Jose M. Lopez, Ph.D.

Dr. Jose Lopez is Professor Emeritus in the Chicano Latino Studies Department at California State University Long Beach (CSULB). His distinguished career began as an assistant professor at CSU Fullerton. Since 1970, he has been teaching at CSULB as an assistant professor, professor and, now, Professor Emeritus. Raised in East Los Angeles, California provided Dr. Lopez with great insights into gangs and gang-related activities. His expertise and publications reflect his interests in the gang community.

• He is a member and U.S. representative for the Directorio RED Nacional de Investigadores Sobre Juventud, Centro de Investigacion y Estudios Sobre Juventud. This National/International network of gang researchers is based in Mexico, D.F., Mexico. Members are from every state in Mexico, with one representative each from Central America, South America, and the U.S.
• He is also a member of the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies, presenting research papers on a regular basis.
• He frequently serves as an Expert Witness for trials in Los Angeles, Kern, San Bernardino and Orange counties.
• His research paper, "Law Enforcement's War Against Gangs" was published in CSULB's conference proceedings: Meeting the 21st Century Challenge: The Search for Peace and Security.
• Another research paper, "Manifestations of Religious Icons in Gang Subculture," was published in CSULB's 1999 conference proceedings: Organized Religion's Influence on Politics and Global Socio-Economic Issues: Causes and Consequences
• An article, "Manifestations of Class Pathologies in Contemporary Gang Literature appeared in Mexican Studies/Estudios Mexicanos, a 1995 University of California publication (Vol. 11.2:273-284).
• His most recent work, the book manuscript, Gangs: Casualties of an Undeclared War, is due for publication this summer by Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co. He is also working on a manuscript, "Brown Berets: The Origins of a Political Ideology."