Pardoned: Forgiven By The Most High

By Ramon ''Ray'' Salazar

Ramon Salazar tells his readers about how he grew up, started to do drugs, become involved in gang activity, and was institutionalized at a young age.
This lifestyle at first seemed to bring him temporary satisfactions with drugs, money, and women but it also brought along struggles, pain, and tragedies.
Escaping a life of eternity in hell behind a p.c.p overdose, a life sentence in prison under California’s three strikes law, Ray, points out how Gods mercy has “Pardoned” him of his past and now uses him to minister in jail and mentor the at risk youth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 2, 2008
• ISBN: 9798369406885

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Copyright © 2008 by Ramon Ray Salazar.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 08/30/2023

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First and foremost, I would like to

dedicate this book to our Heavenly Father and Lord, Jesus Christ for delivering me from the trap, lies, and destruction of the enemy. For giving me the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the word and what my mission in life is about.

I also extend this dedication to several other important loved ones . . .

My wife Christine, for sticking by me through thick and thin and believing and having faith through lots of prayer that the Lord would change me.

My children Reyna, and Raymond Jr., for loving me through the long lonely road without their dad, and all my family.

Also a dear loving brother, Alex Burgos for listening to my testimony and encouraging me to write this book. So others can read and see how powerful God is.

I hope and pray that those who open up the pages of this book will read and understand that all the Glory goes to the Father in Heaven. And that all things are possible through Jesus Christ who strengthens us. We are nothing without him.

On September the Fifth 1968, I, Ramon Salazar was born to Carmen and Francisco Salazar Sr. in Los Angeles, California. My mother had a previous marriage before meeting my father Francisco. She became a widow while pregnant with my sister, Ruby, who is the youngest of the Rodriquez. She had my oldest brother, Orlando in June of 1963, my sister, Dolores in July 1964, and Ruby was born in December of 1965. Sometime during her pregnancy with Ruby, my mother was devastated to get news that her husband Rufugio Rodriguez, was shot and killed.

I remember as a little boy, I would ask Mom about this incident and I could see her trying to gather the right words to say. Holding back tears most of the time,I could tell it bothered her still by her facial expressions. Mom was a strong woman, very tough. We knew when she meant business. That certain look said it all. But I look back at things now and I realize Mom felt lonely. She was very lonely and hurt after such a loss. That’s why I believe she got together with my dad shortly after she needed someone to love her and comfort her.

My brother Francisco Jr. was the first born of the three of us Salazar kids. He was born January of 1967, and my little sister Tina in July of 1972. Several days after I was brought into this world on that early September morning I was brought home to meet my older siblings. At a young age, I remember living on Weigand Avenue in Los Angeles. A neighborhood located in the heart of Watts. It was at the young age of 5, in this rough neighborhood where darkness started to creep in on my life. Hanging around with the friends we had was a thrill for my brother Frank and I. We would ask Mom if we could play outside and of course she would let us. We would eventually sneak off, and our first encounter that I remember was playing with matches and burning down a couple of garages in the alley across the street. I can’t exactly recall who actually struck and threw the match book next to this old mattress leaning against the side of the first garage. But the mattress seemed to be engulfed in flames real fast.

Thinking back I remember running down the alley trying to get home as quick as I could. Not realizing that there were people who saw us. All that mattered was getting home, inside and safe. Moments later there was a knock at the front door. All I could feel was my heart wanted to pop out of my chest. It was the fireman asking my older brother Orlando questions about us. He just happened to be watching us until my Mom or Dad got home from work. After that, all I can really recall was the rush I got from this. Thinking back over the years as a kid living in Watts my parents were always fighting. I can’t remember anything serious happening, but my older siblings can remember times when Dad would get real physical with Mom. They would talk about a time when Dad broke a whiskey bottle over Mom’s head and so on.

After so much, Mom decided to leave Dad and support us on her own. Being a single parent, Mom held more than one job to feed all of us. Taking care of six kids at that time was not any easier than it is for single parents today. Occasionally, Mom would hire someone to baby-sit us until she got off work. Then take us home and take care of us. As time went on this really took a toll on Mom, so she had Orlando watch us. I don’t know why or how we were allowed outside while he babysat. But that’s when I started to become a rebellious young kid.

I can remember times wandering around the neighborhood with Frank and other kids throwing rocks at people. On numerous occasions we would steal change out of Mom’s piggy bank and treat our friends to ice cream and fries. We started a bad reputation for ourselves at a very young age. The only place I seemed to be doing good things was when I was in kindergarten, at Weigand Avenue Elementary school. Mom says I earned a trophy for being the smartest kid in my class. (This I don’t remember.)

Life for us in Colonia Watts came to an end one day when Mom decided to move us with our grandparents up north. She divorced my Dad, left him in L.A., and we found ourselves living in Yettem,California a town with a population of less than 300 people. It was a town that you would blink and miss. Mostly farm labor people lived there and most Friday nights the guys of the town would gather next door to grandma’s which was the liquor store and drink beer, play loud music on the bridge, and peel out. For a little town it sure did come to life on Fridays. Being that it was such a small town everyone knew who my grandparents were and all of my aunts and uncles, and of course they knew Mom too.

It didn’t take Frank and I very long to get over our home sick feeling of the city life. We brought our city life to the country and all the trouble that comes with it. We soon started snooping around grandma’s house and not to mention the neighbors in the surrounding labor camp. We soon got a bad reputation with family members and people