Between 1967 and 1968 at San Quentin, a state prison in Northern California, an incident occurred which would forever change California's Hispanic street and prison gangs. <b>LA EME</b> had already gained a reputation for toughness. Other aspring young Chicano hoodlums became interested in affiliating with the Mafia, and, according to rumor, The Mafia members insisted that initiates murder another prisoner. This rumor and the actually attacks aroused the consolidated a large number of "independant" Chicanos, who planned to eliminate the Mafia members. On the planned day, the other Chicanos pursued known Mafia members through San Quentin, attempting to assassinate them, Several dozen prisoners were seriously wounded and one was killed in this daylong battle, but the Mafia held its ground. They won many knife fights and were not eliminated. The deceased was allegedly a police informer who gave law enforcement officers information on the drug trafficking activities of the gang. This killing of a brother Mexican-American initially created much unrest throughout the prison population but was generally thought to be justified under the circumstances. After this unsuccessful attempt, some of the formerly independant Chicanos, particulary from inmates from the northern rural areas and towns of California, who had been in conflict with Los Angeles Chicanos for decades, and the Texas Syndicate which was made up of inmates from Texas, formed a counter group: <b>"Nuestra Familia"</b> (NF), meaning "our family" to defend themselves against the violence-prone EME. Aligning with the EME against the Neustra Familia is the white supremist group known as the Aryan Brotherhood, (Cacucasian White Supremcist Gang) who also assists the EME in conducting various criminal activities such as drug trafficking, robberies, and contract killings both inside and outside the prison walls. Members of the Texas Syndicate migrated back to Texas from California and were eventually arrested and re-incarcerated in the Texas Department of Correction. The Two Different Versions On How "Tension" Really Got Started. . . There are at least two versions of how it started. Sgt. Joe Valdemar reports that an Eme member, "Pieface," shared a cell with Hector Padilla, a Hispanic from Northern California. Padilla's most prized possession was a pair of shoes which he shined and cared for every day. One day, while Padilla was out of the cell, Pieface stole his shoes. Pieface discovered that the shoes were too small to fit him. In an effort to win some points with La Eme, he decided to give the shoes to a higher-ranking member of the prison gang. Surprisingly, he chose Robert "Robot" Salas. The shoes fit the Eme gang member, and Pieface walked back to the cell area, only to find Padilla frantically looking for the shoes. Padilla recognized that Salas was wearing his shoes. An argument ensued, and Padilla, the real owner of the shoes, accused Salas of stealing them. This statement, of course, insulted the Eme gang member, and the fight started. Padilla was stabbed several times during the argument and died. Word of this spread quickly through the prison system, especially among the Hispanic inmates. Another version of the incident says that "Robot" Salas was the roommate of Padilla, rather than Pieface. In this version, Salas received the shoes as a gift and returns to his cell, which is of course shared with Padilla, and the fight occurs in the cell. However it occurred, the murder solidified the rivalry between northern and southern Hispanics, both in the prison system and on the street. The Hispanics from northern California formed Nuestra Familia (NF), another prison gang, in response to the conflict. NF was formed to protect the northern Californians from La Eme, whose membership was made up primarily of southern Californians. As a result of this incident, several members of the NF ambushed and stabbed seventeen EME members, killing one of them. Since the 1968 incident, the EME has been in an all-out war with the Neustra Familia (NF), which has resulted in the murders of over 30 prisoners. Over the years The "EME" recruited some of the most dangerous and violent Mexican inmates. Penal institutions responded by transferring gang members from one institution to another which only served to expand the membership of the gang from the California prison system to the Federal prison system.
http://www.angelfire.com/mac/kin0nni99az/history.html
http://www.knowgangs.com/gang_resources/nuestra_familia/nf_001.htm