'Blood In, Blood Out' actor, fans celebrate 30th-anniversary movie release

DOWNEY, Calif. (KABC) -- April 2023 marks the 30-year-anniversary since the movie 'Blood In, Blood Out' was released.

The movie is a crime drama movie about the Chicano gang culture in East Los Angeles during the 1970s, and the initiation process of joining a gang by killing someone and not being able to leave the gang unless killed.

In honor of the anniversary, one of the movie actors, Damian Chapa, is hosting meet and greets in the United States and Mexico. He held one in Downey at the Junction Bar on Friday.

"I was born with that generation. I was a part of the cruising. I was a part of other things that were going on in those movies," said Yadira Sandoval, a movie fan who was at the meet and greet.

To this day, many fans remain loyal to the film for many reasons.

"Because, when I came to this country, the first movie that I saw was 'Blood In, Blood Out' or 'Sangre Por Sangre,'" said Lupita Herrera, a fan at the meet and greet. "I was curious to know how Damian worked in this movie because he didn't look too Mexican."

In the movie, Chapa took the role of 17-year-old Miklo Velka who was the son of a Mexican mother and an American father. Miklo's father was abusive and racist. So, Miklo left his house to go live with his cousins in East Los Angeles.

Chapa said this anniversary celebration is important for him and it reminds him of his family.

"Because, you know, my father was Mexican-American and he was so proud of me getting that role of 'Blood In, Blood Out' playing Miklo," said Chapa. "For him, I do because in his memory."

Many fans said they also remained loyal to the movie because it was a snapshot of what reality was like back then in Chicano communities and East L.A. What resonated with them was the community landmarks like the Los Cinco Puntos butcher shop, and El Pino, the Australian bunya pine tree, which are still present.

And, the actual life challenges also resonated.

"They show the real East L.A. The problems with racism to the Hispanic, Mexican people. It's true history," said Herrera.

"There was a lot of discrimination on the Latinos. There was a lot of dividing of white people and Mexican Latinos," said Sandoval. "I think this movie gives a little message of what happened then and it's still going on in a different way."