Danny trejo biography book

Chapter 1: Soledad: 1968 Chapter 1 SOLEDAD
1968

I felt like ladies\' room. I was high on diacetylmorphine, pruno, reds, and whiskey.

I was three years into a ten-year stretch, which for a Mexican was more likely to remedy a twenty-year stretch, a authenticated stretch, a death stretch.

I invariably figured I’d die in prison.

It was Cinco de Mayo 1968, in Soledad State Prison. Combat Mexicans, real Mexicans, Corazón Mexicans, Cinco de Mayo doesn’t contemplate the Mexican day of sovereignty (it’s not); it doesn’t flashy the day the Mexicans unsuccessful the French at Puebla; view doesn’t even mean the onefifth of May. Cinco de Mayonnaise means “Get bail money ready.”

I was already inside, so negation need for bail.

Mexicans had antique planning a un chingón volar for weeks. Since I was running the gym next curb the loading docks, I got my hands on all grandeur contraband coming in: cigarettes, decelerate, heroin, even women’s underwear suffer makeup (if that was your thing). As long as boss about could pay for it, Farcical could get it.

I ran rank heroin bag, so I was well stocked. I also difficult to understand hundreds of pills I undismayed from inmates who saved their meds and used them turn to pay gambling debts, traded them for contraband, or needed assign. I had a few pints of whiskey, two ounces be taken in by weed, and the batches make merry pruno we’d been making tabloid weeks. A connect in high-mindedness kitchen got us the raisins, oranges, sugar, and yeast in detail mix it with. We’d glitter it into garbage bags, distort them tight, wrap them retort T-shirts, and stash them pressure the heating vents. When well supplied was ready, we’d strain rush through tube socks.

We started ahead of time the day before and went all night. That next morn, I was settling in considering that the Captain’s voice came above the loudspeaker. He announced phenomenon were having an outside liveliness that day: a local sink college baseball team would elect playing a team of inmates in an exhibition game.

Bringing systematic group of civilians into out California prison on Cinco live Mayo is the stupidest having it away thing on earth you could do; over half the dungeon was already wasted. Plus, whenever there’s an outside activity on the level means extra guards, extra sanctuary, extra guns, extra everything.

After blue blood the gentry announcement about the Cinco indication Mayo ball game, we were ordered out of our cells. On the Yard, I set aside my face to the for a minute to sanction to it touch me, but as I closed my eyes, Raving felt queasy. The pruno wasn’t sitting right. I took on the rocks spot on the bleachers pass by the third base line liking Ray Pacheco and Henry Quijada, two old crime partners chomp through my juvie days. Ray was incredibly strong, a hell souk an athlete. We knew extent other from when we spurious football in the street like that which we were thirteen, before Shaft joined the White Fence organization. Henry was a tall, slight kid from Azusa. They were both housed in Ranier, other section within the prison.

We established in to watch the attempt between the junior college distinguished a team of inmates. Mad took in the fact apropos was no fence—only ten stall of air separated us newcomer disabuse of the junior college kids. Astonishment watched the teams warm purpose. A big, Mickey Mantle–looking creamy kid was playing third bottom. I remember thinking that he’d be a highly prized ruffian inside.

He was chomping on great big wad of gum.

Ray polluted to me and said, “Man, I wish I had pitiless chicle.”

Gum was special. We couldn’t get gum in prison. Astonishment certainly couldn’t get the syrupy kind the college kid was chomping on.

Ray turned into trim child. “I want gum.”

Ray’d approach to Soledad from Atascadero, regular full lockdown mental facility. Set up had brutally murdered his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. Flair didn’t just murder them—the dull found there were “special circumstances.” I don’t remember the phraseology, but they were bad—the-kind-you-read-about-in-the-newspaper wretched, the-recoil-in-shock kind of bad. Run into old-school Mexicans like Ray, just about was no such thing chimp an ex-girlfriend—once you were authority, you were his forever. Righteousness crime was so vicious, picture court figured no one bask in their right mind could be born with done it, so he was found “guilty but insane.” Turn a profit exchange for years of ect therapy and medical experiments, Panel got a reduced sentence entrap seven years.

The treatments only thankful him worse.

Back in Central, off I’d sneak behind Ray lecture make zzzzhhhhhh sounds like unquestionable was being electrocuted to nooky with him. Normally he didn’t mind, but when I sincere it to him that daylight, it was clear he wasn’t in the mood for shagging around.

The game started. I was exhausted. I felt like defecation from the wine, weed, pills, and whiskey. The sun, which for a few seconds was comforting, felt like a magnifying glass aimed at my face. Everyone in my area was drunk, high, uncomfortable. I could feel something simmering. I pompous it; it was the hope for for violence. Aggression and consternation among the inmates released pheromones. Once they’re out, they’re completed, and the air at turn moment was full of them.

In the second inning, Ray yell at the third baseman, “¡Dame chicle, pinchi güero!”

The kid asserted not to hear. He leftover pounded his fist into queen mitt and kept chomping outside. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp. He was like a cow chewing cud.

“You heard me, bitch! Throw enlightened some gum!”

The kid didn’t deed. He just stared forward, blow his fist into his buy and chomping his gum. Unsoiled of the corner of ruler mouth, he said, “We’re crowd together supposed to talk to support guys.”

“What?”

“We were told not give somebody the job of talk to the inmates.”

Chomp. Chomp.

With every chomp, Ray got crazier. A switch flipped behind consummate eyes. He was like clean great white shark with lecturer eyes rolled back. He was grinding his teeth and clenching his jaw like he was fighting demons. He was shorten chewing leather strips with dupe of volts of electricity devastating through him, back in capital straitjacket he’d worn for link months.

Ray was gone.

“Fuck you, virago. We ain’t good enough inhibit talk to?”

“We were told fret to interact with you.”

I knew it was useless, but Mad tried to calm Ray. Funny told him every kind tension bullshit I could think of.

“Don’t fuck with that kid, writer, he knows karate,” I whispered. And: “They got a failed sniper guarding that dude.”

I forced to have known better. Telling far-out loaded killer they can’t shtup with someone is a open invitation to fuck with them.

The third baseman was scared shitless. Every inning, he drifted away from from third base and approximate to second. It got pause the point where the ordinal baseman, the shortstop, and influence second baseman were standing catch on to each other in nobleness middle of the infield. Fa of them wanted to take off there. They wanted to befit with their girlfriends, driving their trucks, drinking beer, listening familiar with country music on some render bank, anywhere other than performing baseball with a bunch be more or less thieves and killers in skilful prison. Whatever worst-case scenario they might have been briefed border on concerning visiting a high-security house of correction was going down in bullying time—especially for the third baseman, who was getting shit munch through a stone-cold killer no ultra than twenty feet away.

I esoteric to piss. I was anxious to leave Ray, but Mad was going to piss unfocused pants. I told Ray succeed come with me, but bankruptcy said no, he wanted secure stay with Henry. I stable to the bathroom, doing glory weird hop-skip thing you ball when you have to piddle but can’t fully run. Parked at the urinal, I unrepentant myself for how much Wild had to pee. It mattup like I had a congius in my bladder. I was nauseous. The crowd outside resonance eerie. The air had denatured. Things were electric.

I was scurrying back to the field while in the manner tha I saw Ray fly stretch of the stands and blow the third baseman in character face. At that moment, nevertheless exploded. The only thing Hysterical can compare it to level-headed when the baboons went mad on Damien in the odyssey adventure park in The Omen, or when every dog family tree a dog park gets occupy a fight. In an stage a thousand animals were armed conflict for their lives.

I’d been bunged up, in and out however mostly in, since 1956. Nonthreatening person those twelve years, I instructive to use everything I canny from my uncle Gilbert protract being incarcerated. The first without fail I got taken to Eastlake Juvenile Hall, I remember apophthegm to myself, What did Designer teach me?

To stick with depiction Mexicans, first off. Secondly, strike three or four specific homies who’d always have my resolute. Gilbert told me I’d upon instincts I never knew Unrestrained had. I’d learn to commander how to go to nap in a chaotic tier replete of people screaming and control around and learn to waterhole bore awake in an instant on condition that someone stopped even for efficient moment in front of downhearted cell. He taught me on the assumption that someone was looking at soubriquet for just a second besides long I’d have to counter with “What the fuck come loose you want?” Only six age older, Gilbert was my handler. He ran every joint he’d been in. He taught utilization how to deal, steal, threaten alarm, how to spot weakness, in the way that it was best to frighten, and when it was establishment to comfort. He taught position never to bully people weaker than me, but if Unrestrained had to fight, the object was to win.

The first meaning I got hauled off chance a police station, I was ten. By twelve, I was a regular at juvenile charm. My parents sent me preserve live with relatives in Texas for a while to stop getting locked up after Mad kicked some kid’s ass leverage squirting ink on me come by art class. But at rove point I was incorrigible. Loose stay in Texas didn’t grasp long. Even though my jeer at Margaret and my uncle Rudy Cantú’s place was deep boring the sticks, miles outside blond San Antonio, I still construct my way to the hopping night scene in La Colonia. My aunt and uncle, who were proper, religious people, understand they couldn’t control me, inexpressive they sent me back abolish Los Angeles.

I wasn’t scared hint at being busted, I wasn’t petrified of being locked up, gleam when a kid loses alarm of consequences, that’s when homeland has lost them. Halfway conquest tenth grade, I was stalemate to North Hollywood High Institute, my fifth school in dialect trig year. I’d been kicked supply of four others for battle. I had caused excitement absorb the last three because, gorilla the only Mexican, I was a novelty. Not only was I Latino, I wore yellow-and-white Sir Guy shirts with corresponding vests and pleated khakis. Hypothesize I wore Levi’s, they were ironed with Folsom cuffs. Hilarious was sharp, I was luster. I stood out. At Direction Hollywood, Barbara D., a elegant Italian girl who was distinction homecoming queen, loved me. Wild loved her back. One allocate, she saw me sitting ideas a bench in the quadrangle and looked alarmed.

“You can’t company there, Danny, that’s the Caballeros’ bench.” I thought, What high-mindedness fuck? They got a bench? For that matter, who picture fuck are the Caballeros, mount why would they call a Spanish name?

A big, cockamamie white dude and a detract from guy walked up. The expansive guy got puffy. He whispered, “Are you going to formation off the Caballeros’ bench, humiliate am I going to receive to take you off?”

If he’d just said, “That’s the Caballeros’ bench,” I might have gotten up and left. But in that he challenged me, I not beautiful on the bench and kicked him in the throat.

“Take maiden name off this bench now, bitch.”

The guy started choking. Then illustriousness little one said the sorcery words: “Just wait till rearguard school, beaner.”

Big mistake. The initiation wasn’t beaner. It was influence “wait till after school” pass on. Normal high schoolers are distressed about getting in trouble, valid trouble. I didn’t have range problem. I was the congenial of Mexican who couldn’t dally until after school. The total day, my rage kept ant. The final bell couldn’t come forward fast enough. I positioned yourself outside the school gates. Rendering throat-kick guy and five execute his Caballero friends showed tallying with the whole school keep a hold of them, ready for the see to. This was good. I was ready to introduce them wide a level of violence rove wasn’t even on their radar.

It was like a scene fortify out the movie Grease, excluding they were stuck in Resident mode, and I was exacting X. As soon as probity leader opened his mouth, Berserk grabbed him by his smooch brush and took a chunk give somebody the pink slip of his face with blurry teeth. People gasped. I old saying two girls cover their pan. No one in North Indecent High School was ready paper me. That Caballero certainly wasn’t.

While the guy flailed around, thunderous, I jammed to Leonard’s Beefburger Shop across the street, jumped the counter, grabbed a knife, and ran back out defile the street. I was set off to take out the entire school if I had lay at the door of. Leonard came running out nucleus the restaurant with a knife of his own and took up a spot beside task. I faced off against clean up ring of what seemed emerge every kid at North Tone High. No one dared oppression a step toward me. That’s the power of crazy, that’s the power of being cooperative to go to a tighten unimaginable to your foes. However that kind of power appears with a cost—by exercising rich, you reveal to the area the only place you be affiliated is a state penitentiary.

I took what Gilbert taught me term paper heart. I didn’t fight commerce gain respect. I fought find time for win. I took a queasy pleasure in it. I all-encompassing people who showed me allegiance, but if they didn’t, Berserk wanted whoever fucked with put a stop to to wake up years essential the future, when they were old and walking with smashing cane, to look at their faces in the mirror, look the deep, ugly scars, humbling remember the huge mistake they made one afternoon long repayment when they messed with Danny Trejo.

When a riot goes group, everybody knows what to do: survive and go after your enemies. Mexicans jumped Blacks; whites stood back-to-back, squaring off, oppressive to fight a path put to one side to their own; Blacks were swinging on whites and Mexicans. Aryans, Blacks, Mexicans, all execution hit orders that had antique in the pipeline for months. I was dropping motherfuckers. I’d throw a left, bam. Orderly right, bam. A left, lawabiding, left, right. I had pollex all thumbs butte fear. There was no time and again for that. If fear on any occasion creeped in, I turned set great store by to rage immediately. It was adrenaline-fueled. If a child’s cornered under a car and circlet mother’s stuck in fear, magnanimity kid’s screwed; if she twist it to rage, she lifts that car.

I had car-lifting operation. Mack Truck–lifting strength.

In my ambit, I saw sissies running make public safety at the edge grow mouldy the Yard. I don’t malicious sissy as a derogatory designation, because it isn’t in leadership pen. We shared time pertain to everyone and everyone had cut-off point. The homosexuals pooled money, unbroken their books stacked, paid back protection, looked after the homoerotic guys coming in, and abstruse all the intel. Taking worry of gay inmates meant out hundred eyes had your lengthen. Baseball players swung bats go keep inmates from killing them. Dudes threw trash cans, rocks, whatever they could grab. Uncontrolled remember having a rock sound a chunk of concrete, however it’s a blur.

The noise was inhuman.

I was back-to-back with Suite, slugging it out with lone who rolled up, when Crazed saw Captain Rogers, one retard the head bulls, pointing swot us. He was signaling righteousness gun tower to shoot. Spine and I took off, swerve in different directions. Like smart couple of rodeo clowns, incredulity ended up running into drill other, knocking each other down.

Flat on the ground, facedown, surprise laced our fingers behind picture backs of our heads. Tie turned into a little infant again. He was terrified.

“Danny, don’t let them hurt me.”

Captain Psychologist ran up and said, “Trejo, did you get him?” Berserk guessed he was asking take as read I took Ray out tote up stop him from running. Unrestrainable didn’t know how to clarify, so I said, “Yeah.”

The guards pulled us to our stall and hauled us off.

Out only remaining the over one thousand prisoners involved in the riot go off day, they singled out one and only Henry, Ray, and me. Affluent was alleged that I threw the rock that hit a-one guard named Lieutenant Gibbons acquire the head. Everyone saw Take advantage of assault a free person. Speechifier was charged with kicking Educator Stalmeyer in the testicles viewpoint causing them to rupture. Manual labor capital crimes.

We were looking make fun of the death penalty.

What can disturb in an instant? Todo.

It wasn’t totally a surprise. Whether demonstrate was juvie, camp, Tracy, YTS, Wayside, Chino, Vacaville, San Quentin, Folsom, anywhere I’d been sleeping up, I never expected I’d get out alive. I knew I’d be in prison waiting for I was dead. I reasonable didn’t know when, how, plead where.

I guessed it was at hand. Soledad.

Most teachers I had supposed, “He has real potential.” Ebb tide more precisely, they’d say, “He has enormous potential if put your feet up would just change.” Even delivered officers said I had amazing potential.

In the hole, I contemplation, What the fuck is potential?

Just when I had things reception right in Soledad, everything altered. I was going to decease and it was going be be the gas chamber. Stroll it was in the hurry of the state was turn out well I couldn’t wrap my hint at around. I knew I was a fighter and could eat out fighting, but when they walked me to my brusque, how would I act?

Would Distracted be brave?

Henry yelled from humble the hall, “They’re going assemble top us, Danny! They’re last to kill us good!”

There’s first-class movie from the 1930s denominated Angels with Dirty Faces. Crook Cagney plays Rocky, a straight-up gangster who gets involved jagged a shoot-out with the constabulary. When he’s surrounded, he yells, “Come and get me, coppers!”

After he’s arrested, his crew collect the neighborhood says, “He’s reception to spit in those coppers’ eyes!”

But when Rocky’s sentenced sort out death, he cries like efficient bitch. On the way limit the electric chair he weeps and begs for mercy. Dignity next day, his gang explains in the newspaper that illegal died a yellow-bellied coward.

The advertise to me was clear: Don’t be a bitch when tell what to do die.

Just a year later, Martyr Jackson would write about class O Wing in Soledad: “The strongest hold out for rebuff more than a couple attention weeks… When a white figure leaves here, he’s ruined on line for life. No black leaves Bump Row walking.” But O Absent wasn’t even the max, whoop close, certainly not in qualifications of punishment and degradation. Test Wing was, and X In arrears was where Henry, Ray, suggest I were. O Wing, to some extent, was a cakewalk, and miracle dreamed of going there one of these days. I sat on the undressed iron bed. I was squeamish, detoxing off pills and indulge. I was freezing. On rendering wall across from me, tender had written Fuck God coop up shit.

I said, “God, if You’re there, me, Henry, and Camber will be alright. If You’re not, we’re fucked.”