Officers said they’ve grown into a dangerous gang since starting in Yakima five years ago. Rennie Ortiz said he’s been a Paisa for about 15 years ever since he was locked up. “It just comes with your color,” he said. “If you’re Hispanic, you can be Latino. You can be Mexican.”
A new gang has infiltrated the Yakima County Jail. The Paisas have become a real problem for jail officers because they don’t have a signature. That makes them harder to identify. Could a problem on the inside mean a problem on the outside for you?
Officers at the Yakima County Jail have seen Surenos, Nortenos, Bloods, Crips and White Supremacists for years. In the last two years, they started noticing a new gang.
“We starting seeing some inmate assaults and, of course, after assaults we have to do an investigation,” said Officer Billings. “When we start to hear you know it was a Paisa, then it’s ok, what, who?”
Paisa is basically a Mexican gang that started out as the anti-gang. A group of people joined for protection against the gangs. That’s how officers here say their membership grew.
“Somebody can come in who has no association with any gangs and they are getting ready to get targeted,” said Billings. “So, hey I’m a Pisa. So, we got to put them with the Pisas.”
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