in my canon, rio doesn’t really go around telling young people to join his “gang”. what he has isn’t a birthright kind of thing (he isn’t the King(tm) by succession) , it’s not a ‘this is my plaza, my territory, and if you’re not with me, you’re against me’. he does protect his territory (and what he has, what he owns, he does because he climbed that ladder with utmost excellence. he worked the angles he was supposed to, and manipulated no more than the precise people), and most around him, respect him (respect that he gained not by being your friendly church-going mexican neighbor, mind you) . those who work for him, the ones in what would be called “the field” are people who have exhausted all opportunities and had no other choice. though, it’s unfair to say it ‘cause the people who work for him didn’t have many opportunities to begin with. still, he treats them well. and does try his best to keep them safe, or as safe as he can since they do need to cross path with criminal who are far worse than rio himself is.







