Sureños
 Gang's name tattooed on gang member's back. |
|
| Founded | 1968[1] |
|---|---|
| In | Southern California |
| Years active | 1968 - Present |
| Territory | Mainly the West Coast primarily in Southern California, but as far South as Central America and Mexico. Surenos are active in every major city in every U.S. State.[2] |
| Ethnicity | Predominately Hispanic |
| Membership | Estimated to be 150,000 in the United States |
| Criminal activities | Murder, drug trafficking,[3] extortion, assault, theft, robbery, fraud, human trafficking,[3]and arms trafficking. |
| Allies | Mexican Mafia, Sinaloa Cartel[4], Tijuana Cartel[4] |
| Rivals | Nuestra Familia,[5] Norteños, Fresno Bulldogs,[6] Crips, Bloods |
Sureños, or Sureñas for females, are groups of loosely affiliated street gangs.[7] Sureño is a Umbrella term used to describe various street gangs that pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia while in Federal and State correctional facilities. Many Sureño gangs have rivalry with one another and the only time this rivalry is set aside is when they enter the prison system.[3][8] Thus, fighting is common among different Sureño gangs even though they share the same common identity.
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[edit] Location
The Sureños main stronghold is in Southern California where they originated. There is an estimated 50,000 Sureños in California alone.[3] They have successfully migrated into every major city in every state in the United States as well as Canada, the US Military, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. One of the main reasons for this migration is due to California's harsh three strikes law.[3]There are unconfirmed reports of their presence in various South American countries as well. Many larger criminal street gangs claim 13 under the Sureño banner such as the 18th Street gang, Playboys gang, and Mara Salvatrucha.[5] Contrary to common belief among Sureños, Norteños still outnumber Sureños 4-to-1 in Central California.[9] Northern States such as Oregon, Washington and Alaska have seen a substantial increases in street gangs under the Sureño and Norteño banners. Eastern Washington is almost exclusively either a Sureño or Norteño territory with the only exception being Spokane, Washington.[10]
[edit] History
The term "Sureños” means Southerner in Spanish. Even though Sureño's were established in 1968, the term was not used until the 1970's as a result of the continued conflict between the Mexican Mafia and Nuestra Familia in California's prison system.[3] As a result of these prison wars, all Hispanic California street gangs align themselves with the Sureño or Norteño movement with very few exceptions such as the Fresno Bulldogs and the Maravilla gangs of East Los Angeles. When a Sureño is asked what being a Sureño means, gang members, without exception, answer, “A Sureño is a foot soldier for the Mexican Mafia.”[12] Their biggest enemies are the Norteños (Northerners) that claim allegiance to the Nuestra Familia, various Crips, Bloods and the Fresno Bulldogs in Fresno, California.
[edit] Culture
Sureños use the number 13 which represents the thirteenth letter of the alphabet, the letter M, in order to pay allegiance to the Mexican Mafia.[13][3][14] Common Sureño gang markings and tattoos include, but are not limited to: Sur, XIII, X3, 13, Sur13, uno tres, trece and 3-dots.[13] Although there are many tattoos used by Surenos, there is only one tattoo that proves or validates membership. The word Sureno or Surena must be earned and can never be taken for granted.[3] In many parts of the country they will identify themselves with the color blue and gray and include wearing sports clothing from teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Kings (sometimes), Los Angeles Lakers, San Diego Padres, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams, Cleveland Browns and San Jose Sharks. Most Sureños are of Hispanic decent, but some Sureño gangs allow members from various other ethnic backgrounds to join their ranks making Sureños multiethnic.[3]
The most important things that all Sureños must live by is respect and loyalty. These traits are highly valued and anything seen as a violation can result in lethal retaliation. Although what is heard in the news is only violence perpetuated by criminal street gangs, most of the time gang members are not engaged in criminal activity. Many social street gangs have infamous reputations, but spend most of their time socializing with other members of their gang and do not actually engage in daily criminal acts.[15][16]Sureño's in Northern California call themselves Upstate Sureños while ones in the valley call themselves Central Valley Sureños. All Sureno gangs have their own names usually a reflection of their neighborhood or city such as El Monte Flores 13 or Eastside Paramount 13 or some other name chosen by the people that founded the gang.[13]
[edit] Criminal Activity
Sureño groups are involved in every aspect of criminal activity from homicides,[17] drug trafficking[18], kidnapping, and even violent cases of domestic violence against their own girlfriends and family.[19]. They are also heavily engaged in human and alien trafficking.[3] There have been many high profile criminal cases involving Sureños in a variety of states. In Washington State there are some Playboy Sureños on trial for shootings at a car show up in Kent Washington earlier this year. This case has attracted a lot of media coverage in the state.[20][21] Sureños are known to be ruthless foot soldiers of the Mexican Mafia fulfilling murder contracts and extensive drug trafficking. Many Sureños aspire to eventually gain membership to the coveted La eMe ranks so they faithfully carry out any orders given to them to prove their loyalty to the cause. Sureños have been known to conduct drive-by shootings on Sheriff's houses, threats on District Attorney and various other elected officials.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Valdez , A. (2000, April 10). Tracking surenos. Police. Law Enforcement Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.policemag.com/Channel/Gangs/Articles/2000/02/In-the-Hood-and-Surenos-Tracking-a-Gang.aspx
- ^ Barkan, S. E., & Bryjak, G. J. (2010). Fundamentals of criminal justice, a sociological view. (2 ed.). SudBury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Sampson County Sheriff's Office. (2005). Sureños. Retrieved from website: http://www.sampsonsheriff.com/otherforms/20051011_surenos.pdf
- ^ a b "El Paso Times - Mexican Drug Cartels Strengthen Ties With US Gangs". http://www.elpasotimes.com/juarez/ci_19215212. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
- ^ a b Bruneau, T., Dammert, L., & Skinner, E. (2011). Maras: Gang violence and security in central america. (st ed., p. 28-29, 32). Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
- ^ Hewitt, R. (Director) (2009). Gangland season 4, ep. 9 "Dog Fights" [Television series episode]. In Pearman, V. (Executive Producer), Gangland. Los Angeles, CA: A&E Television Networks.
- ^ Morales, G. (2007). Sureños. Retrieved from http://www.gangpreventionservices.org/sureno.asp
- ^ Larence, E. R. (2010). Combating gangs: Federal agencies have implemented a Central American gang . Washington, DC: United States Accountability Office.
- ^ Inside Prison. (2011). Sur 13 (Sureños): Prison gang profile. Retrieved from http://www.insideprison.com/prison_gang_profile_SUR_13.asp
- ^ Northwest Gangs. http://www.nwgangs.com/eastern-wa-gangs.html
- ^ "hood." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2011. 20 December. 2011. http://www.definitions.net/definition/hood
- ^ Vinson, J., Crame, J., & Von Seeburg, K. Rocky Mountain Information Network, (2008). Surenos. Retrieved from website: http://info.publicintelligence.net/surenosreport.pdf
- ^ a b c Eways, A. (2012, February 13). Sureno gang graffiti: Understanding the art of war . Corrections.com. Retrieved from http://www.corrections.com/news/article/29911-sureno-gang-graffiti-understanding-the-art-of-war
- ^ Barkan, S. E., & Bryjak, G. J. (2010). Fundamentals of criminal justice, a sociological view. (2 ed.). SudBury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
- ^ Vigil, J. D. (1988). Barrio gangs: street life and identity in southern california. (pp. 148-149). Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
- ^ Schmalleger, F. (2011). Criminal justice today: An introductory text for the 21st century. (11 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NY: Pearson Education Inc. Print
- ^ "Gang member's tattoo told story of 2004 murder | Local & Regional News | Bakersfield Now - News, Weather and Sports". bakersfieldnow.com. 2011 [last update]. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/120514004.html. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
- ^ Squires, J. (2010, November 5). Eight sureno gang members busted during operation groundhog in watsonville already convicted, four sent to state prison. Santa Cruz Setinal. Retrieved from http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_15059366
- ^ Stribling, L. (Writer) (2011). Gang member charged after stabbing girlfriend [Television series episode]. In ABC News. Wilmer Minnesota: ABC. Retrieved from http://ksax.com/article/stories/s1953501.shtml
- ^ Badway, J. U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Marshals Service. (2011). Medina brothers: U.s. marshals need your help . Retrieved from website: http://www.justice.gov/marshals/news/chron/2011/120911.htm
- ^ Hunter, S. (2011, September 29). Six enter not guilty pleas in connection with Kent car-show shooting. The Kent Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.kentreporter.com/news/130808963.html
[edit] External links
These links are for personal reference only and do not necessarily reflect the content listed here.
Sureño Rap Music: [1]
Hispanic Street Gangs in Los Angeles County: [2]
The Mexican Mafia Prison Gang: [3]
The University of Maryland: [4]
