  piri thomas (september 30, 1928 â october 17, 2011) was a writer and poet whose memoir down these mean streets became a best-seller. ==early years== thomas (birth name: juan pedro tomas) was born to a puerto rican mother and cuban father. his childhood neighborhood in the spanish harlem section of new york city was riddled with crime and violence. according to thomas, children were expected to be gang members at a young age, and thomas was no exception. thomas was also exposed to racial discrimination because of the color of his skin and because he was hispanic."discrimination, evasion, and livability" by marta s. rivera monclova, 2013; a dissertation on discrimination against new york puerto ricans as portrayed in "down these mean streets" by piri thomas and "yo-yo boing!" by giannina braschi. proquest.com he was always referred to as black despite his puerto rican heritage because of his skin color (down these mean streets) life and flow thomas was involved with drugs, gang warfare and crime. while spending seven years in prison, thomas reflected on the teachings of his mother and father, and realized that a person is not born a criminal. consequently he decided to use his street and prison know-how to reach at-risk youth, and to help them avoid a life of crime. ==down these mean streets== in 1967, thomas received funds from the rabinowitz foundation to write and publish his best-selling autobiography down these mean streets. the book describes his struggle for survival as a puerto rican/cuban born and raised in the barrios of new york. it has been in print for 45 years. his other works include savior, savior hold my hand; seven long times; and stories from el barrio.official thomas website ==later years== thomas was influential in the nuyorican movement which included poets pedro pietri, miguel algarin, and giannina braschi, who wrote of life in new york city using a mix of english and spanish."hispanic usa: literature, music, and language," ilan stavans; "the cambridge companion to modern latin american culture" edited by john king, cambridge, 2004."charming or frightening?/encanto o espanto?: identitidad y naciÃ³n en la novela puertorriqueÃ±a actual" by kristian van haesendonck, iberoamericana, madrid, 2008. thomas worked on a book tit
1928_births 2011_deaths American_people_of_Puerto_Rican_descent American_poets Deaths_from_pneumonia Hispanic_and_Latino-American_autobiographers People_from_New_York_City