MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee's lowrider culture has grown larger than ever before, with car shows like El Grito drawing hundreds of vehicles and fostering a tight-knit community that spans generations.
"(I've been) lowriding over 20 years. I actually see my car family or my lowrider family more than my blood family," Rafa Hernandez, a member of the car club, LoLo Blvd, said.
Hernandez has been passionate about lowriding since childhood. He would see people driving lowriders, and knew he wanted to have one when he grew up.
"The customization of the cars and you can personalize it to yourself, and I think that's always something that caught my eye," Hernandez said.
Lowriders originated in Southern California after World War II as an expression of Mexican-American identity. It was an artistic representation of Chicano pride. Today, lowriders are characterized by their custom low builds, intricate paint jobs, occasional murals on the side or trunk, and, of course, hydraulics or air suspension systems that create the iconic three-wheel motion look. It's also what allows the cars to bounce up and down.
“And I think it looks cool," Hernandez said.
He credits his interest in lowriding in part to Adam Garcia. He was one of the original members of Los Bajitos, the first lowriding club in Milwaukee back in the 1980s.
"The more we had the cars growing, the more the culture grew," Adam Garcia said.
In the earlier decades of lowriding in Milwaukee, the community faced challenges. It wasn't always as popular as it is today. Garcia recalls frequent police stops just because he was driving a lowrider.
"We used to drive up and down the streets, and the cops used to look at us. Gang squad, and hey, let's pull them over. He's got a low rider, he's got to have guns, drugs, or something. And nope, we're just cruising and that's what we like to do, just cruise," Garcia said.
The acceptance has dramatically changed over time.
"It's come around quite a bit now. They're closing down the streets for us. You know, where we were getting pulled over before, now they say you're welcome to the street. I'm like, damn, that's a big change," Garcia said.
That level of acceptance is shown in events like El Grito. It's a car festival that has been going on for about seven or eight years on South 5th Street in Milwaukee. Even large companies like Harley-Davidson have hosted lowrider festivals.
The original lowriding group, Los Bajitos, paved the way for additional car clubs like LoLo Blvd to emerge. The group meets in a south side alley. That's where Rafa and his brother Ricky have neighboring garages. They hang out, talk cars, and work on their lowriders. It's both a workshop and community hub.
"Like 20 cars, 20–30 cars in here at one time, you know, just hanging out. Neighbors probably get a little upset, but they're okay," Ricky Hernandez said.
The brothers have achieved a childhood dream through their automotive passion.
"My brother and I, when we were little, our dream was to always be old enough to have a garage or alley with our cars full of low riders, and we actually achieved that so," Ricky Hernandez said.
The culture extends beyond vehicles to include customized bicycles. It's also inspired people like Rene Amado. He has combined his love for photography and lowriders to publish three photography books about the community.
"Showing little glimpses into the culture and who we are. Like, I love preserving that and documenting that and just showing this is who we are and what we do," Amado said.
Lowriding represents more than just the car itself — it's about art, culture, and community.
"We got to keep it growing because it is a beautiful culture. You meet a lot of people. It's very positive," Ricky Hernandez said.
The lowriding community holds meet-ups multiple times every month from the Spring to the Fall. One of the last big events is Trunk or Treat held on Oct. 24 at 817 W. National Ave from 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm.
Watch the story below to see more lowriders...
"This story was reported on-air by James Groh and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
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