Luis J. Rodríguez

“A friend once told me a story about a former Black Panther leader in a Midwest community who in the 1960s had…

— Luis J. Rodríguez

I worked in a steel mill, I worked in a foundry, I worked in a paper mill, I worked in a chemical…

— Luis J. Rodriguez

“you dont have solo rights to anything anymore,not even your crazy life”

— Luis J. Rodriguez

I moved into the garage at my mom's house, she wouldn't let me into the house, and the garage didn't have any…

— Luis J. Rodriguez

“It never stopped, this running. We were constant prey, and the hunters soon became big blurs: the police, the gangs, the junkies,…

— Luis J. Rodriguez

One summer I was homeless in L.A., when I was about fifteen, and I used to go to the library to get…

— Luis J. Rodriguez

I was kind of a weird homie; I was a weird kid. Nobody in my family loved books. I'm the only one.

— Luis J. Rodriguez

Nobody supported me; my family thought I had gone crazy. They thought, you crazy gangster, you crazy drug addict, now you want…

— Luis J. Rodriguez

The judge gave me a break. He was like: wow, we've never heard of this. So he gave me time served in…

— Luis J. Rodriguez

“my task is to make you hear,to make you feel ,and ,above all,to make you see,that is all,and it is everything”

— Luis J. Rodriguez

We [people] all need each other. Gangs do try to fill that void - but they can't do what healthy, balanced, and…

— Luis J. Rodriguez

I was arrested and put in murder's row. They were trying to get me for some murders I didn't do. They had…

— Luis J. Rodriguez

To go against gangs or drugs is meaningless unless this is mostly done by filling in the empties, the vacuums, and stop…

— Luis J. Rodriguez

“i'm sorry young man but the classes you chose are filled up.”

— Luis J. Rodriguez

We need more leaders among our gente - more teachers, politicians, businesspeople, organizers, and such. Turn the energy that many young people…

— Luis J. Rodriguez

Nobody had books at home. My dad was a very educated person, so he would have books at home. All Spanish books.…

— Luis J. Rodriguez

“cry, child, for those without tears have a grief which never ends.”

— Luis J. Rodriguez

Men need to be strong, but not bullies. They need to know how to not get emotionally lost in situations, but not…

— Luis J. Rodriguez

Eventually I went back to high school. I went to a coaching center in my neighborhood. I had to leave the homeless…

— Luis J. Rodriguez

There are choices you have to make not just once

— Luis J. Rodriguez

“Piece by Piece Piece by piece They tear at you: Peeling away layers of being, Lying about who you are, Speaking for…

— Luis J. Rodríguez

In order to stay out of trouble I worked in industry. You can't even do that nowadays; there were all those factories.

— Luis J. Rodriguez

“You have a worth outside of a job, outside the "jacket" imposed on you since birth.”

— Luis J. Rodriguez

“It doesn't work that way”

— Luis J. Rodriguez

I'm not against knowing the history of white people in the U.S. - that's not the point. The point is that there's…

— Luis J. Rodriguez