Fernando said he got into a fistfight with the teens but police broke it up. He said the brawl only made the resentment worse. The key goal is to get over it and not identify yourself by what people call you. Bilingual club members, including Fernando, Angie Pessoa, Martha Amador, and Hector and Nancy Sandoval, interviewed teens for the study. She and her friends said something as simple as wearing discount clothes or tennis shoes could cause a confrontation.
Police say the violence comes in waves, erupting and then dying down.
During the past two years, the Mexican immigrant and Redlands barrio gangs have shot at each other's houses, brandished guns at each other and tried to set up a knife fight at a public park, said Pimentel and Redlands police Cpl. They said about 40 percent of the teens involved have been girls, who often drive the cars or carry the boys' weapons in their backpacks. Many participants came from single-parent families and got little positive reinforcement at home, at school or from the community, Arias said. They were exposed to drugs, crime and racist attitudes in their neighborhoods or among family and friends. Teens who avoid conflict often have strong moral standards and bonds with their families, teachers or role models, he said.