Skating the City Terrace park pool

We were not pool skaters.

We had streets and curbs and ramps that we made.

So everywinter , we would skate the pool at City Terrace Park.

It was not all cool like in the skate videos or like in the movies.

We had to jump the fence , try and sweep up as much chlorine as possible.

But that pool was layered in Chlorine, so when skated the trail of chlorine would trail behind us, it was super toxic.

I was not very good in those days but felt that these type of opportunities were not always available.

So I would always try out my vert skills, but I was a street skater so it was just not that much fun for me.

The street skaters would always eventually get bored and go find stuff to skate at the park.

My friend that had just moved in to the neighborhood climbed the fence to the roof of the pool .

And we all started skating the roof.

This is what it looks like today.



It was so fast.(It runs from the park pool all the way down to the other side)

But the best and fastest spot is from the pool to just past the restrooms in the basketball court.

If you are ever in the area, and have your huevos on.

This is a fun place to sk8 (The pool was fun)

But the rooftops , fun ...fun...fun....

Watch out for the chota, cause they don't play.

Evilchavo sk8 the roof!

The Whittier Narrow Earthquake| Where were you?| 10/1/1987

I remember the Whittier Narrows Earthquake.


It was on October 1, 1987 that the earthquake hit at 7:42 Am.


I was on my way to school. Late like always.


I was walking down Hazard ave. by the park when the earth starting moving.


I thought I was losing it, the ground was like a huge wave.


I did not know what to do , I kneeled down until it stopped and ran to school.


On my way to school I passed the retirement home on Hazard and Fairmont Street (across the street from the liquor store)


The older people were all standing in their pj's or in there nothing, yelling for help.


I was like a zombie movie and I don't know what scared me more the sight of them or the earthquake.


I should of gone back home but did not want to be alone.


I got to the school (Belvedere Junior High) and they made us all wait in the field.


Teachers said nothing, there were no cell phones around then so we just sat around and looked for our teachers so that they could tell us what was going on....but nothing was said.


Parents started coming to the school looking for their kids .


Teachers started calling out names and the crowd kept getting smaller and smaller.


My mom did not have a car , so I figured she would come pick me up after work (or would come if she was able to get ride)


My girlfriend at the time, got picked up and so did all my other friends.


The crowd that was left started jumping the fence and nearly broke it down cause they all left at once.


I stood there and around 2Pm (My Dad) picked me up, My Dad.


I did not expect him to come , but he told me that my mom called and that they were not letting her out of work.


That night we slept in the school yard behind our house.


We met all the neighbors and everyone tallked about where they were when it happened.
We all shared our food and blankets and made beds out of the school benches.

We became real close with all out neighbors because of that day.


What is really funny to me is how scared we all were, but after that we were all like "What Earthquake? You call that an Earthquake? Like we were all badass and not super scared that day.

The adventures of super chicken part 3

My friend Superchicken jumped off a bridge.

He survived (He was not defeated)

His parents did not want to tell me where he was.

He went AWOL from the Institution that he was in.

He stopped taking his meds.

He came to pick me up one of the many times he went AWOL and we went skating.

He told me that I needed to get him a skateboard.

The kids down the street where skating.

My friend asked(More like told) the kid if he could borrow his skateboard.

and off we went.

Took the 70 to the General Hospital .

He said that he found the perfect spot for skating.

We went up to where they had the Institution and down to the service entrance of the hospital.

We skated the Hospital, the hallway...it is a short incline and then its all down corridors (you go thru the hospital from one side to the other) Fast....

All I remember is being scared of hitting someone, people were being taken back and forth on gurneys and doctors and nurses were yelling at us, security guards chasing us......but we did not get caught.....we were way to fast......it was one of the best experiences ever.

We went back to my house...he gave me the skateboard and told me to take it back to the kid.

When we got off the bus.....He crossed the street.

I asked him where he was going and he said that he had to go back to the institution...he took the 70 back to general hospital.

He told me he needed to make sure he got me back home safe .

sk8 or die Evilchavo out.

The Adventures of Super Chicken part 2

SuperChicken never let me do any drugs and rarely let me ditch school, he always stood up for me and never let anyone talk down to me or hurt me.

SuperChicken had a rough childhood , he sniffed spraypaint and never told me to participate.


SuperChicken would come to me when he was stressed out and I would always calm him down...


(He would never talk about what happened at home)


But I knew he never wanted to be there and when I was not around is when he would go see his old friends and sniff spraypaint.


One day I was in Mexico with my parents when he came around (Crying according to the neighbors) and that same day he tried to jump off a bridge.


I saw him when he went AWAL from the Institution they put him in after he healed from the fall.


He was gone, they had him so drugged up that he only seemed like half of the guy he used to be.


I saw him a few times after that and the last time (He just kept talking to himself) when I asked him who he was talking to he said that they didn't think I would understand.


On his last visit I gave him my Sk8board (He did not have one and I knew that was one of the only things that he still enjoyed doing and kept him away from trouble)


He got on the board skated away and he looked just like in the old days (Badass) .


It was towards the end of my days in City Terrace, I have no seen SuperChicken since.


I have asked old friends about him and the ones that are left don't even remember him.


Everyone else has moved away as have I , I hope he is good wherever he is, I hope he is sk8ing.

Evilchavo Sk8 or die

Daewoo lanos, Dead 2000-2008 R.I.P.

Just got the News from my Mechanic, The Daewoo Lanos is Dead!



Checked compression and timing belt, changed plugs and plug wires.



But the car is gone, Why is it that cars always mess up on me after I make a repairs to their appearance.....I just changed the cracked windshield, added a new Optima Red Top and Cleaned it all up.



I guess I was just doing the prep work for its death....At least it was taken care of in the end.



Time to fix the Lincoln or find a new car.



Evilchavo (Jinx) out

The Adventures of Super Chicken part 1

When I started skating, I was overweight, a very insecure kid.

I learned about confidence and how to carry myself not from my Dad (he was not around)

Or my Stepdad( He was not around at that time either,Until Later)

But from my friend Super Chicken (His Nickname, he had big pointy nose)

My Friend Super Chicken was a few years older than me and I remember seeing him down the street at the Mercado Hidalgo ( BreakDancing )

During the big break dancing craze alot of the neighborhood kids would turn into crews and breakdance.....my friend was one of them...they would lay their cardboard down in front of the Mercado Hidalgo and break dance against other crews.

When I started Sk8ing he was one of the first people that I saw sk8ing at the school.

After I thought myself how to sk8 I met him, he laughed at me cause of the skateboard that I had and called me a poser.

I did not even know what that meant but everyone started laughing at me...so I said " I am not a poser"

He said you skate like a poser...what is a poser? I said...then my mom called me in and I left.

I lived by the Elementary school (actually all you had to do was jump the fence to get to my house)

The next day he was on the street yelling out my name....I did not have any friends at the time so I was shocked that anyone was calling for me.

I came out and there he was , he asked if I wanted to skate and I said yes.

Then we went skating.....all the way to the Wedge (skatespot) by Montebello....7.3 mi – about 21 mins per google ( I had only sk8ted at the school by my house, street in front of my house and nothing else!)

I was overweight and not that good at skating, but my friend kept asking me if I was a poser when I would say "No" he would tell me to keep going.....when I wanted to quit he told me that I was a mommas boy and if I wanted he could call my mom.....so I kept skating.

When we finally made it there , I watched him skate cause there was no way that I could do anything at the ditch and then we went home on the bus.

Superchicken paid, I never had any money.....but the next weekend he came around again and off we went...but before we went...I was having an identify crisis....I felt Like a poser I did not have the right gear....so he said that he would tell me what to wear so that I did not look like such a poser.

He made me wear two different kinds of shoes, I wore them all day and felt so weird at the end of the day he told me that I should never worry about what other people think and to just wear what I wanted , He said to never let anyone tell me what to do.

SuperChicken taught me alot of lessons, how to talk to girls, how to fight, how to do laundry, how to cook churros,how to skate,how to make friends.

I will write more about all my adventures with SuperChicken and the lessons that he forced me to learn.

Evilchavo Out.

The Railroad tracks on the way to school

As I mentioned before ,I was a big fan of ditching.

There were these railroad tracks on my way to Wilson High that were really hard to cross for me for some reason.


I hated school, fun was more interesting for me at the time( But I wasn't always like that)


When I was younger I was a super nerdy kid, all the way until Junior High (Belvedere) I was in the chess club, the Algebra Club and wanted to be a Bio Chemist( In fact one of the only classes that I would attend in High School was Chemistry or anything to do with science and math)


My Grades from Junior High let me coast until the 11th grade.


Mom had to go to the school to talk to my teachers (She did not talk English!) and I imagine that this must of been really hard for her (I was a mean kid) she likes to tell this story :


When I went to school looking for my son, I had to go to all his classes to have them sign the attendance card and he was not there.


I went to his history class and his teacher said that he had no problems with me and my attendance (My mom was very happy, but I was nowhere to be found)


He pointed down at the bleachers and said that her son is always on time (He's right there)


Everyday he goes under those bleachers at the exact time(Right before my class starts) and when the bell rings...he hops the fence and leaves.


I liked to ditch, It was always an adventure(Had lots of adventures and met alot of really cool people)....I hated school.


Evilchavo out.

Car Trouble....Again...

Well, it was bound to happen again.

I seems I have lived up to my expectations as a human being once Again.

I have always had bad luck at one point in time I had so much bad luck they called me "Jinx"

We received a Daewoo Lanos from the Inlaws for free. (That rocked)

Having one vehicle and two different people driving to two totally different places meant we had to get another car and the opportunity presented itself in the form of someone needed a new car and us conveniently needed an old car.

I washed the new car (as is my custom) mostly to see what condition the car is in and what I need to repair or replace to keep the unit on the road.

Drove it for about a month and then it died, ....changed the plugs, plug wires, put in a new battery and checked all the electrical connections and nothing....just tries to engage and does not start.

It is a Daewoo Lanos (Not the coolest) but you would be amazed at how roomy this little green giant is. But now it is not running and I have used all my tricks and still no start.

What to do? Will see if I can get a mechanic out here to work on it.

Some of the cars that I have had have died out of neglect (bad evilchavo) other's well.....did I mention that I am Jinxed.

Here is a list of the cars that I have had and their cause of death....RIP

1) Motobecane (a scooter bike) magneto died after just a few days (paid $50 for it in Tijuana) had no papers


2) Ford Granada (got towed the day after I got it, bad tags)No paperwork


3) Audi 5000 (died on the side of the road due to broken axle),No money to fix.





4) Cadillac Deville (Stepdad sold it to his friend and never gave me the money for it) died on the way to the airport , they picked it up and never returned it.





5) Chevy Celebrity (Got Repoed, Stepdad did not tell me the payments were not being made) No money to get it back.

6) another Audi 5000 (same exact color) On our way to a wedding in Fresno, the wheel bearing deteriorated and the wheel fell off ( We hit the median , made out of oleanders and flipped over a few times) needless to say it was totalled (won't buy one of those again)

7) Dodge Plymouth Arrow (ran for many, many miles and was a very good truck) did not really die as much as we sold it for cheap to someone that needed it...many repairs were needed.





8) 1971 Cutlass Supreme (dad...not stepdad...borrowed it, the distributor was not working properly my dad was pushing it and got run over by a semitruck....but he made it...He was in the hospital for almost a year.)





9) 1999 Mercury Cougar (Right had passenger side melted) due to apartment next to us did not turn off their bbq , it caught their patio on fire and the heat from the fire melted the right hand passenger side.



10) 1964 Lincoln Continental , (Just sits there) needs power steering pump,carb rebuild,new ignition....willl work on it when I can devote to it the love it requires.



11) 2000 Polaris Victory v92c (Sold it)after many miles and riding and 2 burnt fuel pumps( bad evilchavo)



12) 1977(8) Vespa P200E ( Needs to be restored) is sitting at my moms apartment.



13) 2000 Daewoo Lanos (Not Starting)Should be able to get it fixed....won't let this one go.



Well cross your toes, hopefully will get this one running soon.....Love car shopping but not sure what kind of car to get if this one does not work out.



Might just get the Lincoln Running, :)

Sux mechanics not answering the phone....told you I am jinxed

The Vespa and our first ride together

I did not fully know how to ride it when I went on my first real ride with a group of scooter riders.

We drove down to Whittier and thru the hills on that first ride I did not crash on the steep hills....I was so proud of myself ....on our way home we drove down Whittier blvd on a Saturday night (When everyone is cruising) and at the intersection of Atlantic Blvd and Whittier...I had my crowning moment......

The light turned green and everyone took off...I was left behind.....I am guessing that I was pretty nervous because of the enviroment because I did not go....I kept twisting the grip for gas and nothing happened (just reviving) I was holding up the line....people started honking and laughing at me cause I could not go....I twisted the throttle....put it in gear and did the coolest wheelie ever....but I over did it and smack...fell on my side.

Never dropped my scooter again....rode a bunch of rallies with it....drove as far as San Luis Obispo down the Pacific Coast Highway once...was even in a magazine for one the rallies I went to. (I will look for that picture and post it on this thread if I can find it)

Now it sits at my moms house, rusting away...poor little Vespa...I think I will have to ressurect it now that I wrote this...poor little Vespa , rotting away, can't wait till I resurrect you , cant wait to kick over the engine and hear the sweet pitter patter of that 2 stroke engine.

1977(8)spa P200E|

My Vespa p200 , was the most efficient running vehicle that I have ever owned.

The coolest next to my 1964 Lincoln Continental and the most fun to drive.

I already had experience with organizing events due my fondness for ditching and the ditching parties I would have at my home.

So the next step was easy.....have gigs....make money ....get me a scooter.

I had my first gig on my birthday and I figured no one would show, but I had my friend (who was good at drawing) make flyers( he also got the bands to play for free ), (my friend that had a real job) made the copies at his work, and I took the flyers to the Montebello mall , the record shop on whittier and to some of the local high schools.

People showed up.. ( my friends were the security) and I was the one at the door getting money.

I made about two hundred dollars that first gig, (while at the door on that first gig I told people to bring their pennies and change and stuff to trade for the entry fee for the gig next week)

They did , they brought me pennies, loose coin, beer, candy, soda and other stuff.

I threw 3 more gigs and made a good amount and figured it was time to buy a scooter....I drove one once before and thought it was the coolest thing in the world.

My friend had a 1964 vbb (if my memory serves me correctly)he bought at a scooter fair at Atomic Scooters (Not sure if they are still in the Griffith park area)

I told my friend to find out if they had any scooters they were selling at the bulleting board in the scooter shop and he did....he brought me a pink index card that said p200e in red ink.

I called the # and the guy said he still had it.

Drove to Hollywood the next day and paid my $850 for it.....I went to bank on my way over there and changed my 83 dollars I had in coin and the remainder in 1 dollar and 5 dollar bills (I think there might of been 1 ten dollar bill in the mix)

My friend drove it home and he loved it and kept talking about how much more powerfull it was than his.

Got it home told my mom I bought a scooter, and she thought it was so funny this little scooter that I bought for myself...my mom helped me clean it that day. It was red (just like the pic above) but it had grey cowls.

Tomorrow I will write about my first real ride on my Vespa.

Baseball in Arizona vs Los Angeles

I was going to write about my Vespa but will save that one for tomorrow or a later date.

I have written mostly about the past so far, and wanted to change the pace by writting about the present.

(Sorry about the pics were taken with my cell)

I went to a company function yesterday , My first baseball game here in Arizona @ Chase Field in Phoenix (Been here more that 4 years and never made it to one of the games ) The Arizona Diamonbacks played against the San Diego Padres.

The tickets were Free , and we had a party suite.....Never seen the game like that before.

When I was younger I went to the Dodger games as often as possible as soon as I started driving and for a few years my friends+ my brother would go to everygame.

These were fun times, a sea of blue and noise that would drown out all the problems that we had at home and in school.....all that existed was the enviroment that we were in.

We always bought whatever tickets were cheapest and covered whoever did not have enough for their ticket....we would load up on Dodgerdogs and sodas and watch the game in peace....joking around with each other all game...not really caring about the game in general just being happy when the Dodgers won and upset when they did not win.

Totally different vibe here in Arizona....the Stadium was half full....people only cheared when something happened. Even though we had a box with a bar and food and great seat with tvs in the room (It was just not fun)

We left early to try and sit in the regular seats and there just was no action.....sad....(people talking on their cell phone not even enjoying the game)

I think I have to make it out to Los Angeles for a game (and a Dodgerdog) and some La Estrella or some King Taco or maybe some Shakeys or at a minimum go to a Diamondback against the Dodgers game here in Phoenix to see if I could get into the game with my people in attendance

(No harm in giving Chase Field a second chance)

Evilchavo out (feeling nostalgic)

The Golden Ford Granada | My first car

My first car was a 1977 Ford Granada that I bought from my friend for $200 dollars.

I gave my friend a deposit of $25 dollars and drove us around in it all day and night.

It was most likely a stolen car. Plates were expired, no paperwork.

The first day I bought it, I drove it all over Los Angeles.

Ending the day with a trip to Hollywood for a cruise in the golded Ford Granada.

On my Way home at about 3am, I fell asleep at the wheel, about 5 houses from mine.I remember thinking that I could not belive I wrecked the car that I had just bought and that I was going to be in really big trouble due to I did not have a drivers license at the time.

I parked the car down at City Terrace park on Van Pelt and ran down to Kennedy Elementary school to hide out. Slept at the school for about 4 hours and went back home to see what damage I had caused to the car I crashed into.

I was so scared thinking that everyone was going to be outside looking for the person that wrecked the neighborhood car and to my surprise found that no one was out.

Checked over the car that I hit and found not one scratch, I must of just bumped into the car and because of how tired I was ,did not see things for what they were.

Walked down to City Terrace park and picked up my car.Went home and told my mom I bought a car and washed it all day.

I told my friends(2) that I had a car and everyone was excited, we planned a trip to the desert and were getting ready for it ...when we heard a tow truck.....towing my car away because of the plates that were expired.

Did not have any kind of documentation for the car and felt it was better it I just let it go, one the best $25 dollars I ever spent.

Have had many vehicles since, and tomorrow, I will talk about one of my favorite vehicles my Vespa P200.

Which brings me to these questions.

What was your first vehicle? any interesting stories? Name it?

Roots, Where my heart grew from

I was looking at some the videos that I have on the bottom of this page that show the different kinds of music that I have been influenced by in my life and found one of my favorite songs.

When I was younger and coming from a really poor family my dad would always play this song over and over again(when he was down) or mom would play it on Saturday morning while she cleaned the house.

I heard it again today while working on this blog and I wanted to post the lyrics along with a translation. This is where I come from, This is part of the root of the root.

Gerardo Reyes : Sin Fortuna (Without Fortune)

Yo naci sin fortuna y sin nada (I was born without fortune or anything)
desafiando al destino de frente (defying my destiny)
hasta el mas infeliz me humillaba (I was humiliated by the most miserable)
ignorandome toda la gente (Ignored by everybody)
mas de pronto mi suerte ha cambiado (but my luck has changed very rapidly)
y de pronto me vi entre la gente. (all of a sudden I am among people)

Y esa gente al fingirse dichosa (an those people fake their happiness)
frente a un mundo vulgar y embustero (in front of a vulgar and lying world)
gente hipocrita, ruin, vanidosa (hypocrite people, ruined people,vain people)
que de nada le sirve el dinero (that is no good regardless of money)
que se muere lo mismo que el pobre (that dies just like a poor person)
y su tumba es el mismo agujero (and their tomb is the same hole)

Ahora voy por distintos caminos (Now I have a different path)
voy siguiendo tan solo al destino (I chase my own fortune)
y entre pobres me siento dichoso!! (and amongst the poor I am happy)
si es amando doy mi amor entero (If I love , I love entirely)
con los pobres me quito el sombrero (amongst the poor I take off my hat)Respect
y desprecio hasta el mas poderoso (and I snub the most powerfull)

Soy cabal y sincero les digo (I am honest and I can sincerely tell you)
he labrado mi propio destino (I have made my own destiny)
yo le tiendo la mano al amigo (I extend my hand to a friend)
pero al rico jamas me le humillo!!! (but to a rich person I will never bow)

Talking part:
(Yo nunca tuve el calor de un beso! (I never had the heat of a kiss)
mis pobres viejos trabajaban tanto (My poor parents worked so much)
que nunca tuvieron tiempo para eso (that they never had time for that)
y asi creci! (and that is how I grew up)
sin ignorar el llanto (without ignoring the crying (pain))
no fui a la escuela (I did not go to school)
yo aprendi de grande (I learned when grown up)
las letras no entran cuando se tiene hambre (Words don't go in when you are hungry)
y no hay quien te de la mano si eres pobre! (their is no one to help when your poor)
por eso vuelvo a este pueblo viejo (Thats why I come back to this old town)
donde la vida me trato tan mal! (Where life has treated me bad)
y esta es mi raza (This is my Raza)
que por nada dejo! (That I will leave for nothing)
aunque volviera yo a sufrir igual!!!) (even if I was to suffer less)

Soy cabal y sincero les digo (I am honest and I can sincerely tell you)
he labrado mi propio destino (I have made my own destiny)
yo le tiendo la mano al amigo (I extend my hand to a friend)
pero al rico jamas me le humillo!!! (but to a rich person I will never bow)

There is No shame in being from where I am from and proud to come from parents that worked so hard to make me who I am today.

I appreciate the sacrifices that they made for me when they were young ,I can survive in this jungle we call life because of them.

Evilchavo out.

Why I did not become a Cholo

Being a cholo in City Terrace was not an easy process to go thru.

You had to know certain people and you had to prove that you were down for the neighborhood.

You had to get jumped in(get beat down by several of your soon to be homies), shaved down (get your head shaved all the way down to a bald head) and you had to do work (represent your neighborhood no matter what) for your neighborhood when necessary.

I have never been a good team player and could not understand the reasoning behind taking orders from people that were full of aggression and only acted when in groups.

My mom (single mother at the time) bought my first skateboard a Variflex complete ($45, a fortune) at a sporting good store .

I was scared, I did not want to fall in front of people.

When I did not open package for about a week ,my mom tagged along with our neighbors and we went to the park (Whittier Narrows) there is a very private section of the park by the freeway , away from the soccer field.

The kids at the school skated all day and they made it all look so easy.

I took the complete Variflex board out of packaging , put both feet at the same time on the board and stood on it (in the grass) and I thought to myself (I can do this)

Put the board on the walkway, put both feet on the either side of the board and......smack

Fell on my face.

Then I tried to pedal down this small hill and the board zoomed out in from of me and ....smack I fell again...did the splits this time.

Did it again and my back foot just missed the back of the board and ....smack fell on my hands

I fell so many times that by the end of the day I was sore and bruised and all my clothes(Cord Huskies, Pumas, black T shirt) were dirty.

Got back to where my mom was and they had been looking for me for about two hours and as I walked toward them I could tell that she was furious but when she saw me she must of thought that I got run over or something because she just checked me over to make sure I was o.k.

She asked me what I was doing and I answered "soy a skater Ma'"

Un skater ma'?

Que es un skater mijo? Translation : What is a skater son?

Then I showed her ,I rolled down the parking lot..... she was so impressed.

She told the neighbors I was un Skater.

To which they replied "Con que se come" Translation : What do you eat that with? (Phrase used when you have no idea what someone is talking about)

Then I showed them I could skate. They laughed and said it was a "Patin del diablo"

I lost alot of weight in the following months ,got better gear and started hanging out with the local skaters that were a few years older that me.

We started going on field trips to Monterey park (Atlantic Square) to skate, to Whittier( The Wedge) , Pasadena, Hollywood, Downtown....all over the place.

When there was no money for bus fare we would skate there....when we had no money for food we would just drink water or hit the 7 eleven by the (closed along time ago) Sundown drive in (right before EastLa College) and drink the soda when no one was looking.

I was in Junior High (Belvedere) when I started skating and once I lost all the weight the local gangs would always try and recruit me.(but I could not be a part of that world I had my own skateworld that they could never touch) They would always tell me "Skate or Die" "Skate or Die"

Little did my mom know that her gift would give me so much freedom and that it would keep me away from gangs for the remainder of my time in City Terrace.

Gangs and being a cholo seemed like a really bad thing to be when I was young, but I have met many ex-cholos/as that have turned into great friends and have been in positions as executives to many companies that I have worked for and they have always recognized me as one of their own and have helped me in one way or another.

So you can't judge anyone by who they were because you never know who you are going to be working for when you get older or when you will need someones help or backup.

Evilchavo sk8 or die.

Warriors ,come out and play

View Larger Map

I was reading Violence Girl. Alice's website (Link on the blogroll) and I remembered this event from my childhood.

My Cousins have always been fighters, they were taught to be that way since they were young and when they came over to East Los Angeles (City Terrace) from Mexico City they were in their element.

My family on my dads side has always been heavy on the Futbol, Playing it and not so much watching it on TV.....so one of the other local City Terrace teams had some words with one of my uncles at the Plaza Market and they beat him up at Yolies (the bar that was next to Mercado Hidalgo)

My Uncle came home bleeding that day and the next day the cousins went looking for them....Everyone hated this uncle and understood that he probably deserved the beating but they liked to fight...so they went hunting.

I just remember my uncles and cousins loading up the backs of their cars with baseball bats and pipes so they could get their fight on.

About 3 cars left my Aunts house and came back about an hour later angry that they could not find the guys that beat up my uncle.

The next day, (I was walking home from Kennedy Elementary school) East on Ramboz Dr. then I made a right into the alley way (On my way to Van Pelt) I was about 9 when this all happened.
A car hit another right in from of me .

They were parked in the alley that I had just walked up on behind the school parking lot. My uncle was driving south on Van Pelt, after the hit a bunch of guys came out and started beating on my uncle again.

I ran home and told my Dad, uncles and cousins what was going on and they all took their bats and pipes out of the back of the cars and ran down the street to where they were beating up my uncle.

I followed them , even thought my aunt said that I had to stay in the house because it was dangerous.

I heard yelling and screaming and glass breaking.

As I inched closer and closer to where the fight was happening I saw blood everywhere and about 8 guys going at it...biting....knees....pipes.....bats swinging.

The sound of a bat hitting a bone is a sound that I will never forget.

I saw it all.

The people that hit my uncle all ran away (left the car there)my cousins and uncles all got in their cars and went looking for them (They did not find them) My dad was happy that I went and told them what was going on.

They did not understand how much my cousins loved fighting and underestimated them.

The next day, I asked my cousin if I could train with him.

We woke up at 5am and I promised my mom that I could go to school and work out(I never told her I kept falling asleep in class because of it)

We would run at City Terrace park and lift weights at home before I would go to school .

Thinking I was one of them, Hoping that one day I would get the call and be able to defend my family.



I have only seen my dad fight a few times in these type of situations (always futbol related) but always dangerous, he has always been more of a lover that a fighter.


My mom and dad broke up shortly after that and my uncles stopped talking to us and my cousins moved back to Mexico City.


I never had a chance to be an active part of that type of fight and feel that I am better man for it.



I thought my futbol days were over but then my step dad came along (a futbol ref on weekends) 22 against 1....but I guess for my step dad those were good odds.(But that is a whole other story)

Where is City Terrace?

This is City Terrace California 90063

I was born there and lived most of my life there.

Surviving in the streets of City Terrace was a day to day battle.

Always looking out for Gang members, thiefs, cops and winos.

My years there have taught me how to survive in the real world.

I thought I spoke like a surfer until I got out into the rest of the world and then I realized just how different from everyone else I am.

I wear it like a badge of honor.

I am from City Terrace.

Most of my stories and things I talk about when it comes to CityTerrace are within the years of 1980-2000

Why EvilChavo?

Today I wanted to explain the reason behind why I chose to call myself Evilchavo in this blog.


When I was a teenager I had really long hair in the front only(All the way down to my chest) and it was completely shaved or almost bald all around, was dyed Jet black and I had a few piercings (back when, nose piercing became popular) I always wore black Dickies and docs or vans and whatever skate shirt I had lying around.


I pierced my own nose.....both nostrils( With a safety pin) and my mom coming from a strict Catholic background did not approve or understand me or what I was doing.


She thought I was the devil, she did not understand why I talked like a surfer(will blog about this later) and did not talk spanish the way she thought me.


I have always been called Chavo since I was a baby.


My mom always (to this day) calls me Chavo.....she really thought I was the devil (she did not understand that I was only trying to understand my own identity) being first generation and all , I was trying to figure out who I was.


I had to go to Church (St. Lucys) with my mom and there was a small period of time when I needed to walk her to work on my way to school after we went to church in the morning(she would make me swear in front of the cross that I would be good for the day and would not ditch from school) but I would still ditch.


One day , My Friend that was no longer in school that was well aware of my daily routine....


(going to church, swearing on the cross, walking my mom to school, going right instead of left to school )


....Was waiting for me at the railroad tracks laughing and could not stop...I asked him why he was cracking up and he said that I was Evil...EvilChavo and that I was going to go to hell.


He said I needed to be a good Chavo and needed to stop my evilways....at which time he proceeded to try and take the devil out of me by spraying what was left of his Pepsi all over me (as if it was holy water) and trying to drag me back to my mom so that he could tell her that I was ditching again.


After a few minutes of trying to make me go back to my mom , we decided to go to Melrose instead on the bus. Took the 70 or 71 to downtown from there the line up to Melrose (fun day).


That is the Reason for EvilChavo.

An Introduction.....

I am EvilChavo,

Regado Y Creado en East Los Angeles California 90063.

Born in General Hospital, Went to Kennedy Elementary, Belvedere and Wilson High School....

I am a Chicano , my Parents are from Mexico (Villa Corona and Totatiche)

I now live in AlmostLaveen Arizona aka: East East Los Angeles

I miss King Taco, La Estrella, The Hat and Avalos( closed now)

I will never use the word I as much as I am using it now.

What to expect from this blog:

Random Stuff, Movie Stuff , Car Stuff,where to eat stuff , The past, Present and future......