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Growing Up With Lowrider Culture In San Jose
- Paloma Yaritza Abarca and David Polanco describe growing up around lowriders in San Jose, with cars at family gatherings and shops teaching kids to work on vehicles.
- David recalls being stopped repeatedly by police, often profiled for being a young Chicano cruising with friends, yet rarely ticketed until age 37.
Stigma Turned Cultural Expression Into A Policing Tool
- Lowriding's core purpose is slow cruising to exhibit customized cars, but media and policing linked it to gang activity and racing, creating stigma.
- That stereotype obscured community service and cultural expression, turning policing into broad profiling rather than targeted enforcement.
Decades Of Laws Criminalized Cruising
- Starting in the 1980s California allowed local cruising bans and even outlawed car modifications, turning cultural practice into fines, fees, and tow threats.
- San Jose enacted its ban in 1986, institutionalizing penalties alongside ongoing police harassment.