My friends tell me that I take too long to tell stories. They ask when I start a story whether this will be like “Pebbles,” the infamously long report I provided during our first semester of college about a hangout with a crush that involved tossing pebbles, but didn’t include even a kiss. “Don’t give us the Pebbles version,” they say. “Just tell us what happened.”
I still find myself in the middle of unnecessarily long stories with some frequency. I’m particularly self conscious about it when trying to explain the most complicated and unusual part of my life. It’s often easier just to avoid telling it altogether.
That’s why most people don’t really know the whole story of my relationship to the Almighty Latin King & Queen Nation and its leader, except for maybe those who were there.
How could a white kid from Massachusetts at a small, private college in the South end up being so close to a Latino “gang leader” with teardrop tattoos on his face, a man now serving almost three decades in federal prison? It was a lot easier than I expected, actually, and if you’ll give me the time to explain, it’s actually a pretty good story.
The summer of 2008 was a hot one in North Carolina, unbearably so for a kid spending the season away from home in Massachusetts for the first time. It was the summer after my sophomore year in college, and when I wasn’t working a shift at the Juice Shop smoothie joint, babysitting or at the short-lived Key Valet company in downtown Greensboro, I tried to move as little as possible.
Living with three other students who wanted to save money by skimping on air conditioning led to a lot of movies in the dark. It’s not hyperbolic to say that one film that I bought online that summer changed my life: Black and Gold: The Story of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation.
I’d seen a few documentaries about the Bloods and the Crips before, but what made this film stand out were the in-depth interviews with Latin Kings and Queens as they explained their desire to transform from a street gang into a political movement. It was the mid 1990s in New York City, and after the group’s key leadership was locked up, the younger leaders decided to emulate militant community groups, such as the Young Lords or the Black Panthers from earlier generations,. They became the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, eschewing guns, drugs and violence but keeping their colors and organizational structure while pushing for social change.
The police didn’t buy it, but despite massive raids on ALKQN members, they came up empty-handed again and again. I was transfixed, fascinated by the footage of people flashing Latin King signs and wearing black and gold as they marched in political demonstrations. Too bad it was more than 10 years old and hundreds of miles away.
After the arrest Jay was put on a 6 p.m. curfew despite the minimal charge, an action that is usually reserved for minors or serious offenders and one that we took as an affront to his city council campaign.
The whole incident, like most of the ALKQN’s interactions with the police, reeked of BS. At trial, an officer testified that the camera I used to film the incident was one of those bulky, shoulder-mounted behemoths that TV news crews use. It was actually a small digital camera that fit in my pocket, one that I kept there daily next to my wallet so that I could document the campaign for the Cornell for Council website I had created.
Just another example of police lying with an ulterior motive, I thought. I called the police department the night of his arrest and asked to file a complaint. Nobody ever followed up with me about it. I shouldn’t be surprised, I remember telling friends.
On our recent visit my friend and I lingered near the snack machines along the side wall to give Jay a chance to be alone with his daughters. They’re too young to drive up alone, so this is the closest they can come to privacy. Since I last saw him he’s gotten two big tattoos of their faces on his forearm, and we all joked about how hairy their images appear.
We took turns playing chess and checkers from a small stack of available games. When we walked to the corner to have our picture taken together, Jay told us the inmate with the camera was one of the star players on the softball team Jay coached.
I’ve been inside a prison before, albeit a minimum-security one, as part of a literacy and discussion group volunteer project at Guilford College. But I had no context of those guys in the outside world, only ever knowing them in their green prison pants.
Seeing someone you know in prison shakes you. It’s most jarring at the end of the visit, when you’re pulled back into reality by the guards who split the room into lines on opposite sides of the room. You stand there, staring across the gulf, waiting for a guard to hand you back your driver’s license, and try to act normal.
As the guards signaled the end of visitation that Sunday, Jay joked that now it was time for his favorite part of the visit — a strip and full cavity search. But, he said in a more serious tone, it was absolutely worth it.
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Excellent writing . Excellent story. I will continue to follow King Jay in the hopes he gets justice.
Will follow myself, but justice in America comes with money and I hope Jay has some because he will need it.
Injustice also comes with money.
i was once a latin king member under him! he used all them ppl to get what he wanted! he was sending us on dummy missions for his benefit! that mothafuka was fake as hell! squrl was to the only one that dint deserve to go down for him! jay was worse he deserve where he at! thats why everyone turned on him! he fooled all them people in the beloved community center and all them ppl we was going to them meetings and doing crimal activity when they where not around.. i wish ppl knew who king jay really was..
Good story, Eric! –Abby
I still don’t understand how people defend gangs and try to put a positive spin on thugs. The Latin Kings are one of the most dangerous gangs up north and west. Look up their “peaceful and nonviolent” machete murders and the like. This is nothing but liberal trash.
I like the story and met and talked with George a few times, he always treated me with respect as I did him. I don’t know if all the stuff he was convicted of is true but the government would never set someone up, would they. As per Tom’s comment, well I understand his anger but world governments and including ours has murdered many people over the years, look at how many bombs we drop and how many innocent people have been killed, I guess kill one you are a murder, kill a million a conquer. I think if George is serious then we as a society need to let him do his thing and try to end gang violence, if he is not serious then God and the Courts can judge him, but for now let him try to help.
How does one actually find the Latin Kings? They must be in the Yellow Pages.
I used to be a part of this. You’re ignorant for thinking these Guys aren’t violent criminals that corrupt young people. I’ve seen first hand how brutal they can be. you “privileged white people” are too easily mislead.
To bad you people don’t know half the truth. Did anyone ask, with a brain, why he didn’t join a big brother and big sister? Why the latin kings and queens? In other interviews Jorge said things like body guards so he can sleep. Am I missing something? Look if you think gang life is the way to go so be it. And his life isn’t as bad as he makes it out to be. And I’m surprised the reporter didn’t do any research into Jorges past.
My sister works for Big Brothers Big Sisters, and I have nothing negative to say about the organization. But it’s obviously not as simple as you’re pretending it is.
If you read the whole piece, you’d know that I was by Jorge’s side for years. I have no idea what interviews you’re talking about, and I was generally sitting there with him during the interviews. At the very least I was aware of all of them and read them afterwards, but I usually had a hand in setting them up or attended the press conference.
His life isn’t as bad as he makes it out to be?? He’s in federal prison for more that two decades in a different state than his family. What could you possibly mean by that?
Mr. Ginsburg I’m sure when you talk to your sister you don’t publish it. I’m sure you can see by my last name you might’ve put it together. I used big brother and big sister an alternative.
Mr. Cornell, I’m interested in talking to you about Jorge Cornell and the Latin Kings. Please email me at [email protected]. Thanks.
You don’t know.half the story white boy Shit was hot way before 2008 and only started with 7of us don’t believe half.the Shit you see he is a very smart guy he lets you see what he wants and puts out a image for.the people. I was one of those original 7
Not true keep your mouth shut.
Very interesting, may God bless you all!