Fruteros by Rocío Rosales

Author:Rocío Rosales [Rosales, Rocío]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Sociology, General, Urban, Ethnic Studies, Hispanic American Studies
ISBN: 9780520319851
Google: 4THWDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Published: 2020-05-19T05:32:34+00:00

5

Ethnic Ties in Crisis

Manuel’s problems did not end when he returned from Fresno and paid off part of his debt with the wholesale merchant, nor did they end after he began to recover financially from the DUI he received at the beginning of 2011. In fact, the biggest crisis he would ever experience was on the horizon, and all of his paisano ties would be tested as a result. This crisis—a traffic violation arrest that led to a deportation scare—would create a ripple effect in his network that would ultimately showcase the precariousness of paisanaje. But in the days leading up to the crisis, things were relatively stable at work and at home for Manuel. By late 2011, with the help of Carmen, whose advice he had begun to take more seriously, Manuel had seemingly bounced back from the financially taxing DUI that he had gotten at the beginning of the year. The DUI arrest literally sobered him up; he gave up drinking, he limited his attendance at late-night social functions with his paisanos, and he started working seven days a week as opposed to six.

Gloria, the wholesale produce merchant, acquired a carro pirata (unlicensed pushcart) and sold it to Manuel at a great price. After some vetting by Carmen, Manuel hired Doña Alicia, a woman in her fifties who had frequented Carmen’s corner asking for a job. Doña Alicia was Central American, had lived in the United States for just over a year, and rented a small bedroom in an apartment near MacArthur Park. She was a reliable worker who sent most of her money home to her children in El Salvador. Doña Alicia seemed content with her arrangement working with Manuel and Carmen. For the three of them, the days were mundane and routine. Manuel gave rides to Carmen and Doña Alicia. He dropped them off with their pushcarts in the mornings and then went to work on a slightly more profitable corner than the one he had worked on previously. Carmen continued working her corner in the Mid-City area. Carmen had asked the Martínez brothers for permission to use one of their unused corners near MacArthur Park so that Doña Alicia could set up her pushcart. The Martínez brothers owed her that much, she told me. Manuel was easing into this financial stability, and he started sending his grandmother in Dos Mundos money to build a house for his return, someday in the distant future.

Life was stable for Manuel in his living arrangement as well. While his early years in Los Angeles had been characterized by constant moves, at this point he had managed to keep his room in South Central for over a year.1 He rented a small bedroom in a three-bedroom home. The room was wide enough to hold his twin-sized bed and a small desk with a chair in the corner. Chava, another frutero from Dos Mundos, rented a larger bedroom in the house. A middle-aged Mexican woman owned the house and lived in the largest bedroom, facing the street.

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