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The Black Hand: The Bloody Rise and Redemption of "Boxer" Enriquez, a Mexican Mob Killer | 
| Author: Chris Blatchford
Publisher: William Morrow
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $12.00
You Save: $13.95 (54%)
New (23) Used (7) from $12.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 1406
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4
ISBN: 006125729X
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.1092
EAN: 9780061257292
ASIN: 006125729X
Publication Date: October 1, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
An astonishing and groundbreaking look at the Mexican Mafia, The Black Hand is an unprecedented story of depravity, violence, and redemption Rene "Boxer" Enriquez grew up on the violent streets of East L.A., where gang fights, robberies, and drive-by shootings were fueled by rage, drugs, and alcohol. When he finally landed in prison—at the age of nineteen—Enriquez found an organization that brought him the respect he always wanted: the near-mythic and widely feared Mexican Mafia, La Eme. What it saw in Enriquez was a young man who knew no fear and would kill anyone—justifiably or not—in the blink of an eye. That loyalty and iron will drove him up the ranks as a mob enforcer and ultimately to the upper echelons, where he would help rule for nearly two decades. He helped La Eme become the powerful and violent organization that it is now, with a base army of approximately sixty thousand heavily armed gang members who control the prison system and a large part of California crime. Arguably the most dangerous gang in American history, its reach is growing. And now award-winning investigative journalist Chris Blatchford, with the unprecedented cooperation of Rene Enriquez, reveals the inner workings, secret meetings, and elaborate murder plots that make up the daily routine of the Mafia brothers. It is an intense, never-before-told story of a man who devoted his life to a bloody cause only to find betrayal and disillusionment. After years of research and investigation, Blatchford has delivered a historic narrative of a nefarious organization that will go down as a classic in mob literature.
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 Who wrote this? Certainly not Boxer... October 7, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
For more than a decade the name Boxer carried weight from the streets of Southern California through the cell blocks of the nations largest and most sophisticated prison system. Having viewed the build up to the release of Black Hand, I fully expected this book to be an action packed first person retelling of the life, times and crimes of one Rene "Boxer" Enriquez. What I found instead was an author referring to CDC, district attorney, police, FBI files and media accounts for much of the information contained within. Why promote this as an autobiography when most of the story telling is done by Blatchford? It appears as though the extent of Boxer's involvement was lending his name and reputation to a project which reads more like a CDC hand book or mission statement than a true retelling of Enriquez's involvement with the Mexican Mafia. Certainly there are nuggets interspursed here and there but again it is hard to discern if these are statements the author lifted from Boxer's debriefing interviews or if Enriquez actually wrote or participated in interview sessions which formed the book.
Obviously Rene brings a level of credibility to the project which is unmatched. The book is most interesting in the areas where Rene's story is told. It is here where you got what you pay for with the recalling of people and events in a rapid fire action packed manner which keeps the reader engrossed with tales of betrayal, intrigue and prison gang politics.
Rene's admission that the Mexican Mafia's "well oiled" criminal syndicated is administered by leaders "most of whom suffer from serious drug or psychological problems," may surprise some but fits the profile perfectly of most repeat offenders in California prisons. The book details Enriquez's own battle with heroin addiction which at one point left him near death on the floor of an L.A., county jail cell.
Other high points include the exploits of Bat Marquez, Chuy Martinez and Topo Peters, not to mention revelations that the brothers routinely break most of the rules they ridgedly enforce with ruthless efficiency on those who due their bidding or seek their favor behind bars. Infighting, politics and competition could ultimately topple what is often touted as California's dominant criminal organization.
The low point of the book coincidently comes toward the end where the author begins to espouse the right-wing rhetoric synonymous with the California Department of Corrections. It is doubtful that a man who has spent as much time in solitary confinement as Enriquez would wish that sort of torture on his worst enemies unless of course he remains the amoral personification of evil the CDC portrayed him as before his denunciation of the brothers he loved so until he politicked himself into the hat. Whatever the case the 7 "suggestions" attributed to the books namesake are policies which the CDC employed long before Enriquez became a "good guy."
1. View the Mexican Mafia as organized crime and a domestic terrorist group. - The justice department already considers all street gangs as criminal organizations which make them eligible for prosecution under the RICO act and the Department of Homeland Security, again views street gangs as domestic terror organizations "See the El Rukn case."
2. Shut off Mafia communications "using injunctions." - The federal government authorized a study of the use of injunctions to study the impact they had on curbing gang crime. The study found they were most effective spreading crime to neighboring communities and neighborhoods.
3. Totally isolate Eme members in prison. - This was the justification for SHU units several years ago. Currently the most secure SHU unit is at Pelican Bay a place the ACLU and United Nations denounced as cruel and unusual punishment. This book details the methods in which prisoners secret messages in and out of the system despite the best efforts to stop them. Or we have a problem with those policing the prisoners, you be the judge.
4. Prevent Eme members from receiving money. - Not a problem but that increases the amount of money the state has to pay toward inmate goods such as tooth paste and other personal items.
5. Seize the funds Eme members have in prison trust accounts. - There was never any need to allow them to have trust accounts to begin with.
6. Prosecute Wives, girlfriends and family members as co-conspirators. - This is already being done "see the case of Sally Peters."
7. Prosecute all in custody for criminal conduct, including murders and cold cases. - This has no impact upon inmates serving multiple life sentences "see the comments of Tupi Hernandez." A death penalty also has no impact upon an inmate serving multiple life sentences considering he will probably receive more freedom on Death Row than in a SHU setting.
8. Seek capital punishment for murders. - This is already an option that most DA's allow the inmates to plea out of. Unless a change in the judicial system occurs this is nothing more than political posturing. I believe this was thrown in to start a debate on reducing the amount of time California inmates spend awaiting execution.
As you can see the book is filled with interesting tidbits as well as interesting insight into the mind of those who run the nations most populous and profitable prison industry. Consider the importance of promoting increasingly draconian prison policies in a time of economic insecurity. Law enforcement is one of the few areas taxpayers are willing to part with millions of dollars "Pelican Bay consumed $218 million tax dollars to build and the state spends an additional $115 +- million a year to operate it." Coupled with the fact that prison industry is one of the top two industries in the country in terms of revenue generated with a growth rate of 6 % annually, then there is no question that we will continue to see more CDC generated manifestos to justify the incarceration of 2 million people nationwide.
Very Powerful! October 2, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
My first acquaintence with Rene Enriquez came in the early 1990's, during a week-long, Chris Blatchford exclusive on the Mexican Mafia.
In that early 90's report, Blatchford revealed 'Boxer' as a cold-hearted Eme leader who (during his double-murder, double-attempted murder trial) turned calmly toward the camera lens of a courtroom news crew and broke into 'shoulder -shaking laughter'. Since then, I have been anxious to know more about this man.
Like Blatchford himself, I too was floored when I learned (a few years ago) that Rene Enriquez had chosen to 'debrief' and to turn aside from his Gang. After all, not only had 'Boxer' previously demonstrated the Can't-stop-won't-stop mentality of a loyal Eme soldier (by laughing in the face of a possible death penalty situation) but had also risen through the ranks of Eme leadership to the highest echelons of Mafia power.
Blatchford's long-anticipated book on Rene Enriquez does not, by any means, disappoint! To the contrary, it is perhaps the best first-hand account of the Eme's power, influence, ruthlessness and depraved potential in print today. (While "Mundo" Mendoza's seminal work provides an in-depth understanding and historical background of the first 25 years of the Eme's existence, Blatchford/ Enriquez bring readers up to speed on 'M' into the 21st century)
Blatchford covers Rene Enriquez from his childhood in Cerritos (then surrounded by dairy farms) to his initiation (following his older brother's footsteps) into 'Arta/ Artesia X3', to his teenage years gang-banging against the likes of Hawaiian Gardens, Tokers Town & Norwalk, getting high, doing robberies and growing increasingly rebellious against his parents and against authorities.
Blatchford follows Rene's graduation from Los Padrinos to Boys Republic to OC County Jail to Soledad, San Quentin & beyond. Rene speaks at length about his relationships with Eme leaders like "Black Dan" Barela who "read his Bible every day, but yet had a kill-first-talk-about-it-later attitude", "Topo" Peters who, after stabbing "Mon" 26 times in the LA County Jail's attorney room, urged "Boxer" to 'just plead guilty so we can go to our cells at Pelican Bay and watch color TV'.
He talks about the execution of Nico Velasquez for converting from Eme to Christianity (an action which Rene Enriquez himself disagreed with strongly), and about "Kilroy" Roybal's conversion to Christianity after being stabbed in Tehachapi, and a plethora of other interesting facts.
So much more can be said about Rene Enriquez's evolution/ redemption and about Blatchford's book. Much more than a mere book review can capture. The thing that struck me hardest, perhaps, was how utterly contrary to the popular/ romanticized version of Mafia the actual reality is.
Contrary to the notion of Eme being a closely-knit fraternity of brothers bound by loyalty to one another, Rene portrays the incessant backstabbing, politicking and scheming of 'carnales' against one another; about the never-ending anxiety that "Boxer" carried with him from day one of someday ending up "In the hat" (ostracized and marked for death by his own 'brothers') for some small, inconsequential infraction.
Contrary to the popular notion that power and 'palabra' (in the criminal world) is the be-all and end-all of life, Rene portrays with sober clarity that nothing could be further from the truth. Both Joe Morgan and "Topo" Peters died alone (and lonely) and in prison. (Not to mention that there were only a half-dozen attendees at "Topo's" funeral service) Meanwhile, "Tupi" Hernandez is standing around in his prison cell naked (at Pelican Bay) talking to himself...a fate worse than death (according to Boxer).
To end with a theological reflection: the devil's a LIAR...and a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. For those youngsters who aspire to become 'carnales' and who are starstruck by the 'Big Homies' you hear and read about: don't take my word for it! Take it from "Boxer" Enriquez...someone who reached the heights of power in both the streets and the pinta...and concluded that it's all a massive (and evil) deception, and definitely NOT worth it!
 The Hands of Terror September 23, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Street life can be brutal, even for those who think they hold the winning hand.
Investigative reporter Chris Blatchford delves into the shadows of La Eme, the Mexican Mafia, in this authorized biography of former gang enforcer Rene Enriquez. The tentacles of this monster of urban terrorism spans several continents and grips the halls of government, businesses and neighborhoods by day, while brutally dealing drugs, extortion, vice and murder under the darkness of night.
And Enriquez - who is serving a life-sentence for crimes perpetrated for the gang - was once a player in the largest street gang in Los Angeles. Enriquez learned the ropes while growing up on the street of East L.A. and showed the smarts and muscle to find his way into La Eme.
His life of violence and the reasons he finally broke away, along with what happened when he began to publicly renounce the gang, makes for a compelling and urgent story. But Blatchford connects the dots in the puzzle that makes La Eme a force in North, Central and South America, with a growing army of gang members and supporters who have massive influence within a web of operations.
This is not some Hollywood version of wise guys or a fictionalized account of "honorable" men in a dishonorable profession; this is the hands of terror that are scooping up power and slapping aside those honest enough to stand in their way.
It is a call from the "Boxer" to stop the onslaught by the thugs before it is too late.
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