Drug Influence on the Island

 Puerto Ricans are known for their beautiful island, sexy music, and good Latino food, but Puerto Rico is known for their drug war and violent crimes.  In Bodega Dreams, we get a brief insight to the life of a drug game and the influence it plays on the people in the community.  Willie Bodega is a Puerto Rican drug lord in the projects in East Harlem, New York.   He tries to give back to his Puerto Rican people by financing renovation on old project buildings, then turning around and renting them out to deserving Puerto Ricans, under market value.  Chino, the books narrator, is a married, baby on the way, in community college, guy.  Everything he makes gets saved to help find a home for himself and his wife.  Chino becomes involved with Willie through his friend Sapo, but gets dragged into Willies business, when Willie finds Chino useful. Chino can’t refuse to help Willie as the reward will help him land the perfect home for his wife and unborn child.   

This drug war and act of violence crimes is nothing new to the island of Puerto Rico. In 2011 Puerto Rico reached its all time high in murders. Large amounts of them were drug related murders.  Just as the book showed the positions of the drug game in the characters Willie and Chino, models of that hierarchy play out in real life, everyday in Puerto Rico. Like Jose Figueroa Agosto a Puerto Rican, leader of the largest drug trafficking organization in the Caribbean.  He was arrested this past year in 2011, but he was the man who ran the game, the top dog, much as the book portrayed Willie in Harlem. He had lots of people who worked under him. Many whom could have been “Chinos”, forced into the game because of finical burdens. After reading this book and recently coming back from a Puerto Rican trip, I wanted to research this problem, this relationship, drugs and Puerto Ricans had with one another.  In the book, Bodega Dreams, we read how Puerto Ricans were involved in the drug war in America.  The question I want to pursue for this paper, how influential is the drug war on the island of Puerto Rico and the people, but how influential is America on the drug war in Puerto Rico?

Many young Puerto Ricans become dragged into the drug business, in order to make a quick buck for their family. Many young Latino men get involved in the drug business on the island, much like Chino was pushed in. They are looked at, as easy targets to convince to participate in illegal activity as they have no other way to provided for their family. On my trip to Puerto Rico I met a Latino male, who took me around, showed me, and described his home to me. I saw the beauty in Puerto Rico. The dazzling flowers, animals, oceans, views, but inside the beauty was death and violence. I saw men holding guns, shots rang out through the night air. I was warned everywhere I went. “Don’t stop at the red light, its pass midnight, we could be shot.” “If someone breaks in, let them. Let them take whatever they want. Just don’t try and stop them.” People were always looking out for me, one, I think, was because I was American. Second because the island is dangerous place from all the drug activity happening. The island has become a popular point in the Caribbean for the drug trade. It is right along the route from Colombia to America. Cocaine, heroin, and marijuana are the main drugs that arrive in Puerto Rica. Many of them are bound for the US.  This map to the left, I got from Google images, shows the suspect maritime activity in 2007. Though it may be slightly dated, it shows the popular routes for drug trafficking in that year.  We see how many of the products final destinations are the United States, and how many of those stop in Puerto Rico first. The map may be old, but the distribution of drugs has only increased as time has prevailed. Now in the year 2012 the US-Mexican border security is becoming more and more intensified, rerouting drugs through the Caribbean. Routes, such as the one to Puerto Rico have been successful and will just increase in popularity enhancing the dangers of the drug war. 

As we (a Puerto Rican male, a Puerto Rican female, my roommate, and I) drove around the island, and especially the capital city, San Juan, gang names could be found on the sides of the buildings. Calli Cuarto, means Fourth Street, which is a popular gang to have graffiti marks on housing complexes. According to CNN U.S., the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and local police departments raided a housing complex in mid-October with warrants of 82 suspected gang members of the Calli Cuarto. The gang was blamed for 25 out of the 1,133 of the homicides that had occurred on the island in 2011. Netas, are another popular gang in Puerto Rico. They claim the lives of many young Latinos by joining the gang life. In the National Drug Intelligence Center, Narcotics Digest weekly, it discusses this very dangerous prison gang. It now has members in United States located within prisons and on the streets. The number of members participating in this group are said to be around 40,000 in Puerto Rico alone, 30,000 in the United States and another 30,000 in other countries. The colors of the Los Netas can be shown with pride throughout the housing projects. As discussed in the book, Teen Gangs: A Global View, Duffy and Gillig describe the gangs influences on Puerto Rican communities. “It is the belief among those of low socioeconomic status that all Puerto Ricans may end up in jail at any given time in their lives.” Puerto Rico has a high poverty rate 44.5%.  That means just over half of the population lie above the poverty rate. The average household income is around $27,000, making it the poorest territory/states of the United States. With seeing the poverty rate and looking at this book, its unreal how much influence gangs have on communities. They influence a large number of young males to join, but inspire the poor to have pride when they have nothing.

The Puerto Rican male, I was in the car with, began talking about friends he had, who were now part of the gang life. “Many of the boys who are my age (22), started when they were 15.”  The Puerto Rican female sitting beside him begin discussing how it was almost necessary for the people to participate in drug activity. “70, no 65%, yes, roughly 65% of people in Puerto Rico make money off the drug business. Its plays a larger impact on people’s lives, then the media likes to portray.” It wasn’t hard to believe her.  The larger cities were filled with housing projects. I saw, for my first time, a real homeless man sleeping on the sidewalk, and across the street another homeless man was digging in the trash, trying to find something to eat. Here I was in a $60 dress and $35 shoes, I had just picked up for the night. I felt a lump in my stomach as I watched the man dig and dig, then walk away without anything. If I had nothing like this homeless man, I could understand how people here would feel like they had nothing to lose. I would feel like I had nothing to lose. When there isn’t much hope, it’s not hard to see why people participate in the drug war.

Not only does it affect the community by influencing the lower class, the violence that comes with drugs and protecting territory affects the island. “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are, you are in danger.” Carjacking is popular type of crime that occurs with gang activity. They (gang members) are always looking for new wheels in order to transport their products. I have been told and read stories of senators, mothers, punk kids, being in the city of San Juan at a doctor’s appointment, at home in the hills, or at the grocery store, and have been carjacked. Crimes such as these occur frequently and throughout all of Puerto Rico. It is dangerous for everyone on the island, but especially cops. “The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico may be an island paradise for tourists, but it's also one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a cop.” Kevin Johnson from USA Today wrote in his article. The article discussed the dangerous job Puerto Rican police officers have. In the past decade in Puerto Rico, 40 police officers have been murdered, only Texas and California have higher police murder rate. FBI: Critical Incident, mentions how many police officers must ride with their weapon on the ready when being on duty in Puerto Rico.

Police officers may have an active role in trying to control the drug war, but corruption does not stop with just drugs. Law officers have been found on many occasions to have been dealing and smuggling the heroin and cocaine. Just in the years of 2003-2007 out of 100 law officers that were put on trial 75 were convicted of police corruption. One of the largest known police corruptions happened in Puerto Rico in the year of 2001. 28 state officers were arrested and charged with drug-running charges. Police officers are not the only ones; in 2008 Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila of Puerto Rico was charged with 24 counts including fraud and tax crimes. In the same year Senator Jorge de Castro Font, was charged with 32 counts including extortion, fraud, and money laundering. The people of Puerto Rico look at this as examples to follow. They see people on the high end of society participating in such an activity with so much to lose, that if they have nothing, why shouldn’t they participate?  

            The drug war may not have been shown in great detail in Bodega Dreams, but Puerto Rico the Island, and all the people whom call it home, know this war all too well.  The small Caribbean Island is trapped due to “handy” location and its rights as a US territory. America influences the Puerto Rico drug war, as they are a stop along the journey to the United States. If the amount of money in drugs wasn’t so great, the risk to trafficking them would never be taken.  The drug war influences the people of Puerto Rico by instilling fear of violent crimes at any minute. They recruit of young Latino males to gangs. Drugs influence the all the people of Puerto Rico to participate in the distribution. It is looked as the only way to make a living and survive, yet it’s creating the violence in the country. Maybe one day the people will find hope in something other than this and this war on drugs will come to an end.

The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Junot Diaz was a very exciting author to read. I enjoyed his use of words and detailed descriptions thought out the book. The text was extremely easy to follow and fun to read. It is not hard to understand why the novel won so many awards.

The first thing that caught my eye when reading this book, was the oppression Oscar felt with his friends and family about not being attractive enough for a girlfriend. The theme of machismo is something that we have followed throughout the course of our class. Oscar’s fat, dorky, adolescence self is suppressed by this need to feel handsome and be a ladies guy. His family and friends both let him know that he is not fitting into their cultural stereotype.

So many times in the Latino community there is a big push for hurrying the process for marriage and children. I wonder if it is created by the weight machismo plays among Latino boys. My 25 year old male Latino friend told me the other day, how he was somewhat sad. He was 25, no wife, no kids, no girlfriend. He felt as if he had done nothing with his life. I kind of chuckled and told him how my parents threaten to kill me if I even thought about marriage before I was 30!  It made me wonder and made me think about these two culture stereotypes.

In the third chapter of the book, we then see how Beli, Oscar’s mother, at a young age also deals with machismo in her life. She become wildly crazy in love for a boy named Jack and begins stirring with this idea of marriage to him. Though we know that Jack is promised to someone else, we see how he fits the typical role of a machismo male. Beli shows how she, a young Latina woman, begins wrestling with this idea of marriage.

As the book goes on we read about Beli, Lola, and Oscars mishaps with love. Rather it be a Latino thing or not this theme of machismo and love, is something that we have followed and will continue to follow throughout Latinos work. 

Looking to the Island

I have decided to take the path of writing a research project instead of an integration essay. After my trip to Puerto Rico and reading the book Bodega Dreams I saw a large impact drugs had on this specific cultural group. I wanted to further explore the relationship of the Puerto Rican people in Puerto Rico and how influential drugs play in their life. In Bodega Dreams we saw just how involved Puerto Ricans living in America were involved with drugs.  (Just in the book) Willie Bodega sells  drugs and becomes so successful at it her can finance reconstruction projects in East- Harlem, then rent them out for below market value to fellow Puerto Ricans who are in need. The question I want to uncover in this research project is who is to blame for drugs being such an impact in the Puerto Rican cultural?

Pointing any one finger at a person for a countries problem with drugs is just not possible. The drug business, just like any businesses, it has an established system that runs it, and the destruction of that business is near impossible. I want to uncover through research and interviews how people of the island are affected. Thus far in my research I have uncovered how America may be a large consumer and thus fueling the drug business in Puerto Rico. Bringing the questions I would like to answer in this paper, how are drugs influence and affect Puerto Ricans, but how specifically Americas influence on the drug war in Puerto Rico.

I do not have much research done at this point, but I am very excited that a 20 year old Puerto Rican has agreed to let me interview and ask them questions about the drug war on the island. I met him while I was in Puerto Rico and he actually took me around and showed me different areas where the drug cartel was located. I can remember how scared I was not only seeing all the guns around that people had with them, but hearing the gun shots at night. Reading about the impact Willie Bodega had on people and the impact drugs played with him has made me interested in looking to see if this is something that stems from the island and if that’s true, then are we fueling there drug war? 

My name

My name is Jessica Elaine Reed. I am my parent’s first child and they got a bouncy baby girl. My name was decided on by both my parents. They picked it purely because they liked it. They did not know at the time how it would become the most popular name for my age group. Thanks Mom and Dad! =) No, I actually really enjoy my name. I think it fits me and have never felt any shame because of it. I do get annoyed however when a teacher calls Jessica and 3 of us look in her direction.

My middle name came from my aunt, my mom’s sister. This is my mom’s best friend and she has been a big importance in my life. I can remember making the trip to Aunt Jackie’s house many times with my mother. She was not so fortunate like my mother who had 2 boys, 2 girls, she had all 4 boys. My mother being so close to my aunt is what gave me my middle name.

As for nicknames I have tons; Mouser, Jess, Reed, Reeder, J-rizzle. You name people have probably said it. The one nickname I did have a problem with was Jessie. I have a guy cousin on my mother’s side whose name is Jessie.  That was the only nickname I could not stand just because that wasn’t my name it was my cousins. The funny thing that I have learned through growing up is that most people who call me Jessie are older men and woman. So I do not try and correcting them because I do not want to think I am rude. I have learned to bite my tongue, but if my brother or sister trying calling me that I always beat them up. 

Dreaming in American

We have discussed in class the book Dreaming in Cuban, but we were given the question what does it mean to be dreaming in Cuban.  I began by looking at this question not through Cuban but American. So I faced the question what does it mean to be dreaming in American?

America is the land of the free and home of the brave. I have been taught that being American means you can accomplish anything. Anything you can dream to do you can do. In many places are not so fortunate to be able to have such a choice.  In the book Dreaming in Cuban we see how Pilar, Celia, Felicia, ect. We read about the lives of these women and how they view the world.

I began thinking about how I view the world and how being American has affected my sight. Goshen College has allowed me to meet many different people from different places. If I was asked this question my freshman year I probably would not be able to answer it. I have taken classes and talked with people to learn that people go through many different experiences. America has not taught me fear as the woman in the book was taught. I have not need to worry about food or money they way many Latinos are forced to fear.

My family is a large happy family. I’m babysitting my cousin’s kids. Go shopping with my aunts and love getting our big family together for holidays. The farm helps to keep us close, but taught me about hard work and responsibility. I view he world as my playground and with hard work I can accomplish anything. Now that college is coming to an end I cannot wait to see what new dreams I will uncover with my journey. 

A Good or Bad Man

Bodega Dreams is a tale of a man who uses the drug game to make large amounts of cash to help his people by creating housing. People may look at him like a bad man for selling drugs or a good man for how he used his cash to create homes for people who needed them. Early in the week my group was asked the question of was Willie Bodega a bad or good man. I did not know how to answer that question but referred to one of the most popular drug cartel men ever, Pablo Escobar. He was the richest and most powerful drug lord ever. He was from Columbia and the drug was called, cocaine.

             Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a cocaine trafficker. He became so successful he bought airplanes, luxury cars, houses, everything he wanted. He moved cocaine all over the world including hundreds of tons into the United States. New York City and Miami were his two big ports in the US. The reason I compared Pablo Escobar to Willie Bodega was because of the work e did with the poor. Pablo created jobs for people who would have no their way to make money. He gave them money and gifts and houses to the poor people of Columbia. Hot only that he built schools and hospitals for the poor of Median. To the people he became Robin Hood. He was worshipped like a god.

            Though Pablo Escobar may have used his money for good things, he killed many, many people in order to get where he was. He shot and killed many authority figures, to keep himself out of jail and destroy any evidence against him that could put him away. Many people talked about how he killed the beautiful and peaceful city of Medellin. They moved to having the highest rate of assignation. He became public enemy number 1. So can a drug lord be a good man? I don’t believe just because you do small acts of good can change your choice of occupation, especially if it is illegal.