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Recently, a bop began between the Turbans and the Senators. How did it start? Nothin', nothin'. Thomas recalls, "A guy steps on another guy's shoes or looks at another guy's girl. Anything to relieve the boredom, keep their pride, their manhood, their status of not being punks. They got to show they're puro corazon [all heart]. O.K. There was supposed to be a fair fight between two guys —one Senator and one Turban. Chino was supposed to fight a guy from the Senators. But then another Turban pulls out a gun and he burns [shoots]. The Senators figure it's on: the Turbans are on a burn. We heard about it on Jim's car telephone. Jim asked me, 'Can you make contact?' I said I thought so."
The Burn's On. Pete walked into the Senators' hangout. "Hey, baby," he said, "what's happening?" "A little mess cookin' up, man," replied one kid. "They think we're punks, man. Tonight we're gonna mess that block. This is it, man." "Personally," said Pete, "I think you may have a good point. But who's the president around here?" "I am, dad," said a boy called Willy. "We don't want to hear nothin'. The burn's on, man." "So," 'said
Pete, "you supposed to be president, right? You can't be a punk, right?"
Willy replied: "No, man. I got heart, you know that, man." Pete corrected him: "You got a mind. Dig, man, I'm not tellin' you this to make you feel great. You don't like it, we deal [fight]." There was silence. Pete continued: "Look, Big Jim gave me instructions—you guys want to meet and talk. In your hands are the lives of your own boys. Dig, baby."
Pete had hit a nerve. The Senators said they would be willing to meet to talk peace terms with Turban leaders—but they were fearful lest the Turbans come armed. Said Pete Thomas: "You have our word—not a kid will be carrying a piece. Jim Vaus vouches for this. Never has Y.D.I, broken its word. Now, baby, you got a piece, a shank [knife], you pull it out it's gonna go down your throat." The Senators agreed to arbitration.
"We Ain't Punks!" Thomas next paid a call on the Turbans, sat down next to the president, stared silently at him for a few moments, then growled angrily: "I thought you had heart. Heart I don't doubt, baby; you got heart. But no brains in your head. Maybe I'm wrong. You tell me. Excuse me for blowing my top."