A different portrait of Jamiel Shaw II

He had friends in the Rollin' 20s, part of the deadly Bloods gang, and was known by the nickname Deuces Wild.  When he was shot and killed, he was wearing a red belt  with black skulls and the number 20 associated with the gang. Could this be the very same Jamiel Shaw II,  the innocent high school athlete who was killed by an undocumented immigrant and alleged gang member in what many believe was a racially motivated shooting?

The troubling details of the Inglewood teenager's possible connections to gang life were revealed Thursday during a preliminary hearing. It's not the first time that someone has pointed out that Shaw's shooting might have to do more with gang rivalry than racial hatred. Earlier this month, an article in LA Weekly noted that online tributes and albums created by Shaw's friends includes photos of them flashing gang signs next to images of candles burning in the 17-year-old's honor.

Of course, many youths who live in gang territory often have friends and neighbors who are in gangs and may adopt their manner of dress and symbolism. That does not necessarily make them a gang member. Shaw's parents maintain that their son was not involved in gang life, and police said they never found Shaw, who has no arrest record, hanging out with known gang members. But police claim that Shaw's alleged killer, undocumented immigrant Pedro Espinoza, 19, has ties to the 18th Street gang, a rival of the Bloods.

Since Shaw's shooting March 2, his parents and others have used his death to put pressure on the Los Angeles Police Department to scrap a controversial rule that limits police inquiries into a suspect's immigration status. But the former football all-star's alleged gang ties could make him a less than ideal poster boy for the cause.

Growing questions about his gang connections and their possible role in his shooting also have undermined arguments that Shaw's death was largely the result of racial tensions between blacks and Latinos. After Thursday's hearing, Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic Hope, said:

"We still support the family and want to make sure that justice is done, but we can no longer support the belief that Shaw was targeted because of his race."

—Jesus Sanchez

Photo: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Julia]

So what if Jamiel Shaw Jr was a gang member? He certainly didn't deserve to be murdered. Maybe the 17 year old kid was on the wrong path, many 17 year old boys are, but he had a bright future and all that was ended because the LA Sheriffs department let an illegal alien gang member out of jail. Had the Sheriffs Department called the feds and gotten an immigration hold on Pedro Espinoza, Jamiel Shaw Jr would be alive today. Jamiel Shaw is dead because of Special Order 40.

Jamiel's mother is in the army and was serving in Iraq when her son was killed. It is a shame the US does nothing to protect the children of US soldiers from foreign invaders on US soil. Illegal Alien Gang members need to be deported and the US border needs to be secure so that they can never get back in.

The US has a history of failing African Americans, and it's doing so again,
Does anyone think something like Special Order 40 would be passed in a white upper class neighborhood, heck no. But who cares if the Sheriffs department paroles illegal alien gang members back into poor minority neighborhoods, so they can kill kids like Jamiel Shaw Jr.

[Najee Ali]

Jamiel Shaw II, was killed in cold Blood and didnt deserve to die, but lets keep it real. Why is it so hard for the parents to admit there son was involved in gangs,he dressed like one, posed in gang pictures,is shown on a u-tube video slap boxing with Blood gang member in an alley and claimed to be one on his MYSpace pages.His girl friend told the police that Jamiel was a gang member( why would she lie ? )

Its sad when parents are suffering but its worse when they go into denial. The Times owes it to there readers to explore the secret life of Jamiel Shaw to get at the truth, talk to his teachers ,classmates, coaches and gang intervention experts, since the LA Times helped create and spread the hoax that this kid had no gang ties . Had a Times reporter just took 5 minutes to check out his MySpace pages as Annette Stark from the LA Weekly did,( she was the one to break the story in her excellent article with facts that took the LA Times almost 3 weeks to report.)

The increased racial tensions between Blacks and Lations would have been avoided .We could have all looked at this as another tragic gang murder instead of the Shaw family and their right wing supporters using the murder to spead racial hate and to promote special order 40.I understand this must be a hard story for reporters to go back into ,but after The P-Diddy fiasco your paper needs to get it together.

[Nancy]

Nice try, Jesus. The important fact is that Pedro Espinoza is a scum bag POS and that Jamiel Shaw II was just the opposite. Don't try to equate them.

[Nancy]

And Jesus, since you are supposedly a journalist, you should know that an "undocumented immigrant" is an illegal alien. A journalist should write accurate material which would include correct terminology. Your article and your obvious bias is sickening.

[matt]

I agree with najee ali completely. Jamiel's death is a tragedy, but this new news lessens the racial component of the crime. I grew up around gang members but stayed away and read books and studied; hoping for a better way out. Lesson is, stay away from all forms all gang affiliations. They are not your friends and will only get you in trouble. Be branded a nerd or a schoolboy. The nerds and schoolboys I know are presently graduating from UC's and colleges across the country.

[DIddy]

what do you mean "so what if he was a gang member:?

its like saying "so what if saddam huissein killed people,he didnt deserve to die."

[AJ]

In parag. 1, you use the term, 'undocumented immigrant' to refer to illegal aliens. Just wondering if you refer to a drug smuggler as an 'unlicensed pharmacist' ? Just wondering....