Summary of Chris Blatchford's The Black Hand

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 Rene Enriquez, better known on the streets as Boxer, was a full-fledged member of the Mexican Mafia. He had participated in at least ten murders and had personal knowledge of seven more.

#2 Boxer’s criminal career was a demonstration of the lifestyle of the Mexican Mafia, which did not care if its members were caught or went to prison. They adapted and became creatures of the penal system and the cruel streets of the underworld.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669393283

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Rene Enriquez, better known on the streets as Boxer, was a full-fledged member of the Mexican Mafia. He had participated in at least ten murders and had personal knowledge of seven more.

#2

Boxer’s criminal career was a demonstration of the lifestyle of the Mexican Mafia, which did not care if its members were caught or went to prison. They adapted and became creatures of the penal system and the cruel streets of the underworld.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

In 1957, Rene Enriquez was born in Tracy, California. In his book Mexican Mafia: Altar Boy to Hitman, Ramon Mundo Mendoza describes the power and mystique of the Italian Mafia, which he says was what attracted Huero Buff to the Mexican Mafia.

#2

The Mexican Mafia was formed in 1961, and it’s believed that the majority of the members came from East Los Angeles gangs with violent reputations. They were all recruited for their fearlessness, aggressiveness, and ruthlessness.

#3

The Mexican Mafia, or Eme, was a prison gang that was formed in the 1960s. They were known for their violence, and they controlled drug trafficking, gambling, extortion, loan sharking, and prostitution not only at San Quentin but elsewhere as their numbers and influence grew.

#4

The Mafia terrorized the streets in 1971, when they murdered a parolee named James Chapo St. Claire in Los Angeles. La Eme didn’t like competition.

#5

The state of California eliminated indeterminate prison sentences in 1972, except for first-degree murder. This released a new wave of Mexican Mafia members onto the streets.

#6

The Eme was a group of thugs that forced heroin dealers to sell only to them. If they didn’t, they killed them. It was strictly business, nothing personal.

Insights from Chapter 3

#1

In 1973, the Mexican Mafia buried their first icon, Rodolfo Cheyenne Cadena, in a Bakersfield cemetery. Rene Enriquez’s father had landed a new job and moved his family into a brand-new four-bedroom tract home in Cerritos, 24 miles southeast of Los Angeles. It was not exactly the hood.

#2

Rene Enriquez’s father, John Palacios Enriquez, was a old-school, stoic, and macho man who was born in Arizona and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. He came to the United States when he was twelve years old, not speaking a word of English. He went to work in a furniture factory when he was sixteen, and in 1978 opened his own factory.

#3

The Enriquez family is a prime example of how the American dream can turn into a nightmare for some families. The two daughters, Perla and Danina, were always good girls, while the three sons were drawn to the dark side.

#4

The Artesia 13 gang was located in a small ghetto in Artesia. They would regularly beat up Rene, and he eventually became a member of the gang. He would later grow to dislike the nickname Boxer.

Insights from Chapter 4

#1

Rene and his brother,