This scene is NOT what it first appears to be. Both of these teenagers are Latin Kings. One is wearing a Latin Eagle’s sweater that had been “captured.” The one on the left is staging the scene for the camera. Uptown gangs in 1975, when this shot was taken, were not as violent as they became in later years. However, guns were readily available and gang members were well armed. According to a reader, Chris Deutsch, the rival gang’s patch is sewn on upside down as a sign of disrespect. Upside down graffiti is also a way to show disrespect for a rival gang.
