Summary

The section opens with Eddie Anzora, a kid from South Central Los Angeles in the 1980s. Born in El Salvador, Eddie was brought to the U.S. as an infant by his mother, Victoria. Growing up in a gang-dominated environment, Eddie becomes familiar with violence and gang culture. He notices the emergence of a new gang, Mara Salvatrucha (MS), which later evolves into MS-13 after forming an alliance with the Mexican Mafia.

Eddie avoids joining a gang, instead becoming part of a graffiti crew called MCP (Mexicans Causing Panic/Marking City Property). With Victoria working tirelessly to support Eddie and his younger brother, Carlos, the boys are often unsupervised. Eddie frequently skips school and ends up in Juvenile Detention for petty infractions. Carlos, born in the U.S., and Eddie, who holds legal status as Victoria’s dependent, appear before a judge after accumulating...