Rodolfo Cadena
Encyclopedia
Rodolfo Cadena was a Mexican-American mob boss and legendary figure in the Mexican Mafia
prison gang.
. He was incarcerated at Deuel Vocational Institution
after he and a childhood friend from the same street gang, "Richard Ruiz" who would become one of the founding members of "La EME", stabbed a Bakersfield man to death outside of the "Salon Juarez" dancehall in 1958. At the time of his conviction, Rudy was only 15 years old. While incarcerated, he earned the respect and admiration of the members of the Mexican Mafia
("La Eme") which was still in its development stage.
According to Chris Blatchford,
Cadena and Joe "Pegleg" Morgan, who became his best friend and mentor, led the gang to prominence in the California correctional system by terrorizing other unorganized ethnic inmate groups, gaining a monopoly over the sale of drugs, pornography, prostitution, extortion and murder for hire.
Cadena continued to run the Mafia's activities and began to look beyond the walls of prison, envisioning a statewide monopoly of crime. He struck an uneasy alliance with George Jackson
and the Black Guerilla Family and became active in Latino political organizations like the Brown Berets
. Cadena made overtures to unite La Eme with the rival Nuestra Familia
, but his peace talks with "the farmeros" were frowned upon by Joe Morgan and other senior Eme leaders. In response, they ordered the murder of two Familia leaders just prior to an important peace conference between Cadena and Death Row Joe Gonzalez, aN NF leader at Chino Reception center
.
Cadena was the basis for the 1992 movie American Me
, in which, Montoya Santana, a character based upon Cadena, was portrayed by Edward James Olmos
. The Mexican Mafia, however, was enraged by certain parts of the
especially the portrayal of Santana being raped and a climax in which Santana is murdered by his own followers. Two of Olmos' consultants were subsequently killed and a plot to extort the director was uncovered.
Mexican Mafia
The Mexican Mafia , also known as La Eme , 13 is a Mexican American criminal organization, and is one of the oldest and most powerful prison gangs in the United States.-Foundation:...
prison gang.
Biography
"Chy" Cadena was a wayward youth and a member of the "Varrio Viejo" Gang from Bakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
. He was incarcerated at Deuel Vocational Institution
Deuel Vocational Institution
Deuel Vocational Institution is a state prison located in unincorporated San Joaquin County, California, near Tracy.-Facilities:DVI opened in 1953 and named for the late California state senator Charles H. Deuel who sponsored legislation establishing the institution. The facility has been...
after he and a childhood friend from the same street gang, "Richard Ruiz" who would become one of the founding members of "La EME", stabbed a Bakersfield man to death outside of the "Salon Juarez" dancehall in 1958. At the time of his conviction, Rudy was only 15 years old. While incarcerated, he earned the respect and admiration of the members of the Mexican Mafia
Mexican Mafia
The Mexican Mafia , also known as La Eme , 13 is a Mexican American criminal organization, and is one of the oldest and most powerful prison gangs in the United States.-Foundation:...
("La Eme") which was still in its development stage.
According to Chris Blatchford,
"By 1961, administrators at DVI, alarmed by the escalating violence, had transferred a number of the charter Eme members to San Quentin, hoping to discourage their violent behavior by intermingling them with hardened adult convicts. It didn't work. For example, the story goes that Cheyenne Cadena arrived on the lower yard and was met by a six-foot-five, 300-pound black inmate who planted a kiss on his face and announced this scrawny teenager would now be his 'bitch.' Chy returned a short time later, walked up to the unsuspecting predator, and stabbed him to death with a jailhouse knife, or shankShankShank is the lower part of the leg; shin.It may also refer to:* Shank , a cut of meat * Shank , an action game* Shank , An LGBT based film* Shank , a thriller set in futuristic London...
. There were more than a thousand inmates on the yard. No witnesses stepped forward, and only one dead man entertained the idea that Cadena was anyone's bitch."
Cadena and Joe "Pegleg" Morgan, who became his best friend and mentor, led the gang to prominence in the California correctional system by terrorizing other unorganized ethnic inmate groups, gaining a monopoly over the sale of drugs, pornography, prostitution, extortion and murder for hire.
Cadena continued to run the Mafia's activities and began to look beyond the walls of prison, envisioning a statewide monopoly of crime. He struck an uneasy alliance with George Jackson
George Jackson (Black Panther)
George Lester Jackson was an American convict who became a left-wing activist, Marxist, author, a member of the Black Panther Party, and co-founder of the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang...
and the Black Guerilla Family and became active in Latino political organizations like the Brown Berets
Brown Berets
The Brown Berets is a Chicano nationalist activist group of young Mexican Americans that emerged during the Chicano Movement in the late 1960s and remains active to the present day. The group was seen as part of the Third Movement for Liberation. The Brown Berets focus on community organizing...
. Cadena made overtures to unite La Eme with the rival Nuestra Familia
Nuestra Familia
Nuestra Familia is a criminal organization of Mexican American prison gangs with origins in Northern California. While members of the Norteños gang are considered to be affiliated with Nuestra Familia, being a member of Nuestra Familia itself does not signify association as a Norteño...
, but his peace talks with "the farmeros" were frowned upon by Joe Morgan and other senior Eme leaders. In response, they ordered the murder of two Familia leaders just prior to an important peace conference between Cadena and Death Row Joe Gonzalez, aN NF leader at Chino Reception center
California Institution for Men
California Institution for Men is a male-only state prison located in the city of Chino, San Bernardino County, California. It is often colloquially referenced as "Chino." In turn, locals call the prison "Chino Men's" or just "Men's" to avoid confusion with the city itself...
.
Death and afterward
On December 17, 1972, Cadena was set up by Familia assassins as he left his cell in "Palm Hall" at the Chino Reception center. He was stabbed an estimated fifty times on the tier and thrown off a third story tier onto the concrete floor below and stabbed another twenty times. Cadena was subsequently buried at the "Union" cemetery in Bakersfield,CA. an inscription reading, "Remembered by your mother and family."Legacy
Cadena's murder sparked an era of gang warfare within the California penal system. Over the next year the lives of 31 prisoners were lost in tit-for-tat killings. The carnage and animosity from his murder still exists 36 years after his death, as La Eme still has a "kill on sight" order for any member of Nuestra Familia.Cadena was the basis for the 1992 movie American Me
American Me
American Me is a 1992 biographical crime drama film produced and directed by Edward James Olmos, his first film as a director, and written by Floyd Mutrux and Desmond Nakano. Olmos also stars as the film's protagonist, Montoya Santana...
, in which, Montoya Santana, a character based upon Cadena, was portrayed by Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
. The Mexican Mafia, however, was enraged by certain parts of the
especially the portrayal of Santana being raped and a climax in which Santana is murdered by his own followers. Two of Olmos' consultants were subsequently killed and a plot to extort the director was uncovered.