NPR reporter speaks of elections, gangs
Mandalit del Barco, a National Public Radio reporter, discussed urban street gangs, immigration and race relations during political elections at the Performance Hall Thursday. Barco has done extensive research and reporting throughout the Latino communities in the United States but said she has placed an emphasis on the Los Angeles-based street gang, Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS gang. She said the formation of this gang began when young latino immigrants had no family or cultural outlet, who either came to America alone or had had family deported back to Mexico. “They formed gangs for solidarity and protection,” Barco said. What began as an outlet for family and friends, she said, turned into much more. Several of the MS gang members as children joined guerilla warfare in their home countries, where they learned how to fight for their lives. She said this lifestyle then shifted over into their teenage and adult lives. These gangs, she said, are known over the world for their violence and can sometimes be identified with the amount of tattoos that cover these individuals. The MS gang members are covered head to toe in tatoos, she said. There isn’t a single spot on their body where they aren’t tattooed. Barco also spoke of the consequences these gang members faced. “In order to stem the violence, the U.S. began to deport the reported gang members,” Barco said.
They are deported and placed in prison in El Salvador, Mexico. Some members are shipped to El Salvador even if they don’t speak Spanish, she said. They grew up in California, and MS was all they knew. Barco said she visited eight different prisons in El Salvador to meet with former MS gang members. Not once was she afraid or nervous to confront these prisoners, she said.
“They were actually all very nice,” Barco said. In one of the prisons, Barco said she saw a painted mural of MacArthur Park in L.A.
“That’s how close the ties are from L.A. to El Salvador,” she said. Barco said she has also experienced the life of a Mexican immigrant. As a journalist, she crossed the border of Mexico to witness the struggle, defeats and success of people illegally crossing the Mexico-U.S. border. During her border crossing, she said she ran over hills, walked through the sewers of Tijuana, climbed fences and outran border patrol helicopters.
“I got a glimpse of what it was like,” she said. “These were ordinary people.” Other stories Barco has covered include interviewing children victims of Hurricane Katrina, visiting Puerto Rican families who lost loved ones in the Iraq War and the Latino community’s views on the upcoming presidential election.
“I’m looking for the best of what people say,” Barco said. “I’m panning for gold.”
Barco said she loves to talk to anyone on the street and to hear their story.
“If you just maintain eye contact and stay curious,” she said, “I can get anyone to talk to me.”
Barco is based at NPR West in Culver City, Calif. She can be heard on “All Things Considered, the Morning Edition.” She has written for Latino Magazine and is a mentor for NPR’s “Next Generation” project for young journalists. She received a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. Barco was born in Lima, Peru to a Peruvian father and a Mexican-American mother. She grew up in Kansas and California.
melissa.mcroberts@aggiemail.usu.edu