decade ago, but now operate in several African countries. An estimated 70,000 in their ranks, they are as violent as they are numerous, and what was once a Los Angeles-based operation, now has interests across the United States and in Canada. Sandoval took a step toward the crashgate but was held back by the more experienced guard. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated, following a one-car accident that left his limbs temporarily paralyzed. [2] The Syndicate is the oldest Texan prison gang. Barrio Azteca members are suspected of carrying out the March 2010 assassination of a U.S. Consulate employee, her husband and the husband of another U.S. Consulate employee. Prison Gangs, affecting American Prisons atLarge. Our prisons, far from turning out reformed citizens, have instead become incubators of a statewide crime wave. Each society sustains the other, but the economic cycle depends on a vital link, for the supply will not meet the demand unless the product reaches the consumer. The so-called "hybrid members" allow the gangs to grow their empires with increased influence both in prisons and on the streets. Theyre coming in from work, theyre coming out of the tanks to go eat or recreate or go to school or go to the chapel, said Sandoval. Texas Syndicate members, therefore, generally attempt to conceal their association with the TS from law enforcement. The moment Garcia asked Sandoval to bring marijuana into TDCJ, it did not take superhuman deductive powers for the guard to figure out the Hispanic inmates clientele. The group was started in the 1970's in California's prison system, in response to the need for more protection for Mexican-Americans (primarily from Texas) who were in the Cali prison system. (LogOut/ The impulse is to accommodate the inmate, since prisonsspiritual wastelands of concrete and metalcry out for random acts of human kindness. Inmates know their surroundings, and they know that the surroundings are theirs. Throughout the Sandoval trial, guards on the witness stand were asked if they had ever stopped a gang member from murdering an inmate. Members and prospects are made aware that the affiliation with the TS requires their assistance with the criminal activity of the enterprise when called upon to do so and is an important step toward obtaining higher status in the organization. The steaks would have come from the kitchen; the laundry basket that held them would have been wheeled past a guard. The only witnesses who said that Sandoval had anything to do with the murder of inmate Joe Arredondo were two convicted felons: Carlos Rosas, a Texas Syndicate member who confessed to actually stabbing Arredondo but was offered a favorable deal in exchange for his testimony; and Ruben Ortiz, a convicted murderer and Texas Syndicate sex slave who was paroled after he agreed to testify. texas syndicate initiation. The following day, Chaplain Alexander Taylor, who witnessed Sandovals efforts, wrote the CO III a letter of commendation. While this may not be the only initiation used by the Texas Syndicate, it is a popular one and frankly makes the most practical sense in terms of actually advancing the gang's goals. In return, the snitch had an oversized cell to himself, plus a hall pass that gave him the run of the unit. What sustains the gangs is money, which inmates use to bribe prison employees. Now Turner could be seen pushing trash cans down the hall, twirling his knife in the air; nobody took his knife away. During August and September of 1985, a long-standing rivalry between the Mexican Mafia and the TS exploded into a free-for-all throughout the prison system, leaving eleven inmates dead. Twelve days later, Texas chief prison prosecutor Travis McDonald flew to L.A., took custody of Sandoval, and flew him back to Huntsville, where he was held without bond at the Walker County jail. But to prison officials, the story is as familiar as the smell of marijuana in a cellblock and the sight of an inmate with a hand-tooled shank. texas syndicate initiation. And call for a gurney.. Sandoval came to enjoy these moments. Again, we're listing a terrorist group among gangs, as their activities and methods are similar, but they just operate on a somewhat grander scale. To keep him at ease, the Texas Syndicate requested that the inmate return from his furlough with two hundred dollars worth of heroin and marijuana. Word spread through the unit the way it always had, at bewildering speed: Joe Arredondo was a dead man. Running Into Fire: The Legacy of Jeff Blackburn, The Apache, the Irish Catholic Priest, and a 40-Year-Old Miscarriage of Justice, An Unforgettable Texas Tale of Envy, Embezzlement, and Fruitcake, How the Texas Rangers Became One of the Most Powerful Forces in the State, How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire. I could watch him deal with inmates and think, This guy knows something I dont know., One evening, while gazing out from his apartment balcony, Sandoval saw a car drive slowly by. The Junky Funky Kids, who operate in areas in and around the Cape Flats part of Cape Town, South Africa, are just one of several dangerous gangs that operate in those areas. If he refused to do the favor, they could always snitch on him for lighting an inmates cigarettethough Sandoval didnt think either was that type of inmate. Guards could still smell burning marijuana and still see inmates giggling to themselves. The purpose of the enterprise include the following: a) Enriching the members and associates of the enterprise through, among other things, distribution of narcotics, extortion and robbery; b) Preserving and protecting the power, territory and profits of the enterprise through the use of intimidation, violence, threats of violence, assaults and murder; c) Promoting and enhancing the enterprise and its members and associates activities; d) Maintaining a powerful organization that can protect members and provide financial opportunities through criminal activity; e) Keeping victims in fear of the enterprise and in fear of its members and associates through threats of violence and violence. But he stayed out of trouble, in large part because of two hall porters, Bubba Ray Smith and Johnny Abrams. West Texas Syndicate has always embraced the spirit of a hardworking, relentless underdog. Dale Schaper dutifully typed up his report, and sent it through the proper channels. By now he was a CO III, an old boot, and he had trained many of the guards who now worked with him. Members of the Texas Syndicate maintain regular communication with members who have been imprisoned. The enterprise constitutes an ongoing organization whose members function as a continuing unit for a common purpose of achieving the objectives of the enterprise. Anyone who gets through that is considered tough enough to be a member. The roles in the Arredondo hit were decided in either the chow hall or the chapel, where numbers were drawn from a cup. Tri-City Bombers, Latin Kings and Surenos are more active on a street gang level. His mother and stepfather lived in a middle-class neighborhood, but most of Sandovals friends lived in the barrios or in the projects of Kingsville, where Sandoval attended college for three years. (This inmates name has been changed as a condition of his interview.) So wed just lay back, let him cool down. Initiation into the group comes from other members, and members are required to make a life-long commitment. In fact, his disciplinary record was almost spotless, and he enjoyed the privileged position of commissary clerk. Like any good criminal organization, there is an interesting ritual for all new members, although there are some variations for different chapters. The power of the Texas Syndicate is utilized to create fear and intimidation that shields members, ensures the timely payment of drug debts, and prevents the theft of members drugs or money. When Vicente and his friend Armando Garciaalso a pleasant, nonconfrontational fellowbegan to ask Sandoval if he had a light, the guard refused at first, and finally decided, after repeated requests, what the hell. Rank is taking care of them.. Federal, state and local authorities have arrested 17 members and associates of the Texas Syndicate in connection with a methamphetamine/heroin trafficking operation in central Texas announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash, FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw, and Gonzales Police Chief Tim Crow. The gang also allies with other gangs including the Mexican Mafia and MS-13. They now have allegiances with other gangs and have a membership in the thousands throughout the southern United States. The guards were hired. By that time, things were quiet again at Ellis I. Garcia would later say that he told Sandoval shortly after the Arredondo murder, Man, youre in deep shit. [1] Gang members smuggle multikilogram-quantities of powdered cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, and multiton-quantities of marijuana from Mexico into the U.S. for distribution inside and outside prison. He would stand at the searchers desk like he was running the building, Sandoval said. Lighting an inmates cigarette is considered an act of friendship or favoritism, and favoritism is forbidden by TDCJ rules. The gang mostly deals drugs, with Oxycontin, heroin, and crack being the big ticket money-makers. While gang activity is widespread, only about 15 percent have more than 11 members. And Sandoval welcomed his company. The inmates handed Sandoval a letter, wondering if the guard could mail it for them. Theyre gonna be looking at you, and all that stuff in the past is gonna come up. Drugs come from the free world. Sometimes, members who have a problem or muleta that they need to work off in order to achieve better status with the TS are called upon to perform the ordered task. Convicts made primitive ovens out of foil-lined cardboard boxes equipped with a light bulb, and cooked deer or rabbit killed by inmates working in the fields. The next day, Sandoval recalled, I walked into work feeling good. For several days, Sandoval read the Bible and considered his options. The corridor where Joe Arredondo was murdered is now permanently guarded. Today, Sandoval says he mailed the letter and others like it with a kind heart but with bad judgment. And in an institution where judgment allowed some inmates to flaunt dangerous weapons while officials looked the other way, mailing the letter seemed like a minor transgression. When cocaine is available, the supplier might tell his customers that he had work available. 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