Pubdate: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 Source: Boston Globe (MA) Copyright: 1999 Globe Newspaper Company. Contact: http://www.boston.com/globe/ Author: Cindy Rodriguez NEW YORK GANG LATIN KINGS SAYS IT'S REFORMED; AUTHORITIES DOUBTFUL BOSTON -- They shot enemies at point-blank range, sliced gang tattoos off the arms of members who crossed them, and recruited children to peddle crack cocaine. But leaders of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation say they have buried their past. No more drugging and thugging. They say they are transforming into a political force that will push members to educate themselves so they can fight government, police brutality, and corporate America. That's the message several Kings and Queens from the New York City group brought to the Harvard Film Archives Thursday during the premiere of their documentary Black & Gold. But some Hispanic elders say they do not see evidence that the Kings in Massachusetts have changed. In the last year, police have charged Latin Kings throughout the state with crimes, most of them drug offenses. Police say there are as many as 2,000 members, with the strongest hold in the western part of the state, in cities such as Springfield and Holyoke. They see the local screening as a ploy to recruit. "They hand out recruitment fliers saying they are against violence, then at the next meeting they'll administer beatings," said Detective Lt. Thomas J. Quiggley of the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit. Distrust Remains But some Hispanics are reluctant to accept the Kings' claims. "I don't trust gangs, period," said Reyito Santiago, a director of the Roberto Clemente Baseball League in Bosto's Roxbury neighborhood. His nephew, Victor Roman, was stabbed to death by a gang member in 1990. To him, all gangs represent evil. "If they're trying to change, I wish them luck." William Rodriguez, executive director of the Crime and Justice Foundation, an agency that advocates for criminal justice reform, said he doubts that gangs can change. But Willie Morales, a Boston YMCA director, a former member of the X-Men gang, said he believes the Kings. "I saw them at a public speakout in New York City a year and a half ago. It was a pretty positive event. I saw it as legit from the get-go," Morales said. "I admire them. They're not saying we're former Latin Kings. They are saying, `We are Latin Kings.' They're not trying to hide their past. I think their past makes them more credible with young people." For many followers, the gang's past is alluring as well. Kings use hand signs and chant "Amor de rey" (King love), which boosts gang members' egos. They wear gold and black, colors they say symbolize life and death. The males are kings, and females are queens, titles that create pride. Specialists say young people are mostly attracted to gangs because youths want to belong to an accepting peer group. A charismatic leader, they say, can persuade members to do almost anything -- from the most heinous acts to the kindest ones. 'We're Not Scouts' For Hector Torres, who described himself as one of the leaders of the New York City Latin King and Queen Nation, the Kings are following in the tradition of the Young Lords, a group that changed from a street gang to a political organization. "We welcome people to question our past, our violent past. We're not saying we're Boy Scouts," Torres said. "Recognize, too, that America has the most violent past." Torres said he tells members, who number more than 3,000 in New York City alone, to stay in school, do their homework, stay away from drugs. He says Kings check up on one another, to make sure they are not cutting school. Older Kings mentor younger ones. In recent years, they have marched in rallies in New York, most of them demonstrations against police brutality. Torres speaks out against what he calls America's investment in prisons, and policies that continue to ensure that prisons are filled. But most of what is shown during the 74-minute documentary is individuals such as the Rev. Al Sharpton and Richie Perez, the national director of the Congress of Puerto Rican Rights, speaking highly of Latin Kings. It was produced by Big Noise Films, which was created by two Harvard students, Rick Rowley, who is studying film, and Jacquie Soohen, who is studying political science. They spent more than a year and $5,000 of their own money making the film. "They have a kind of unity and power and a love that's difficult to find anywhere," Rowley said. Antonio "King Tone" Fernandez, the former leader who is awaiting sentencing on charges of conspiracy to sell drugs, gets most of the screen time. He says things such as, "We are not minorities any longer. Once you become a Latin King. We are the majority, and we are not only the majority, we are royalty." Torres, 40, said there is a struggle brewing in the New York City Kings, with some members pushing for a violent direction. "The battle becomes between the good and the bad," Torres said. "There will always be a struggle for control of power, whether it's the Girl Scouts, IBM or the Latin Kings." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake