18th Street gang
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This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (November 2009) |
| Founded | 1959 |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1959 – present |
| Territory | Mostly in Los Angeles,Phoenix Arizona the western and southern areas of the United States, and Central America |
| Ethnicity | Mostly Latino |
| Membership | 30,000 to 50,000 nationwide |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, assault, robbery, rum running, prostitution, extortion, arms trafficking, murder, contract killing, illegal gambling, vandalism, producing fake ids, and producing fake food stamps |
| Allies | Brown Pride, Armenian Power =[citation needed] |
| Rivals | Avenues, Black P. Stones, Rollin 20s Bloods, Bloods, Clanton 14, Playboys 13, Harpies 13, Varrio Los Amigos 13, Culver City Boyz, Longos, MS-13, Norteños, Toonerville Rifa 13 and Venice 13 Sureñosnortenos.culver city boys.loas.ers. |
18th Street is considered the largest gang in Los Angeles, California and is a largely Mexican street gang. It is estimated that there are between 8,000 and 20,000 members of 18th Street gang in Los Angeles County alone. There are approximately 20 separate individual autonomous gangs operating under the same label with separate barrios in the San Fernando Valley, the San Gabriel Valley, the South Bay, South Los Angeles, Downtown Los Angeles, Pico Union, Inglewood, and Cudahy , and Orange County.according to the latest figures from the NDIC.
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[edit] Membership and hierarchy
Membership was originally open to Mexican-Americans only. Although most members tend to be of Mexican-American descent, membership has opened to other backgrounds, including Central American, African American, Middle Eastern, Asian, and Caucasian. 18th Street have an organized hierarchy. It is unknown who is at the top. On the streets, there are the Shotcallers, their Lieutenants, and the foot-soldiers beneath them. Although the gang is well networked throughout the Los Angeles, there is no known central leadership nationally or internationally. Cliques generally function independently, but will join forces when combating rival gangs or law enforcement.
[edit] Gang markings
As with most gangs, 18th Street gang members can be easily identified by their tattoos. A common identifier is the number 18 (Spanish: dieciocho), which is usually represented in the Roman numerals (X8) (XVIII) (XV3) and sometimes they also use 666(6+6+6=18). Some use the number 5 meaning the fifth letter of the Alphabet. They also tattoo themselves with the word BEST, which stands for Barrio Eighteen STreet. Members engage in graffiti to mark their territory.
[edit] Culture
18th Street gang members are required to abide by a strict set of rules. For instance, they are forbidden from using crack cocaine and other hard drugs. Failure to obey the word of a gang leader, or to show proper respect to a fellow gang member, may result in an 18-second beating, or even execution for more serious offenses.[1]
According to the LAPD, some factions of the 18th Street gang have developed a high level of sophistication and organization. The 18th Street gang is occasionally referred to as the "Children's Army" because of its recruitment of elementary and middle-school aged youth.[2]
[edit] Criminal activity
18th Street is a well established gang that is involved in all areas of street-crime (as opposed to corporate crime). Some members have even become involved in producing fraudulent Immigration and Customs Enforcement identification cards and food stamps. Several 18th Street gang members have evolved into a higher level of sophistication and organization than other gangs. They also have been linked to occurrences of murder, murder-for-hire, assaults, drug trafficking, extortion, vandalism, drug smuggling, prostitution, robbery, and weapons trafficking, as well as other crimes.
[edit] Location
The majority of 18th Street cliques operating throughout California and are the result of Los Angeles members migrating to other areas and establishing cliques under their leadership. Members originally from Los Angeles tend to be more respected than those in other areas. 18th Street cliques have been identified in 32 states and the District of Columbia in the United States, as well as other foreign countries.
Although the 18th Street gang is of Mexican-American origin and was formed by Mexican youth who were not accepted in the existing Mexican gangs, it is sometimes referred to as the childrens army, for recruting middle schoolers and high schoolers.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Extensive 18th Street Gang information
- 18th Street Gang in Los Angeles County
- BBC News: Gang life tempts Salvador teens
- BBC News: El Salvador swoops on street gang
- PBS Wide Angle: 18 With a Bullet 18th Street Gang in El Salvador
- Strohm, Chris (August 1, 2005). "DHS touts success of anti-gang operation". GovExec.com. http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0805/080105c1.htm. Retrieved 2006-03-14.
