El Cholo, as we call him here, is 20 years old. He has been a member of different gangs — or maras — and says he's killed 10 people. Following as excerpts from an interview with NPR's John ...

Now at 17, Romero realizes he never should have become a member of the Southwest Cholos gang. He is soft-spoken and polite. Sitting with his hands in his lap, he keeps his knuckles turned down to ...