In one of the many moments I spend in front of the television, I caught the History channel’s Gangland. “Gangland takes to the American streets and goes inside prisons to reveal the most violent and influential gangs of our time.” Which for the most part is true.

Growing up I never realized that my Grandparent’s house was in a gang area. I grew up surrounded by Fullerton Tokers Town cholos. I occasionally saw some graffiti but never thought anything of it. As I grew older, the boys in the neighborhood started getting more into it; tattoos, colors, going off to juvi and jail. Then, I moved away.

When I returned to California, I realized my Grandparents had slight accents, they lived below the tracks (train tracks) and there were vatos watching every move in the ‘hood. When I would come home on break, from being at the university in NY, they would cross the street to where I was getting out of the car (not realizing it was me) and try to find out what I was doing there.

Vato: Whatchu doin’ in thees area?
Me: What is it of your business?
Vato: Who are chu hear to see?
Me: Like I said, and what is your name?
Vato: Robert LastNameInsertHere, why are you coming to this house?
Me: uh huh, and who is your dad?
Vato: Michael.
Me: Well, Robert – I’m your cousin. Popa (insert my Grandfather’s actual name) is my grandfather, get back over across the street before I tell your dad you were over here harassing me.

Anyway. I digress, getting to my point. BF and I were watching Gangland – episode: Highway to Hell. They pulled up a map of the area of Los Angeles I work in – Glassell Park. For an hour the show goes on to tell about the Avenues gang. Damn, they are some scary, volatile gangsters.

As we are watching, BF notices my work building – shown twice. Clear shots of it! It chronicled the shooting and the man running around the neighborhood with an AK-47 (my second week of work) when we were under tactical lock down and the 500 federal and local agent response to that a few months later.

The neighborhood, like my Grandparent’s, doesn’t really bother me. But now I notice a little difference in the area, the tagging, and the Abuelitas that could be selling drugs or packing heat.