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Life & Times Transcript
12/04/07 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- We send them off to fight for our country, but what about giving them a job when they come home? Christopher McDonald>> I'm sure they think in the back of their mind, "Has that guy killed anybody? What has he done? What don't we know about him?" That's been my experience. They get a little nervous. Val Zavala>> And then, he was the president's pilot through a dark time in American history. Now he's helping to shed some light on those troubling events. It's all straight ahead on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> They've been taught to fly jets, drive tanks, follow orders and shoot to kill if necessary. But now many troops in Iraq are back home and they're looking for jobs, but who would hire a person who's gone straight from high school to war? As Toni Guinyard tells us, many of them are looking for jobs and finding them in unconventional ways. Toni Guinyard>> Veterans. They return home from war and try to pick up where they left off, searching for work where they can use skills learned in the military. [Film Clip] Toni Guinyard>> We caught up with Iraqi veteran, Christopher McDonald, going from booth to booth at a Job Fair in Long Beach. This is one in a series of ten Job Fairs statewide targeting the estimated twelve thousand veterans entering California's job market each year. Christopher McDonald>> "Can I have one of those, please? All of the information is on the back of that?" Toni Guinyard>> And each of them, like McDonald, faces challenges and fears in going face to face with potential employers. Christopher McDonald>> I'm sure they think in their mind, "Has that guy killed anybody? What has he done? What don't we know about him?" That's been my experience. They get a little nervous. Toni Guinyard>> To understand McDonald's perspective, you must first recognize that many veterans coming home from recent wars enlisted straight out of high school and have little to no work experience in the civilian world. They are starting from scratch. Military life is what they know. Christopher McDonald>> You know, employers don't really care if you can shoot somebody from a moving helicopter, but that person has natural leadership ability and has stress management, multi-tasking skills, organizational skills, all the stuff that people look for. But their job title may be Infantryman or Combat Engineer, something very combat-oriented that really does not translate into the civilian world. Brad Kemp>> A lot of people don't realize that the skills they got in the military have value in the civilian world, so we need to get them to understand how much value that has so they can represent themselves effectively to their employer. Toni Guinyard>> Brad Kemp is a labor market consultant for the state of California's Employment Development Department. He's also a veteran. Brad Kemp>> We're getting into the civilian world of work for the first time and that's a huge challenge when you've learned one language that's military and now you have to learn another language that's civilian. Toni Guinyard>> Sometimes learning the language of the civilian world takes time and an about face from the fast pace. Some veterans are finding their slice of peace and quiet here, the Serenity Park sanctuary and Vets Garden, considered a bit of an oasis in the middle of the city. And what's happening here is helping some veterans transition from military to civilian life. Merle Fishman>> You know, when you're in a war zone, your whole point of view about life and the intensity of life and the fragility of life and all of that are on high-high. Then you're supposed to drop back into your life, your family, you know, the park, the kids, the job, whatever it is, just like nothing ever happened. Well, that's not realistic. Toni Guinyard>> Occupational therapist Merle Fishman works shoulder to shoulder with veterans of wars past and present. She is director of this fifteen-acre garden. It's home to a unique program operating in a somewhat unexpected place in Westwood on land owned by the Veterans Administration. It's called the Vets Garden. Officially, it's described as a horticultural work therapy program. Unofficially, it's a lifeline, a place where veterans come to heal and grow by growing, harvesting and selling what comes from the garden. Merle Fishman>> Mostly we sell indoor plants, outdoor plants, flowers and flower arrangements. We have really good flower arrangers. We do weddings and bar mitzvahs and you name it. Toni Guinyard>> What's grown here ends up for sale at the Westwood Farmers Market. The flowers are also sold to local florists, the herbs and produce to local restaurants. It's a self-sufficient business open to the public and the veterans are on the payroll. Some get minimum wage; others get less. Merle Fishman>> The people who are on the therapy track might have disability or social security. They're older or they're more infirm and get more of a token wage because they're really not needing this to be self-supporting. They're needing this to be with peace, you know, to have peace of mind. Toni Guinyard>> Established in 1986, hundreds of veterans have come and gone through the program, each taking on a task defining their roles, living up to assigned responsibilities. Merle Fishman>> I think, for people in general and maybe for veterans in particular, the idea of something being regenerative, being positive, being a creative part of this natural world, might help heal the things that are so traumatic that happened to them. Toni Guinyard>> In a corner of the Vets Garden, you'll find the home of another less than traditional therapy program for veterans. This is the Serenity Park sanctuary. Veterans Matthew Simmons -- Matthew Simmons>> "Hey, hey, hey, that's my watch. Hey, no, no, no. That's my watch. You broke the other one." Toni Guinyard>> -- and Stanley Smith have become bird keepers. Stanley Smith>> "Hi, Bob. Yeah, he's my buddy. Come here, Bob. Come on, up, up, up, up." It just makes me feel whole. It's like a work therapy to me and I enjoy it. I was born and raised on a farm, so it just kind of fits in, you know. Dr. Lorin Lindner>> The birds here are being rescued and treated for a similar problem. They also have traumatic stress. Toni Guinyard>> Psychologist, Dr. Lorin Lindner, is the founder and president of Serenity Park. Dr. Lorin Lindner>> The primary purpose of this program is to help veterans, help them in terms of getting them back into the workforce, getting them prepared to reintegrate into the community and to establish and maintain tenure in the community by being productive, contributing members of society, and that would be by working. Toni Guinyard>> And somewhere along the line, the work turns into a passion. A connection is made between the birds and the veterans caring for them. Matthew Simmons>> The funny thing is, this should be a transition. It should be like, okay, well, I worked at the sanctuary and now I'm going to go work at IBM or whatever the next step is. But it's under a love here for the outdoors and a real love for the birds that I'd never had before. Dr. Lorin Lindner>> The birds have been a source of feathered therapy. When I first started the idea of using birds for the benefit of the veterans, I didn't realize that they were going to have this kind of impact. They seem to get in and access a place in their emotional lives that I hadn't seen happen with other kinds of therapy. Stanley Smith>> "Hi, you're a good girl, huh?" Dr. Lorin Lindner>> They are gentle with them. They're caring. They're compassionate. I've just seen this kind of empathy build that I wasn't seeing happening in other kinds of groups or individual therapies. Toni Guinyard>> How has working with the birds changed you? Stanley Smith>> I have more peace of mind. I'm more docile. It's like a community park. Matthew Simmons>> You learn honesty and you learn that from the birds. The reason you learn that from the birds is that they're not going to give it. I mean, you really have to be like open and honest and really go out on a limb to set up a relationship with each individual bird. One bird is not going to look at the other bird and go, "Oh, yeah, he's a really cool guy." You know what I mean? "It's fine. Yeah, let him touch you. It's going to work out great." Toni Guinyard>> Consider the sanctuary program a gamble. Operated strictly on grants and donations, the Veterans Administration opted to give it a chance just as veterans hope employers give them when they're ready to transition from military to civilian life. Christopher McDonald>> There's a staggering number of homeless Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans. I think we're outnumbering the Vietnam veterans because nobody thinks about it. You know, they think to go to the parade and wave the flag is enough, but we needs jobs when we come home. We need employment. Toni Guinyard>> And given the chance, some veterans are finding jobs they never dreamed of having. I'm Toni Guinyard for Life and Times. Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, plus transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org, scroll down the page and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> It's arguably the most powerful gang in the state of California, but it's not on the streets of Los Angeles. It's in our prisons. It's the Mexican Mafia and, despite being behind bars, it's responsible for hundreds of gang killings every year. Authorities liken the Mexican Mafia to a corporation. Now a new book looks at how the Mexican Mafia has even corrupted gang prevention programs and some local politicians. Saul Gonzalez talked with author Tony Rafael, a Los Angeles writer who spent ten years researching gangs. Saul Gonzalez>> Let's start with the fundamentals. What is the Mexican Mafia, or La Eme, as it's often known. Tony Rafael>> The Mexican Mafia is primarily a prison-based gang whose locus of power is the California prison system, the CDC. They were founded in 1957 and, since that time, they have managed to do what no other prison gangs do, is extend their power and reach beyond prison walls to exercise control and influence over virtually every Hispanic street gang in southern California. Saul Gonzalez>> They're a California supergang? Tony Rafael>> They are a supergang. They are a gang of gangs who have managed to vertically integrate themselves with every Hispanic street gang in southern California either as an ally or as an antagonist. Every street gang member in southern California eventually will have to deal on some level with the Mexican Mafia. Saul Gonzalez>> What sets the Mexican Mafia apart from other powerful gangs, be it the Black Guerrilla Family or the Aryan Brotherhood? What is it that kicks up this supergang to another order entirely? Tony Rafael>> It is the fact that they've got tens of thousands of street soldiers at their disposal more than willing to do whatever it is that they want them to do. Their reach is much, much broader, much larger than BG, the Black Guerrilla Family, or the Aryan Brotherhood. They can control things on the street from the security housing unit in Pelican Bay by merely issuing orders. Making a phone call, writing a letter, they can get things done on the outside that no other prison gang can do. Saul Gonzalez>> Now we're having this conversation in El Sereno, a neighborhood in East Los Angeles. A powerful force in this neighborhood? If you live in this neighborhood, do you feel the touch of the Mexican Mafia? Tony Rafael>> Well, walking around, you're not going to, but you see the graffiti on the walls. In El Sereno and other neighborhoods, you'll see the thirteen suffix attached to a gang name. Usually when you see thirteen, that's an indication of a Sureno or Mexican Mafia affiliated gang. The thirteen is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet which is M, which stands for MA, which stands for Mexican Mafia. Saul Gonzalez>> And thirteen is almost sacred to the Mexican Mafia? Tony Rafael>> Absolutely. Saul Gonzalez>> Explain how they were able to jump the walls from just being a prison gang to something with a lot of power and clout and influence beyond the walls of California's prisons. Tony Rafael>> It was a conscious effort on their part. It was a policy initiative which was thought about, worked out in advance in detail, and finally launched roughly in the September timeframe in 1992. When a number of paroled Mexican Mafia members hit the streets, they issued orders to all the gangs in southern California that, from now on, you're all Surenos, you're all south-siders, and you have to do what we tell you. Saul Gonzalez>> They actually had kind of a super summit, no? In Elysian Park? Tony Rafael>> Yeah, they did. At Elysian Park, they had a meeting with over a thousand gang members, but that was not the only place. They had meetings in the Coliseum parking lot, in El Salvador Park in Orange County and places in San Diego. All over southern California, they had these giant meetings where it was essentially, "This is what you're going to do." Overwhelmingly, most of the gangs joined up, saluted the flag and said, "Yeah, we're happy to do this." There was some resistance, as there always has been, to the Mexican Mafia. But for the most part, most of the gangs joined up willingly. Saul Gonzalez>> And when they go to prison, you quote one, I think, a prison administrator or a correctional officer, who says that's the head office, right? California prisons? Tony Rafael>> Yeah. The California prison system is the head office. That's where the locus of power is. That's where all the top shot-callers are, in the prison system and in the Los Angeles County jail. Saul Gonzalez>> Is it too much of an exaggeration to say that it's the Mexican Mafia that, in reality, controls our correctional institutions here? Tony Rafael>> It's not my contention. It is the contention of the correctional officers, that they are the ones who control the prisons. The COs are there to feed, house, clothe and medicate them. The actual running of the prison or what goes on inside the prisons is really controlled by the inmates and predominantly by the Mexican Mafia. Saul Gonzalez>> One story that you recount in your book which I think is very striking is what happened to a Hollywood actor, Edward James Olmos, when he made a loosely-based film about the Mexican Mafia and one of its leaders that the Mexican Mafia did not like. What happened to him? Tony Rafael>> He was sanctioned. He was targeted for assassination because he took liberties with the truth. Saul Gonzalez>> Edward James Olmos? Tony Rafael>> Edward James Olmos did. The name of the movie was "American Me". For the most part, it was quite accurate, but there were some scenes that he added that did not reflect reality. As a result, they took great exception to what was shown on the screen and they killed three people that were connected to the film -- Saul Gonzalez>> -- advisers to the film. Tony Rafael>> Technical advisers, and he was targeted for execution, for assassination. Supposedly, according to what law enforcement told me, he paid his way out of that green light. Saul Gonzalez>> I've read that you often carry a sidearm, a gun. I can't help but notice the guys standing over there next to us and two of them are your personal security. I imagine that's because you're afraid of possible repercussions, right? Blowback from the Mexican Mafia? Was it worth writing the book? Tony Rafael>> Yes, absolutely it was worth it. I think this is a subject that needs to be addressed. It needs to be addressed for the thirteen, the fourteen, the sixteen year old kids out there who are growing up in these neighborhoods who are seduced, brainwashed and mind controlled into looking at the criminal life as something glamorous and something to aspire to. For no other reason than to keep those kids hopefully from that life, I think it was worth it. Saul Gonzalez>> Having finished this project, having written your book, what advice do you offer to law enforcement agencies, be they local or federal, when it comes to fighting gangs like the Mexican Mafia? Tony Rafael>> Fighting organized criminal groups like the Mexican Mafia requires a sustained effort. It can't be a fire brigade type of approach where you isolate a problem, you devote a whole bunch of resources to it, solve the situation and then move on to something else. It requires constant attention over the course of many, many years, and it requires the resources and the political will to do it. Saul Gonzalez>> Well, let me ask you something. The Mexican Mafia was formed in, what, 1957. It's been around for fifty years. Fifty years from now, is there still going to be a Mexican Mafia in Los Angeles? Tony Rafael>> Probably. There probably will be. Hopefully, it won't be as strong or will be weaker. With changing demographics, who knows? But criminal organizations like that are really, really hard to eradicate. The Cosa Nostra is still with us after a hundred years. Saul Gonzalez>> What is the larger societal interest in policing this gang and cracking down on this gang? If you're not a member, if you have nothing to do with them, if you don't live in certain neighborhoods where they operate, what's in it for the rest of the city to make sure that this gang is controlled and maybe even eliminated one day? Tony Rafael>> The average individual really should have no fear of the Mexican Mafia or gangs in general. They're not going to come breaking down your door in the middle of the night to take your stereo. The societal costs, however, are staggering. What is the life of a sixteen year old kid cut down for crossing them? What is that worth when you multiply that by tens of thousands all over southern California? I don't think you can put a price on that. It's inestimable. I think that's the real tragedy and it's the real cost that you pay. Saul Gonzalez>> Writer Tony Rafael, author of "The Mexican Mafia", thanks for joining us on Life and Times. Tony Rafael>> Thank you very much for being here. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Val Zavala>> He was a part of history, the pilot who flew Richard Nixon away from the White House for the last time. Nixon, the only president to resign from office. Now this pilot is helping to preserve a bit of history. Orange County reporter Roger Cooper goes on board the presidential helicopter. Roger Cooper>> Colonel Gene Boyer of Huntington Beach has had a front row seat to see history, the pilot seat of the presidential helicopter. In this famous photograph, Richard Nixon has just resigned as President of the United States. Gene Boyer was the pilot who flew Nixon away from the White House that day. This is no ordinary helicopter? Lt. Col. Gene Boyer>> No, it certainly isn't. It was used for sixteen years at the White House under Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford. Roger Cooper>> And you flew this thing? Lt. Col. Gene Boyer>> Yes, I have about probably close to five hundred flights in this helicopter. I think a hundred eighty-seven were with a president on board. Roger Cooper>> Colonel Boyer flew President Nixon for five and a half years. He flew John Kennedy right up until the assassination, Lyndon Johnson for two years including this trip to San Clemente, and Gerald Ford for a few months after the Nixon resignation. What is the responsibility you feel when you're flying a president? Lt. Col. Boyer>> Well, after a few flights, you've got to get to a point that you just ignore the fact that you got the President of the United States on board. Of course, if anything goes wrong, you're the guy they're going to hold responsible for it. Roger Cooper>> But after retiring to Orange County, Boyer became concerned that these helicopters that played such a role in the nation's history might end up as scrap. So he set out to save one. Lt. Col. Gene Boyer>> I spent a lot of time researching where these helicopters were, the original eight helicopters that were at the White House when Kennedy went into office. I found this one wrapped in plastic in a parking lot at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, but it had been in that parking lot for probably close to eight years wrapped in white plastic. After I found the helicopter, I went to the Nixon Library and asked them if they wanted me to start working to get it and they did. Roger Cooper>> At this point, the Air Force pitched in, allowing a C-17 jet returning empty from a cargo mission to pick up the presidential chopper and bring it to California. Lt. Col. Gene Boyer>> What I did was start looking at a place to restore it because it was in bad shape. Roger Cooper>> They went to work at March Field Air Museum outside Riverside. A band of mostly retired military volunteers started putting in thousands of hours to restore the presidential chopper. While the work was in progress, Colonel Boyer took me aboard to see what presidential travel used to be like. So this is a helicopter fit for a president? Lt. Col. Gene Boyer>> Yes (laughter), back in the sixties. Roger Cooper>> Where would his seat be up here? Lt. Col. Gene Boyer>> The president's seat is right here by this big picture window and the First Lady's seat is right there. Roger Cooper>> So the leader of the free world is sitting here. What does he have at his disposal? Lt. Col. Gene Boyer>> He has his own communication telephone which goes directly to the White House switchboard no matter where you are. The First Lady was right there. The Duty Aide, the aide that carried the football, in essence -- Roger Cooper>> -- the nuclear codes. Lt. Col. Gene Boyer>> The nuclear codes, would sit in the seat right there, the last one up. Roger Cooper>> Boyer then took me forward to see what he used to call his office, the cockpit. Lt. Col. Gene Boyer>> It's been almost totally restored. We do have a missing window here and a cracked one there which we're getting ready to replace. Roger Cooper>> Does it come streaming back to you, sitting in that chair? Lt. Col. Gene Boyer>> Yes. The first time I got in here after thirty-one years, it was quite a rush thinking back on all the flights that I'd had. Roger Cooper>> Those flights would include ferrying the president and other heads of state back and forth from the White House to Camp David. Most of those leaders are gone now. Drop cloths cover what used to be seats of great power. Richard Nixon>> "Therefore, I shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow." Roger Cooper>> But without question, his most memorable flight was the day Nixon resigned. Lt. Col. Gene Boyer>> The night before, I received a call from Colonel Jack Brennan, Marine aide to President Nixon. He told me that the president was going out the next day, but I had pretty much figured that out on my own. As I headed into the White House that morning, as I turned final around the Washington Monument, I could see two hundred thousand people around the outside of the White House on the outside of the fence. When I came in and landed, of course, there were just thousands on the inside. It was tough making that flight and, of course, almost everybody that I could see around the south portico of the White House had tears in their eyes. I watched the Fords and the Nixons walk down that red carpet through the Honor Guard. I could lean back in that seat and see right down that red carpet, so I watched them come all the way to the helicopter. It was a tough flight. After the president gave his victory sign and got in the helicopter, we closed the doors and took off for Andrews Air Force Base in Air Force One. When I got to Andrews and landed in front of Air Force One, Pat Nixon was the first one to get in the cockpit and thanked me for all those flights. Then he got in the cockpit. Roger Cooper>> The president? Lt. Col. Gene Boyer>> The president did, and patted me on the back. Both of us had tears in our eyes and he said, "You have to stop that because I have to walk from here to Air Force One and there's another ten thousand people at Andrews watching all of this." So it was tough. But he marched right over there and got on board. Roger Cooper>> In one of the ironies of history, since the pilot sits in the right-hand seat in most helicopters, Colonel Boyer is not the person you see through the cockpit window in that famous photograph. Lt. Col. Gene Boyer>> Watch your step. Roger Cooper>> Yes. Marine One (laughter). Lt. Col. Gene Boyer>> Army One (laughter). Roger Cooper>> Army One to you. Just a couple of months after Colonel Boyer gave us our tour, a complete restored presidential helicopter was transported to the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda. Colonel Boyer and the volunteers were honored for saving a piece of history which the public can now walk through. This fall, director Ron Howard used the helicopter to film a scene for the upcoming movie, "Frost/Nixon", that depicts Nixon's farewell helicopter flight. Colonel Boyer was asked to play himself in the role of presidential pilot. He fit into and wore the very same uniform he wore that day Nixon departed. In Orange County, I'm Roger Cooper for Life and Times. [Film Clip] Val Zavala>> If you'd like to learn more about Richard Nixon's helicopter, you can go to the following website: nixonlibraryfoundation.org. And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Announcer>> Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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