The Mexican Mafia

by Tony Rafael

It has been called the most dangerous gang in American history. In Los Angeles alone it is responsible for over 100 homicides per year. Although it has fewer than 300 members, it controls a 40,000-strong street army that is eager to advance its agenda. It waves the flag of the Black Hand and its business is murder. Although known on the streets for over fifty years, the Mexican Mafia has flown under the radar of public awareness and has flourished beneath a deep cover of secrecy. Members are forbidden even to acknowledge its existence. For the first time in its history, the Mexican Mafia is now getting the attention it has been striving to avoid. In this briskly written and thoroughly researched book, Tony Rafael looks at the birth and the blood-soaked growth of this criminal enterprise through the eyes of the victims, the dropouts, the cops and DAs on the front lines of the war against the Mexican Mafia. The first book ever published on the subject, Southern Soldiers is a pioneering work that unveils the operations of this California prison gang and describes how it grew from a small clique of inmates into a transnational criminal organization. As the first prison gang ever to project its power beyond prison walls, the Mexican Mafia controls virtually every Hispanic neighborhood in Southern California and is rapidly expanding its influence into the entire Southwest, across the East Coast, and even into Canada. Riding a wave of unchecked immigration and seemingly beyond the reach of law enforcement, the Mexican Mafia is poised to become the Cosa Nostra of twenty-first-century America.

Genres: Crime, Nonfiction, True Crime

370 pages, Paperback

First published July 9, 2007

Reviews

[Laura Pursell Byrnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is extremely informative and well-researched, but best suited for a class room. Not a joy read by any stretch, but a true reality check (for those of us living in Los Angeles) about the historical social structure of gang warfare, and the difficulty law enforcement has in combatting it. Kinda depressing...

[Bobby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detailed analysis of the Mexican Mafia, a Los Angeles prison gang with immense power in and out of the system. The book focuses primarily on a representative slice of the gang revolving around a trial held from 2001-2006.

Rafael can be repetitious in writing. Also, at a couple of points he seems a little too hellbent on refuting Tom Hayden's Street Wars: Gangs and the Future of Violence. I could only roll my eyes then, not having read the book in question.

[RANGER · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic historical report on the Mexican Mafia (aka the Eme), one of America's most dangerous and little understood organized criminal enterprises, as it was at the beginning of the 21st Century. I call it a report because Tony Rafael's book is built around a handful of crimes and court cases that finally exposed, once and for all to see, the existence of what had largely been a mythological construct up until that time, a huge organized crime cartel run entirely from inside the vast California penal system. The Mexican Mafia, as the book explains, differs from other prison gangs in that it's activities are focused outside the prison system (although they control much of what goes on inside in those facilities they dominate). And it differs from ordinary street gangs in that its leadership is entirely incarcerated. The Mexican Mafia is not Mexican but Mexican-American, it's criminal expression confined to the United States. And it is unlike the popularly known La Costra Nostra Mafia. the Mexican Mafia has a more horizontal and democratic leadership chain than the hierarchal Sicilian Mob. And Eme is far more violent. Much more violent than the old school Mafia ever was.
Rafael's book is comprehensive in that he delves into the historical backgrounds of many California gangs and the personalities and circumstances that led to the creation of the Eme. However, the book's center of gravity is those handful of court cases that blew the lid off the California gang and prison culture to reveal the Mexican Mafia for all that it is and was as of roughly 2011 when this book was published.
This book has two glaring weaknesses that keep it from getting a five-star review:
1. The Eme court cases are described in exhaustive detail. Since many of these trials were follow-on court appearances, there is a lot of repetition and confusion as evidence and witnesses change or are adopted to each case. Many of the names and gang-nicknames are similar and confusing, too.
2.There are no photos or charts to show the complicated relationship between the personalities and street level gang activities and how things flow to the upper tiers of the Eme's incarcerated leadership. A chronological timeline of some of the book's incidents would also have been helpful.
That all being said, I found this was a book I could not put down... even if some of the more brutal material was hard on the nerves. Eme is violent and the loser-lifestyle of the California street gang life is heartrending.
But I learned much from this book... and so will any reader who truly wants to know more about one of the most powerful criminal enterprises in California... and possibly in a neighborhood near you.
Highly Recommended for those with a professional interest in law enforcement, intelligence, national security, court cases, law, gang activity, crime, and social research. Also recommended for those who simply enjoy criminal and legal non-fiction, or books about organized crime.

[Jesús Yáñez · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 for the first half, 4 for the last.

This book reads like a text book most of the time, which for someone like me it’s easy for my mind to wander. It didn’t keep my full attention until we got into the court room. Then it read like a court room drama which I really enjoyed.

There are many typos and grammatical errors, so that was a bit distracting.

There’s a lot of people to remember, so that was a little obstacle to overcome. It can be repetitive towards the end, but I believe it’s to keep our minds refreshed.

Regardless, it’s a great book. Great insight into the police system, justice system and business practice... of the Mexican Mafia that is.

[Nicolas Gomez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found “Black Hand” by Rene “Boxer” Enriquez to be better written, and more informative as to the nature of the organization and its members. Of course, that book was written with the help of a member-turned-informant.

This book is not as well written, but does contain information that “Black Hand” does not contain. This book focuses more on a series of prosecutions against the gang. Again, I would recommend this but only after reading “Black Hand.”

[Willie Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book and all, I expected there would've been more. Perhaps, there are more books like this. This one is an easy read.

[Sean Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best reads I’ve had in a long while.

[aya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books isn't an overview of the Mexican Mafia, like i thought it would be, but still gathered a (probably) fair understanding of how the Eme operates and how it operates. I would have liked a little bit more of what it promised-how the mafia was created and how it grew to power. It goes over these things, but they seem more like an aside to the centerpiece of the book: Tony Manzella's prosecution of a slough of gang and mafia related killings. Because of this, the book is more detective-centric than mafia-centric, making the book seem more like an episode of Law & Order than a book looking to give a very detailed look inside the Eme.
Also, the author's preoccupation with disputing Tom Hayden's and others on their take on the Eme seems more personal than rational. Overly detailed at times, it can get very tedious, but surprisingly well-written and overall interesting.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rafael takes several shots at other books and at respected gang intervention activists (Fr. Boyle,with all due respect to his work, needed to have people like this author on his side), I think that his portrayal so far is right on the money. Until you work in a prison, you have no idea how widespread La Eme is. Although his report deals mostly with the trial of four LA Mexican Mafia leaders, it may be applied to any county in the US and will give the reader a good idea of how the Mexican Mafia operates. So far, this has been an eye opener for me and should be for any LEO.

[Wyatt Lim-tepper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starts off a bit interesting, but quickly becomes poorly written and doesn't have a direction towards the end. Should have been called Manzella's Final Case rather than the Mexican Mafia. Although there are a few, albeit short, interesting chapters about the structure and start of Eme. Wouldn't recommend

[Sam Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had difficulty deciding between 3 and 4 stars. I really enjoyed the book, even with the major detractors. Before reading it, I already knew the Avenues gang was the predominant topic, and not the Mexican Mafia.

The author could loose a hundred pages by removing the redundancy and the boring chapter about red tape.

It's a great book if the subject interests you, otherwise skip it.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very DETAILED book. It's a good sociological read on how the Mexican Mafia came to be and it's place in the world (or los angeles) today.

If you are interested in Gangs or Group Dynamics this is the book for you!

[Gregory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eye opening to a degree, yet boring and muddled.

[P.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book on the Eme, or Mexican Mafia and how they quietly consolidated their hold on gang power in Los Angeles

[Adam Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

not my fav subject, but great book

[Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book had such promise (if youre obsessed with gangs, criminals and violence) but really ended up being a stinky turd of a book. I want my f-ing money back A-hole!

[Raul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad but T.Raphael attacks alot of writers who make mistakes. Lol

[Malcolm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Viewpoints of EME's policies in East L.A. and the U.S.

[Joseph Tepperman]

such insider history! but spare us the civics lesson. author has to be a cop in civilian pseudo-name...

[Maxo Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great read and very informative about the history of California's gang culture.

[David Briggs · Rating 2 out of 5]

[Adan Orozco · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was very well written and gave great insight to the beginning of "La Eme". It just didn't hold my interest as much as I would have hoped.

[Joel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Less about the MM and more about a prosecutor out to take down the MM. It's an interesting read, but I found the title to be a little misleading.

[Tyler J. Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting look inside a world unknown. Pretty scary in a sense, but worth reading.