Back in March I posted about a 41-year-old Singapore man who helped tattoo his friend’s wife against her will. The entire episode left a sick feeling in my stomach, as I’m sure it did with many of you. Well, this week I have the unfortunate distinction of reporting a similar case. This time it’s on the other side of the world from Singapore, in Fresno, California.
On Friday, 26-year-old Enrique Gonzalez pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated mayhem and street terrorism. (Street terrorism? Really? They couldn’t come up with a better name for a criminal act than street terrorism? I’m just sayin’.) Together with his friend, 21-year-old Travis Dewayne Gorman, Gonzalez forced a gang related tattoo on his 7-year-old son back in April of this year. Gorman did the tattooing, which – surprise! – he’s not licensed to do.
The tattoo in question is a bulldog paw, the symbol for The Bulldogs street gang. Police later discovered a photograph of Gonzalez and his two children, both of whom have gang related tattoos. Both Gonzalez and Gorman will be tried again on June 16th and if convicted, they could be facing life in prison sentences.
I’ve got to say, this is truly sick. I mean, tattooing a 7-year-old? What the hell is wrong with you? What kind of twisted, poisoned mind do you have to own to think tattooing a 7-year-old child is cool? Man…aside from the insanity and depravity of this, it especially bothers me to think that people who generally don’t know much about tattoos and tattooing have this sort of crap as a point of reference when they hear about the popularity of tattoos. I know that it probably doesn’t need to be said and I know that I’m most likely preaching to the converted on this one, but this kind of stuff is so completely removed from the world of tattooing that it makes me cringe to think that people will associate this with what it means to get professional tattoo work done. This is like tattoo rape. Can I use that term? Sure, why not, because that’s what this was – forcing someone (underage, I might add) to have permanent ink placed on their skin.
Let’s hope that Gonzalez and Gorman get what they deserve – both from the judicial system and within the prison system itself. It’s one thing to raise a child in a gang environment, but forcing them at such a young age to wear the gang symbol is a horrible abuse of a child and tattooing. Fuckers.