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In just over a decade, the yellow and black colors, badociated with a golden crown as a symbol, began to take on a new meaning in the streets of Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Today, the characteristic clothes of young Latin kings no longer refer to fear or illegality.
This is one of the gangs that is about to turn 11 as a "legalized" organization in Ecuador, as part of an unprecedented process in the country that has reduced more than 70% the number of homicides.
Now, as I have stated as a BBC News World envoy in the Ecuadorian capital, the gold crown refers to … a quality food.
The Latin kings (or "Latin kings and queens") are now Kings Catering, a small gourmet company.
It was not an easy march, but the results achieved in ten years are already being put forward by international organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The entity emphasizes that the program has had a significant influence on the reduction of local violence. According to IDB data, killings in Ecuador increased from 15.35 / 100,000 in 2011 to 8.17 in 2014 and nearly 5 in 2017 – in Brazil, this rate is about 30 homicides for 100,000 inhabitants. .
Manuel Zúñiga is "the Inca", that is to say the president of the Latin kings. His name is King Majestic among the "pandilleros" – as they are called members of these groups clearly young, informal and related to certain regions.
In the past, he learned to use firearms, steal vehicles and live in jail. Today, he is the legal representative of his "gang" (or "nation", as he is sometimes called) and works at the Catholic University of Quito, a private institution with a large number of people. an office and everything else.
He no longer wears his old wide pants, but continues to proudly wear the colors of his band and the necklaces that he has won as a leader.
"Inca" does not hide his tattoos either and explains that each one of them symbolizes the values of his group or his personal experiences.
"Our transition was due to the unity and maturity of each of us. It was not easy, but it was the most positive for our country," explains the leader.
Zúñiga adds that "kings and queens" were "tired of so much abuse and discrimination".
But "it was very difficult to convince the brothers because we lived in a world of violence," he says.
"Now that they see our steps as positive, a lot of brothers are joining us," he told BBC News World while he was traveling in a car driven by the company. one of those university "brothers and sisters" in his neighborhood, time
In the beginning, only 20 "gang members" decided to "legalize". Now, they are over a thousand, originating from Latin kings and other gangs.
Ana Rodríguez, a researcher at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (Flacso) and Minister of Culture in 2016, was one of the promoters of the process at the time.
"To avoid abuse and demand the will to avoid violent actions, we begin to promote legalization," he says.
Rodríguez says that support from the Ecuadorian government and police was essential – including the establishment of support centers and the training of pandilleros in the labor market.
"It was not necessary to convince them.It was a mutual desire to end the discrimination against them," Rodriguez told BBC News World.
The researcher points out that the model worked and managed to spread even to the enemy gangs of the Latin Kings.
"One of the main difficulties has been to change the image of" pandilleros ", but this sign has been changed."
The report "Low social inclusion: street gangs and their possible effects on reducing the homicide rate in Ecuador" also highlights the achievements of the program – started in 2007.
"We have The legalization of these groups has significantly reduced violence and crime, while providing a cultural and legal space for transforming gang social capital into an effective means of achieving behavioral change, "the report says.
Manuel walks with his "brothers" in the corridors of the Catholic University of Quito.
We are on October 30 and Kings Catering has two important services to offer: a lunch of the institution's deans and another of the Ecuadorian universities' board of directors.
Nobody is surprised to see that young people with several tattoos on their arms, printed t-shirts and long necklaces prepare and serve food: at the menu of the day, pesto rice with stuffed chicken.
For Manuel, one of the greatest achievements of the decade has been to overcome the stigma that surrounds them.
The sociologist Alejandra Delgado, coordinator of the Catholic University's "pandilleros" inclusion program, combines her courses with the works related to "Latin kings and queens". The degree of confidence she has built with the group is remarkable.
The Latin kings do not only work in the gastronomic department but also receive technical training in areas such as screen printing and computer science. The entities involved are looking for projects that work for the long term and generate their own projects.
Luis Enrique, one of the "pandilleros", recently became the first of the group to study sociology at the university. He attends clbades with almost a dozen necklaces, tattoos on his arms and a t-shirt bearing the symbols of his "nation".
However, despite the results obtained, the legalization of the gangs did not allow to eradicate violence between groups of young people in Ecuador.
And although Police General Patricio Carrillo, who is now part of the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Interior, acknowledges the achievements of the program, he also warns of the current difficulties in maintaining it.
Government members recognize that the emergence of new illegal violent groups and the current economic scenario of declining income in Ecuador hinder support for "gang members".
According to Carrillo, the reduction of violence in the country concerns not only work with youth organizations, but also the bringing together of police forces and communities, subdivided into areas of action of security agents.
Curiously, the achievements of the Ecuadorian experience do not seem to have attracted the attention of other Latin American countries.
For experts consulted by BBC News Mundo, the experience is little known and neighboring countries, such as El Salvador, oppose a possible allocation of public resources to gang members.
"It is necessary to make a structural change, not only of the government, but also of the police – as was the case in Ecuador," said Rafael Gude, IDB researcher who had worked with "gangs" in Ecuador and Central America.
Sociologist Ana Rodríguez says that the Ecuadorian process should be replicated in other countries, thus changing the approach to "criminalization" of gang members.
"It is very difficult to achieve this if governments continue to blame youth organizations on their streets.They (governments) must recognize that violence is the product of inequality, not gangs. "
For her, states facing problems of violence consider repression against gangs as a feat, despite the obvious ineffectiveness of this policy in reducing the number of homicides.
The opinion of the sociologist resembles that of Manuel Zúñiga, president of the Latin kings, who expresses his wish that the "brothers" of other countries follow the same path as his "nation" and can walk with his tattoos and his black T-shirts with a crown. in the corridors of universities and government agencies.
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