MEXICO CITY — As a punk teenager 35 years ago, José Luis Escobar Hoyos wanted to show his mother that his lifestyle wasn’t just about dressing in chains and spikes and listening to loud music and accelerated.
So he started a project called Kings Punks, in which he collected and distributed toys for children living on the streets on Three Kings Day, also known as Epiphany, when Mexican children usually receive gifts from the three wise men.
“The basics of punk are mutual aid and solidarity,” the fifty-year-old declared on Sunday evening as the gift collection was in full swing.
Over the years, many volunteers have joined his efforts. Sporting black T-shirts of their favorite bands, black boots and sparkly piercings, the punks handed out scooters, dinosaurs and other gifts to children on the streets of the Mexican capital early Monday.
“Handling kids and how you relate and can support them — that’s priceless,” said Escobar, known locally as El Picos. “As we tell people: we don’t want diplomas, recognition or anything. We’re punks, and that’s why we do it.
In recent years, Escobar has expanded beyond just the places he knows Mexican families are living on the streets to also include some Mexico City migrant encampments.
Lucha libre wrestler Peter Punk – black tights and a green and white mask – also joined in, participating in brief wrestling matches on the sidewalk at each stop. Volunteers also prepare a candy-filled piñata for children to celebrate.
One of the volunteers is shoemaker Marcos Grande. This year he brought seven pairs of his boots to give away.
“The satisfaction of children, bringing them a gift, a joy because many children don’t have it, that’s what’s satisfying, bringing them where sometimes they don’t get there, where they don’t don’t have the three kings but now here they are. the friends, the band, the punks,” he said.
nbcnews