Pedro Espinoza
19-year-old Pedro Espinoza is a member of the 18th street gang in Los Angeles, a gang comprised of mostly Hispanic youths which is widely considered the largest gang in Los Angeles. Estimates of their membership range from a low of 8000 to a high of 20,000.
That’s a lot of idiots with guns running around.
Perhaps someone who took a good, hard look at the situation would be of the opinion that what used to be a bright jewel of a city is in the later stages of being invaded. Or, maybe not. After all, if you can capitalize on racial division, there’s a future for you in American politics.
Pedro Espinoza undoubtedly felt good about being part of something larger than himself, being part of a group that is partly responsible for the migration of those with an interest in living a peaceful life out of the area.
Pedro Espinoza has been a member of the 18th street gang since he was 12 years old. This shouldn’t surprise you, as gangs often recruit kids that are much younger. Interestingly, Pedro Espinoza had been in jail up until the 1st of March, 2008, on charges of exhibiting a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon and obstructing an officer. Pedro was reported as being “uncooperative” when employees of the state attempted to ascertain exactly where he was born, claiming that he didn’t know where he was born or where his family was.
Pedro Espinoza served four months and walked out of jail, despite the fact that the day after his arrest, authorities had contacted a relative of Pedro’s who claimed that Mr. Espinoza had been smuggled into the United States illegally when he was 4 years old.
I’m sure Pedro Espinoza was just here doing jobs that Americans won’t do, however. Right?
At about 8:30 at night on the 2nd of March, 2008, Pedro Espinoza and several of his friends were driving around, enjoying a Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles. The weather was nice. The birds were chirping. The smog wasn’t that bad.
The only thing wrong, in the mind of Pedro Espinoza, was that a young black man was walking down the street.
As you probably know, there is a tiny little bit of tension between black folks and brown folks in the city of Los Angeles, especially between black folks and brown folks who like to carry guns, do drive-by shootings and sell drugs to get by.
The young black man happened to be 17-year-old Jamiel Shaw Junior. Jamiel Shaw Junior, a star high school football player who was being recruited by Stanford and Rutgers, was walking home from a local mall.
Taking his cue from any one of many movies whose subject matter is the street gangs in Los Angeles, as the car he was in rolled up next to Jamiel Shawn, Pedro Espinoza leaned out and asked:
Where you from?
Ah yes, “where you from.”
If you grew up in Los Angeles, you recognize those words as an opening salvo in what could be considered the world’s most dangerous game show. Answer correctly, and you could win one of several valuable prizes, such as a bottle of malt liquor or even your life. Answer incorrectly….and you will probably be soaking up bullets in a moment or two.
Jamiel Shawn answered incorrectly. Considering that he was walking through territory that the “Bloods” claim control over (despite not collecting property taxes or maintaining public thoroughfares with those taxes), and that Jamiel Shawn was a human of a darker hue, “Where you from” could have been intended as a rhetorical question, one which would have been impossible for him to answer correctly. This type of unfair behavior is typical of gang members, who believe that driving by someone really, really fast and shooting a lot of bullets at them before speeding away into the night is an honorable activity.
Jamiel Shaw had two bullets hit him. His father, who had heard the gunshots and had come out of his house running, found his son dying next to a tree that the two had planted with the mayor three years ago as part of Los Angeles’ Million Trees Initiative.
Jamiel’s father told the press:
Yes, it just so happened we were standing close by, so he helped the mayor plant the tree. And it was special because, you know, we took pictures with the mayor. Look at this spot now and it’s like man, this is just so sad. It’s like, wow. This is so devastating.
Immigration officials, who don’t quite seem to have the tools to do their jobs, have announced that Pedro Espinoza is an illegal immigrant, but that someone dropped the ball when he was released the day before the shooting. Lori Haley, a spokesperson for ICE, told the press:
The system is not 100 percent.
Now those are the words of a public servant who deserves each dollar the taxpayers give her.
Pedro Espinoza was arrested on the 7th of March, 2008 and charged with first-degree murder. Due to the fact that the murder charge has been given a “gang-related” label, Pedro Espinoza could be eligible for the death penalty, which Mexico is probably very unhappy about.
Jamiel Shaw’s mother, Army Sergeant Anita Shaw, returned from her second tour of duty in Iraq to bury her son.
Pedro Espinoza is scheduled to be arraigned on the 19th of November, 2008.
Does Pedro Espinoza deserve Hell?
- Yes (87%, 449 Votes)
- No (13%, 65 Votes)
Total Voters: 514
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50 Comments »
Wow. I grieve for his mother, one of our greatest citizens, and a true hero who knows what Honor means.
Since moving from near LA out here to Michigan, I have been telling people for years now that the most dangerous question in LA is “where are you from?”. People here just laugh, but it’s true.
It’s disgusting that immigration is completely incompetent at sending back criminals, but very, very good at catching illegal immigrants that ARE trying to live an honest life.
Gang members have no honor. They are just ignorant cowards with too many guns.
geeez, sounds like a mutant species from a distant planet. not the world I see from my home. I feel for the police and citizens of LA who try to live decent lives. mostpeople can go through the day without killing someone. guess not in LA!
Id Mexico does not like the fact that we exicute criminals, then maybe Mexico should keep their citizens or at least consider screening the ones that are encouraged to cross the border!
I am sure that an American committing a crime in Mexico is given the same rights that Mexico expects their citozens to get here and that Elvis is still alive!
It sounds like LA contains the front line with a war with Mexico.
The MExicans clain we stole CA, NM, AZ, & TX – I won’t argue that point, but such land was taken from who/ THeives themselves – Mexico took that land from other people as well! I am sure that if given a choice, most Natives to this continent, would choose the USA to opreess them over the Mexicans.
Anyway it does not matter where this POS cam efrom, all that matters now is that we send him to his final judgement as quickly and cheaply as possible.
Hey dumb ass not every one here is from Mexico.
and further more I know plenty of americans “WHITES”, That are just ass bad or worse . Hey idiot! Mexico stole this side of the west caost as much as your scum ancestors stole the easy coast. By killing off native americans with small pox, ” GEORGE WASHINGTON “..
Read a history book !
OH AND BY THE WAY AMERICA IS IN SPANISH AND YOUR NOT NATIVE TO THIS LAND SO SUCK A DICK.
I bet you are.
FIRST OF ALL THIS IS NOT ABOUT COLOR OR RACE!!!!! THIS IS ABOUT STUPID KID’S FIGHTING AND KILLING FOR CORNERS AND STREETS THAT DOES NOT EVEN BELONG TO THEN. WHITE,ASIAN,BLACK,MEXICAN THERE IS A GANG IN THEM ALL WE SHOULD ALL JUST FIND A WAY TO LOVE EACH OTHER AND STOP KILLING EACH OTHER. THE PEOPLE THAT SUFFER ARE THE ONES LEFT BEHIND. CAUSE THE ONE THAT DIES IS IN A BETTER PLACE HEAVEN WITH OUR LORD WALKING THE STREETS OF GOLD
You are right. We should find a way to love each other and stop all the killing and violence in the world.
But i dont see that happening. The only solution is Armageddon. Then those who survive start from scratch.
Will that even work when it seems that human nature is not just to love, but also to kill…?
We all suffer in this world. Its a fucked up place to be.
IF you believe in God and IF you believe that the bible is the word of God, then 2Timothey 3:1-5 will mean something to you. It tells us that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love and goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of Godly devotion but proving false to its power….
These are the times we are living in now. I look at the news and see the “signs of the times” the bible talks about every night.
I truely believe that “man has dominated man to his injury” ( Ecclesiasties8:9 ) and that huamns have gone too far to ever be able to make any lasting changes.
The only solution is Gods day of judgement, Armageddon….
I heard about this story a couple of weeks ago…. SO SAD! This young man had a promising future, his mother was serving in Iraq and I believe his father was a minister ( I could be wrong)…. Gang members are cowards, they are straight punks who OBVIOUSLY feel inadequate without 200 people backing them up… I hope this kid is sentenced to death and lets make it quick, no need to waste tax-dollars on someone who should not have been here to begin with…. I love it how people try to act tough with a gun, driving by people who are walking…. you look reallll tough running away let me tell you… As I said, lets just hope he gets sentenced to death and gets sent to Pelican Bay (has a verryyy high number of Aryan Brotherhood members)… they won’t take kindly to this one… hopefully there will be a shank with his name on it… as for the family of Jamiel, my sincerest condolences, your son certainly did not deserve to die at the hands of a COWARD!
LMAO…ARYAN PUSSY’S who happen to do the MEXICAN MAFFIAS dirty work in there…
Hey sunshine eat a dick .
And boohoo a gang member killed an other gang member. Every thing you read isn’t allways true.
aryan….ahahahahahahaaaaaaa
Your Dad:Jamiel Shaw was not a gang member. Stanford does not recruit gang members considering that they are not smart enough despite the fact that they can play football. BTW, profanity is a tool for the inarticulate.
You sure love to tell people to eat a dick.
Maybe you should eat your own dick.
Dick.
If you dont know how it is to grow up in a city like L.A. (South Central)…keep your mouth shut.
How do you know if this kid wasn’t a gang member himself? he didn’t answer the question when asked “where he was from”… kid wasn’t stupid and knew exactly what that meant. everyone knows that… (yes, even if you dont bang)
Shit, this kid was proabably banging too.
Having a teammate who belongs to a gang is a normal thing here in Los Angeles or the LAUSD. How do I know?
i played High School Baseball, and had teammates that had known gangs before baseball. it was the same for the other schools. playing football wasn’t different cause first i was blocking a teammate, later on that teamate would turn into a blood or crip… you need something bigger than sports to keep kids off gangs these days her in L.A., cause some of these gangstas can ball… and if shit don’t go they way, guess what?
I bet there are fucking Bloods and Crips playing football and basketball all over the US on Athletic Scholarships…they just the lucky ones that didnt get caught slippin in the hood.
I dont bang, but i have been stopped by both Hispanic Gangs and Black Gangs…
When this has happened, ive let them know “I Don’t Bang” (Gang Term) dumb aryan bitch… and guess what? I’m still breathing. how?
for saying the right fucking thing idiot.
you cant go with what the media says… them bitches are always gonna have one persons side of the story…
I’m pretty sure they left you alive coz they didnt wanna spend time in jail coz of killing a dumbass of an asshole.
ohh and BTW, how did they find out this guy did it? let me guess… one of his fellow gang bangers ratted on him?
My God, this website is depressing. Each of these people lived and breathed on this earth and are gone. I know a stranger’s words are dust in these situations, but to all the families and for the souls of all I truly feel for them.
mulled this over further as just sepped outside for an afternoon walk in the glorious sunshine … bunch of these gang thugs should dropped off on say a beautiful deserted tropical island, or on a gorgorous high mountain top, antarctica anybondy ? somewhere nature is so present cant deny how precious l ife is. wonder howd thew react? or drop them all in iraq and l etthem fend for themselves.
Gangs are all pussys, they know it, why do you think they need guns. I laugh at that shit you see on TV, they all look like homos.
– I agree with dropping them all off in Iraq, that should be a punishment for being in this country illegally, you get caught, you go to iraq for 10 years, well pay the ticket (one way) – BUT…. gangbangers wouldnt know what to do without guns, they would be fucking each other, kissing on each other; cause they dont know what the iraqs are saying, I dont think iraqs know ebonics, or mexican ebonics. whatwhat. yo
What a piece of trash. Black, white, mexican, Irish, Chinese, it doesn’t matter blind hatred is disgusting. A bright future was snuffed out over such a trivial thing as the question “Where are you from?”. What sort of stupid question is that, and more over what the fuck does it matter? Had he said “Mexico” would they have high fived him instead of shooting him?
“Where you from” is what bangers say to get you to identify your gang affiliation.
If your answer is a rival gang you’re as good as dead.
To hell with ANYONE that would be so cold.
Somebody’s life and promising future was cut short because of a “wrong” answer to a question where there probably was no right answer because race and neighborhood association seem to matter so much to these gang idiots. There’s such a disregard for human life by these gang members who think they’re above everything that they will resort to killing anybody and everybody without any remorse including children and pregnant women. I agree with CDR- just dump these idiots in Iraq and let them fend for themselves. I will keep Jamiel and his family in my prayers.
I live in what has to be one of the most crime-riddled cities in the US, Washington DC. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t hear about some jackass shooting at another jackass and killing someone who had the misfortune of standing between them. A wonderful woman I work with was walking her dog with one of her neighbors down a residential, albeit slightly infamous, street in South East DC. Some idiot gang member decided that this particular moment was the time to “represent” by killing a rival gang member. Sadly, as with the majority of these cases, the only people shot were my co-worker, her neighbor and her elderly Corgi that ended up dying of his injuries. If these guys want to kill so badly, let’s put them to use by drafting them. If you are arrested and convicted for a violent offense you should be automatically moved to the front of the deployment roster.
It is sad what happened to jamiel shaw. It is sad that young people are dying each day. Pedro espinoza should had enjoy he was out of jail with his family not shooting at some one for no reason,but im hispanic and that make us look bad because were not all the same and reading this i notice it said “Im sure pedro was doing jobs that americans wont do”that quote left me thinking and it really upsets me that people woud even say that because he was a waist of person but the REST aren’t the same.
that comment was sarcasm, genius.
gang violence is a great problem in this city, why can’t we reduce it? We have programs and a budget that is allocated to reduce gange violence but we have not found a solution. The problem starts at home, If you cannot control and dicipline and love and care for your child, why do you have them? that is just selfish. Mothers/fathers, if you are not involved in your childrens life, his/her future is that of pedro espinoza. The ones that should go to hell are the parents who do not take responsibility for raising their children. The streets will not raise them for you, the government will not raise them for you, strangers and babysitters will not raise them for you. It’s your responsibiltiy to bring a productive and positive human to the community.
BLAHBLAHFUCKEN BLAHHHHHH..
So the fuck what this shits been going on for yeasr. Last year a kid I new got killed by stupid blood over the same shit.
That so called good kid fucken star football player..
went around he’s school telling ppl he was a blood .. so like they say you play with fire you will get burn.
And I’m not saying its allright for this to be going on but from what I do know this all started along time ago with BLACKS committing crimes against Latinos .
pay backs a bitch huh..
The truth of the matter is, is that whether a gang member or a football player there is a loss in this world.
Someone who could grow and make more from their experience and teach others how to feel better about their own loss and pain.
It is a cycle that will undoubtedly follow us all if given the chance to outlive our utterances when we were younger.
Life exists beyond this and you have a choice beyond this point in time.
You have the choice to kiss your mother on the cheek before you go to bed or say fuck that bitch. It’s nobody’s guess, your experience. It is what it is and you grow up quick.
Hopefully we ALL have that chance.
Go back to your own country. Nobody wants you here. You are a worthless nobody. Tell mometa your going home BITCH. It’s nobodys fault you have a small dick nobody wants to get near it. You need a bath and a job. Get the FUCK out.
What an absolutely ignorant peice of shit you just showed yourself to be. I bet your mother is proud.
whatthefuckever, notmydad. no one, black or otherwise, was committing any crime against pedro espinoza. and even if they were- if he didn’t like it, he should have WENT BACK HOME and taken your dumb ass with him. wtf is up with you? are you some kind of gangbanging illegal immigrant that justifies your own random shooting with imaginary injusticies done to you by various other races? even though you don’t belong here so you don’t deserve any justice in the first place.
Yes your write and Im sorry for sounding so cold. But most ppl only know what their told on the news. The young die for no reason they kill each other over some thing so stupid as color and race . But If parents took the time to teach their children how not to hate this wouldn’t happen.
There is no reason to apologize. You’re not cold. You’re angry with good reason. Our local news blows smoke up our asses three times a day, seven days a week, all year long.
On the same note we cannot deny the gang community. It is real. It strikes a chord in places that used to be tight communities. People can no longer trust neighbors, not because of gang affiliation, because you can no longer go to work without your home being ransacked by your trusted neighbors. The USA has become a dog eat dog existance and no matter what their parents do, the kids have to feel an inate rightness in themselves and a certain amount of pride. When there is no parent, we find a family and we get our pride back after being kicked in the face. No matter what, you love that family, you trust that family and if you hurt my family, I will kill you.
It has never been just the parents teaching their children, it has always been the community that raises a child.
How can you teach a child about a community that no longer exists?
It seems that Jamiel Shaw and his family tried to be part of a good community until ugly reared it’s head.
Just got a mug shot of Pedro Espinoza: Beyond90Seconds.com
you people make me laugh.haha this kid was a known memeber of the rolling 20′s blood gang. I knew him threw different freinds and i would see this same so called innocent kid banging his “set” on the corner of jefferson and labrea a couple of times. Thats what happends in LA ,kids do Get in gangs for retarded reasons and they get killed for even a more stupid reasons .But in the end two lifes where destroyed by senseless acts of violance one dead and the other most likely is going to spend the rest of his days in jail.what is the real tragedy is that the media is using this horrible incident to incite more divide between blacks and latinos.its a fucking shame that they add yet another reason for us to mistrust are own neighbors.instead of atacking what the real root of the problem is its not gang violance or illegar immigration.The real problems are the schools that failed the community,polliticians who take from the community,and the media who miss inform the community.
I am not stupid enough to believe that any teen, black or rainbow coloured, who has a rosy future ahead can’t also be a gang-member. It doesn’t fit with the people trying to promote their news program, but that’s not new either.
It looks to me like some people with gang affiliations have visited this site. I think they should be paid attention to.
I don’t like gangstas. I think they are stupid. But you really shouldn’t have to belong to a certain ‘group’ in order for people to think it’s wrong that you were killed. Gangstas who are killed also have families who mourn.
Don’t hate the gangstas, or ignore if dead people were gangstas— hate the gangs. There are all kinds of gangs. All of them are based on the inherent need in humans to ‘belong’. While they tend to bring out the worst in people, a lot of people in gangs aren’t bad people.
They just joined the wrong ‘gang’. Clue- if your gang doesn’t promote education, civility, tolerance and committing to relationships wherein you’ve created a baby, chances are- you’re in the wrong gang.
c
I forgot to mention- why does it matter what the race or status of the perp is? While I think the US is clueless about illegal immigration problems, I’d guess that most illegal immigrants aren’t raping and killing people. I’d bet the stats would prove that more ‘legal’ residents are doing those crimes.
In CA at least. it’s hard to take any story that tries to tag ‘illegal immigrant’ on it seriously (sad, but it’s true that the news pisses themselves everytime they can slant a story to create controversy and more viewership). Allowing our businesses to shop our jobs out to Mexico and India for less than our legal minimum wage is not the best way to discourage illegal immigration.
None of which (despite the inevitable slant towards some hot-button or another) has anything to do with this story. Which is about a person, who, regardless of their background, was needlessly killed by someone else who’s background is equally unimportant.
People who kill other people for any reason other than defence pretty much such. Even if they are gangbangers or illegal immigrants. If you think about it, dead people don’t actually belong to any gang or country anymore. It’s just more stupid killing with more stupid sensationalized headlines.
c
yeah,It’s crazy because a lot of us grew up with both of these guys the murder victim and the suspect.you would never expect something like this to happen.although most people deny jamal having any affialiation to gangs.we all knew for a fact he wasn’t from a gang,but he did “front”(pretend) alot and claimed sets he did not have no bussiness claiming.sad that it escalated to the point where he lost his life over some stupid shit.it’s a damn shame.
well it sad really but lots of you need to understand gang members are people too, i once was a gnagmember and the same one (18th street) yea being in a gang isnt smart but people make mistakes im i right?? even murder, i found a place with God and many dont get the chance too do this but the truth is that every one dose just to blinded by sin too follow, heres many raciest comments here saying “mexican” this and “mexican” that not ever hispanic in the u.s. is mexican i am salvadoren, yes many gangmembers are latinos but white blacks and asians are gangmembers too and do crimes my this young man rest in peace and for the gangmember let him get his punishment but to find God every soul deserves more then one time to be good, and to be forgiven, my God bless ever one of you goof bye
Ahain, gangbanging is for pussies. You can’t defend yourself you might as well go hang out with a bunch of no good, wortless, pieces of shit who have no life. Yeah, great plan.
Once a murderer, always a murderer.
jameil shaw was a gangmember if u see his myspace u can tell he was a gangster not an innocent victim
What Myspace page is that, genius? The ‘account deleted’ one. You shouldn’t make things like that up when it’s so easy to check it out. I’m sure the picture of him planting that tree with his Dad & the Mayor did wonders for his street rep.
Gangs are for pussies. Guys and girls who can’t defent themselves. All pussies I tell you!
It does sound like maybe there was some gang affiliation from Jamal but I do not know the boy and I wish for him to rest in peace. I wish that all of this senseless violence would also go away so that our children could live in peace. Now, I do not think that this world is like The Wonder Years but I wish for my son to see that there are good people in it and it seems with every news story and crime that my freedom is being taken away. Our coutnry hass gone to the extreme where it seems like everyone feels like they have rights and those of us that do right don’t have any rights. I for one am getting sick and tired of it. I am ready to start stepping on others rights if that means that my son gets to grow up in a world where it is perfectly safe for him to go walking down the street and still make it home.
how r the mex american gangsters like myself suppossed 2 have sympathy 4 blacks nowadays. when all black scum from 60s 70s and early 80s treated mexican immigrants (who now have gang member kids) like shit.now they r retaliating with violence and revenge.stop the sympathy please and just let the extermination happen.u all know how they treat each other.in prison they act like savages towards each other.they r scum of the earth .at least we and the whites try 2 kill the rapist and child mmolesters.the blacks kick it with them the snitches and rape each other.enough said america and beloved l.a. county.
First off, i’d likE to say Ez up to thE hom18 PEdro Espinoza. Y’all dont get it, this mayEtE bE claimEd rollin twinky slobKs n wE hatE mayEtEs n slobKs. Y’all kEEp runnin yo mouths cuz wE bEing doing dirt n u rEtards d0nt undEstand shit. If u dumbass whitE pEoplE dont likE it dEn gEt da hEll out!!
You are not for real.
You’re as fake as a set of boobs in Miami Beach or dumb as a box of rocks.
Fuck off, Lil Dickhead. I couldn’t care less if you gangsta punks kill each other till the end of time. Fools haven’t got a whole brain between them anyways. But when your dumb shit overflows into my world and kills innocent kids, then I do care. Your balls are in your numbers and your trigger finger, but one on one, man to man, like we did it back in the day, well there u ain’t sheeet.
Do you hold the shift down just on E’s? I dont get it, is that some cool gang way of typing, Im way behind on the times… …ok, Im white, Ill get the hell out, but where am I getting the hell out of? – LA? – shouldnt it be the other way around? – Illegal immagrants should be the ones going right? – hmmmm… well, keep up the weakness of being in a gang, maybe Fagro Epinoza wont get the death penalty, and one day youll be in a cell with him, and you guys can be butt buddies.
I hope that guy doesnt get the death penalty, kids needs to be tortured and raped over and over. and slowly put to death, Im sure he couldnt defend himself without his friends or a gun anyway. so it should be easy.
Fuck E’s.. Whatever the hell E stands for, fuck em. Bitches like pedros faggot ass need to be fucked with cacti hehe. With hot sauce:p