Lowriding Research Paper
Rosalie Huerta
Professor Guy Lord
English 121
1 May 2017
Lowriding
Hispanics who own a lowrider have always been frowned upon within the United States. Lowriders have been around since the 1920’s and still live strong today. Lowriding is a lifestyle that privileged Hispanics are able to be apart of. It is a way for Hispanics to express their culture through vehicles with custom paint jobs, lowered suspension, hydraulics, murals, and rims (lowriders). Lowriders have been around since the 1920’s, but did not include hydraulics or custom rims until the 1950’s. There is a large population of Hispanic gang members within the United States, but Lowriders are not affiliated with gangs and should not be seen as gang members for living their lowrider …show more content…
lifestyle.
One of the top reasons that lowrider’s are considered gang members is because most of them belong to a car club. These care clubs are established to bring the lowrider communities together and usually have certain makes and models of vehicles in their club. The club members come together to assist each other in building their cars and making it possible to attend out of state car shows with the dues they pay each month. They come together as a family and help not only their members in the time of need, but also their communities. Danny Perez is an outreach specialist for a youth center in San Jose, California and he was asked by his neighbors one day to host a car show at his youth center for a toy drive. Danny explained to Kim Vo, with the San Jose Mecrury News, that was hesitant to do business with a lowrider car club for a charity event. “I had a few car clubs ask me in the past if they can do car shows at the center and I thought, no, this is a youth center and I don't want to bring negative attitude to a youth club," Perez said. But Tony and Sylvia Martinez were his neighbors, so he figured "this can't be bad." (Kim Vo) The Viejitos Car Club members, living next door to Danny Perez, obtain a list of needy children from the surrounding charities and now hold a toy drive every year at the youth center. The car club has the car show every year the Saturday following Thanksgiving. They ask that participants bring an unwrapped toy worth at least ten dollars for admission (Kim Vo). Car clubs may carry a negative stigma, but in fact participate in many charity events within their communities. Car clubs do not have time between building their cars and contributing to their community to be a part of an established gang.
Hispanics are also considered low-income minorities, so it is hard for people to understand how low income minorities are able to afford their lowrider lifestyles.
Some think that the lowriding communities are engaged in illegal activities to afford their lifestyle. Hispanics that become apart of the lowriding lifestyle dedicate their extra time and any extra money they have to build their cars. The lowriders they build are a piece of art and are not built over night. Some lowriders take five or more years to build, depending on how much money one wants to spend and the amount of detail they want the vehicle to have. Some people spend their life savings on their vehicle and some incur great debt required to build their piece of art. Depending on the year of vehicle, a completed lowrider can range from $40,000-$400,000. As editor of Lowrider Maragzine Joe Rey says in, What it takes to build a Lowrider. “The character of a true Lowrider is determined and defined by the sacrifices one makes while trying to build these rolling canvases of art, or, in many cases, their own lifelong dream-come-true on four wheels. Trials, tribulations, and unbelievable stories are all par for the course when it comes to completing a car; all in the hope that it will look like a respectable reflection of us while it’s out there on the streets. The wallet has nothing to do with it! Money can’t define the value of appreciation you have for the car you own. Blood, sweat, beers, and being irresponsible …show more content…
to obligations to your family life are the beautiful problems that come with the package of building your dream machine. When all is said and done, we would never do it any differently. That’s what makes for a true Lowrider!”
Work Cited
Vo, Kim.
"Viejitos Members Know Santa Rolls in a Lowrider." San Jose Mercury News (CA), 25 Nov. 2006. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.aclin.org:2048/login?auth=cca&url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.aclin.org:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=url,ip,uid&db=nfh&AN=2W62W61350569764&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Ray, Joe. "What It Takes To Build A Lowrider - Custom Show Cars - Lowrider Magazine." Lowrider. N.p., 01 Feb. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.
.
Professor Guy Lord
English 121
1 May 2017
Lowriding
Hispanics who own a lowrider have always been frowned upon within the United States. Lowriders have been around since the 1920’s and still live strong today. Lowriding is a lifestyle that privileged Hispanics are able to be apart of. It is a way for Hispanics to express their culture through vehicles with custom paint jobs, lowered suspension, hydraulics, murals, and rims (lowriders). Lowriders have been around since the 1920’s, but did not include hydraulics or custom rims until the 1950’s. There is a large population of Hispanic gang members within the United States, but Lowriders are not affiliated with gangs and should not be seen as gang members for living their lowrider …show more content…
lifestyle.
One of the top reasons that lowrider’s are considered gang members is because most of them belong to a car club. These care clubs are established to bring the lowrider communities together and usually have certain makes and models of vehicles in their club. The club members come together to assist each other in building their cars and making it possible to attend out of state car shows with the dues they pay each month. They come together as a family and help not only their members in the time of need, but also their communities. Danny Perez is an outreach specialist for a youth center in San Jose, California and he was asked by his neighbors one day to host a car show at his youth center for a toy drive. Danny explained to Kim Vo, with the San Jose Mecrury News, that was hesitant to do business with a lowrider car club for a charity event. “I had a few car clubs ask me in the past if they can do car shows at the center and I thought, no, this is a youth center and I don't want to bring negative attitude to a youth club," Perez said. But Tony and Sylvia Martinez were his neighbors, so he figured "this can't be bad." (Kim Vo) The Viejitos Car Club members, living next door to Danny Perez, obtain a list of needy children from the surrounding charities and now hold a toy drive every year at the youth center. The car club has the car show every year the Saturday following Thanksgiving. They ask that participants bring an unwrapped toy worth at least ten dollars for admission (Kim Vo). Car clubs may carry a negative stigma, but in fact participate in many charity events within their communities. Car clubs do not have time between building their cars and contributing to their community to be a part of an established gang.
Hispanics are also considered low-income minorities, so it is hard for people to understand how low income minorities are able to afford their lowrider lifestyles.
Some think that the lowriding communities are engaged in illegal activities to afford their lifestyle. Hispanics that become apart of the lowriding lifestyle dedicate their extra time and any extra money they have to build their cars. The lowriders they build are a piece of art and are not built over night. Some lowriders take five or more years to build, depending on how much money one wants to spend and the amount of detail they want the vehicle to have. Some people spend their life savings on their vehicle and some incur great debt required to build their piece of art. Depending on the year of vehicle, a completed lowrider can range from $40,000-$400,000. As editor of Lowrider Maragzine Joe Rey says in, What it takes to build a Lowrider. “The character of a true Lowrider is determined and defined by the sacrifices one makes while trying to build these rolling canvases of art, or, in many cases, their own lifelong dream-come-true on four wheels. Trials, tribulations, and unbelievable stories are all par for the course when it comes to completing a car; all in the hope that it will look like a respectable reflection of us while it’s out there on the streets. The wallet has nothing to do with it! Money can’t define the value of appreciation you have for the car you own. Blood, sweat, beers, and being irresponsible …show more content…
to obligations to your family life are the beautiful problems that come with the package of building your dream machine. When all is said and done, we would never do it any differently. That’s what makes for a true Lowrider!”
Work Cited
Vo, Kim.
"Viejitos Members Know Santa Rolls in a Lowrider." San Jose Mercury News (CA), 25 Nov. 2006. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.aclin.org:2048/login?auth=cca&url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.aclin.org:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=url,ip,uid&db=nfh&AN=2W62W61350569764&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Ray, Joe. "What It Takes To Build A Lowrider - Custom Show Cars - Lowrider Magazine." Lowrider. N.p., 01 Feb. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.
.