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The History of Uce Car Club (which includes an explanation of why we changed our club name from Uso to Uce) Founded in 1992, our organization has set the benchmark for many of the lowriding's current trends. Uso prides itself on being more than a loose-knit conglomerate of individuals. The definition of the word "Uso," which means blood brother in the Samoan language, is a testament to our underlying principle. In fact, our solid communal values and interpersonal relationships reflect more of a family unit than a social club. The founding chapter started in the Harbor Area of Los Angeles, California. Although Uso was a word taken from the Samoan language, a mixture of races and ethnicities made up the initial membership base. From the very beginning, the requirements for inclusion relied more on the person than the lowrider. Of course the ride had to be clean as well, but the founders understood the importance of human relations. Uso has prided itself on representing a wide variety of people’s cultures and backgrounds, which will be the case as long as we exist. Stereotypical labels do not matter to our organization. The key to longevity has been and always will be placing emphasis on a strong kinship between the members, regardless of skin color. Given that formula, Uso car club is today the world’s largest lowriding car club. Of all the pioneers who constituted the basis of the first chapter, Kita Lealao has remained with the organization since its inception. Without question, his charismatic leadership has led to the continued strength of Uso. His effusive style of interpersonal relationships has made him one of the most gregarious individuals in all of lowriding. Kita commands respect through his magnetic personality. The love and respect he has for lowriding emanates through words and action. Many Uso members look up to this esteemed leader as a role model in lowriding. Undoubtedly Kita is the personification, as well as the principle representative of our family. As Uso has grown steadily throughout the years, problems have arisen in the form of organizational structuring. An association this large presents problems in keeping the familial relationship intact. To aid in the relief of this problem, Kita enlisted the support of one his most devoted members. Jae Brattain has been with Uso since 1994. Although there is not a hierarchy in the club per se, his function as the Chief Executive Officer is to provide a coherent structural format. His experiences in the corporate world helped to facilitate a way to group chapters into regions for more effective communications. The regions were subsequently divided into geographical zones and include Southern California, Northern California, Northwest, Southwest, as well as the Midwest. For the chapters located in Stockholm, Sweden; Fairbanks, Alaska; Miami, Florida; Guam and Hawaii, there is direct contact. With this configuration in place, Uso has been much more effective in their communication. As a result, we have maintained the close bond we so fervently desire. Although there are many members who contribute to the whole, the regional presidents have been especially effective in assisting Kita and Jae with the overall logistics of the organization. As stated previously, there is not a hierarchal structure in Uso; everyone is treated with respect on an equal basis. However, from a structural perspective, titles have been given to certain individuals for communication contact purposes. With that in mind, the presidents of the various regions get much credit for helping to micromanage the sizable family. The list of noteworthy persons include Francisco Franco from the Southern California region, Robert Ceniceros of Northern California, Jayson Fleming representing the Northwest, Jason De Lara from the Southwest, and Ruben Echavarria of the Midwest. Collectively, these members have done a great deal in perpetuating the unity and brotherhood of Uso. One of the downsides of having such a high profile and well-respected organization is the envy it creates from others. Sometimes referred to as “haters,” these individuals or other groups let jealousy get the best of them. About two years ago, Kita and Jae were faced with a situation in which someone tried to take the name “Uso” away from the club. As a result of these actions, they were forced to file the name “Uso Car Club” with the United States Trademark and Patent Office. Thinking they were going through the proper channel, the action proved to be detrimental to their namesake. A short time after their filing, Kita was contacted by the United Service Organization, commonly known as the U.S.O.. For those unaware, U.S.O. is the group that provides entertainment and other services to United States military personnel. Legal representatives from this organization sent a letter stating that Uso car club was infringing on their long established trademark. As a result of this action, Kita and Jae sought the advice of two separate law firms that specialized in Trademark law. Several offers of compromise were sent to the U.S.O. but to no avail. They insisted that Uso “cease and desist” from all usage of the name. Heeding the advice of the lawyers, Uso was essentially forced to relinquish our request for a trademark and change the name of the club. It was not an easy decision, but there were two main reasons for capitulating. The first was that in order to render full time service from the law firm, it would have required an exorbitant amount of capital. According to the attorneys, the time it would have taken to fight the case before a magistrate would have amounted to many man-hours of expensive labor. Their estimation was a time span of years and, according to their experience, the end result would have been a loss anyways. The other reason for yielding to their demands was that of a patriotic nature. Who could forget September 11, 2001? The nation as a whole came together as a result of this tragic event, and Uso was no exception. It just did not seem right to fight an organization that is dedicated to serving the United States military. Henceforth, Uso car club will now be known as Uce car club. The word “Uce” (pronounced like deuce without the ‘d’) is essentially a shortened reference to the word Uso. This change will not affect the core values of the club, nor will it transform the underlying principles of the foundation. We will still be the same wholesome organization people have always known; only the logo will be different. In celebration of our first ten years of existence, we have adopted the motto “Same Team, Same Scheme, Same Dream… Uce Car Club.” Text by Jae Brattain Copyright © 2004 by [Uce Car Club]. All rights reservedLicks N Tricks Interview: Kita Lealao Founder of UCE CC
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