As president of Imperials, Jesse taught members plenty, but more important was the fact that he commanded and never demanded their respect. Some leaders choose to run clubs out of fear and others out of respect, but when we asked Jesse the key to running a club his answer was one that'll go down in the history books as the best ever. His response? "I was just their friend." He added, "If you're friends with your members and there's a mutual respect, then you don't need to 'run' a club. You just hang out."
Part of the responsibility of hanging out included plenty of talks and always having a hawk's eye to foresee and solve any problems that could arise. "I had to talk to the parents of the kids to keep them out of trouble and one of the most important things of any organization, including a car club, is that you offer community service, even if you don't live in that community," Jesse adds. "It's important because kids and members of that area remember that and it's a great way to give back to the community and to break stereotypes of lowriding and the people involved in the scene."
Jesse also taught his clubs more than just a few tricks; he taught them about life and shared stories. His number one philosophy is the fact that the car is always important, but it should be second to human beings. "I told them that cars can be replaced and rebuilt, but humans can't."
Jesse firmly believes that lowriding will never die, but he does emphasize that members of the community and the media are responsible for the continued growth and resurgence of the scene. "We gotta school the young kids that are coming up," he advises. "Lowriders will never die. As long as there's one guy willing to put his car on the street, there will always be hope and opportunity for lowriding. It'll never die."
And even with all of the accolades, press and fame of Gypsy Rose, the one question that we had to ask was if the car would ever be up for sale. It's a question that many of us have pondered and a valid one that makes even more sense, especially in a day and age when almost everything and everyone has a price. So when we asked Mr. Valadez the question, his response was nothing short of what we expected, "Would you sell your son?"