The Madonnas of Echo Park

Chapter 6 is narrated by a thief and hustler named Freddy, who grew up in Echo Park but has spent “nineteen of [his] forty-two years” (105) in prison. He explains that being in prison and experiencing a sense of loss through his time incarcerated, helps him to appreciate life in his home neighborhood. The chapter begins: “The best sunrise you’ll ever see is your first as a free man” (104). 

Freddy tells the story of how he—along with a large group of Mexican-Americans in Echo Park—captured a serial killer known as the Night Stalker in the summer of 1985. He credits himself as the first person who was bold enough to physically apprehend and attack the Night Stalker, noting that the killer was just a skinny Mexican man rather than “the indestructible bogeyman with supernatural powers they’d heard about on TV for months” (105). Freddy observed the Mexican-American community come together in celebration after catching the killer, believing the city would help improve their neighborhood; however, Freddy remarks that “nothing happened” and he never “saw any reward money” (106).

Freddy then details his evolution as a hustler, pointedly identifying himself as an American who speaks fluent English. Like Efren, Freddy is bothered by Mexican-Americans who’ve failed to learn English.