Avenues (gang)
| Founding location | Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| Territory | Los Angeles, Highland Park, Cypress Park, Glassell Park and Eagle Rock |
| Ethnicity | Mexican/Chicano |
| Criminal activities | Murder, Assault, Drive-by shooting, Drug trafficking, Racketeering, Motor vehicle theft, Robbery, Extortion, Burglary, Vandalism, and Theft |
| Allies | Mexican Mafia and Sureños |
| Rivals | Highland Park 13, MS-13, Toonerville Rifa 13, Bloods and Crips |
The Avenues, also known as Las Avenidas or AVE's, is a large Mexican-American street gang based in Highland Park, Los Angeles, California. Under the direct control of the Mexican Mafia, the gang has been the target of a series of landmark prosecutions by the Federal government and by Los Angeles Assistant District Attorney Anthony Manzella. Members of The Avenues have recently been prosecuted under the Federal Hate Crimes Statute for using violence and intimidation to drive all African-Americans out of the territories it controls. Several of these trials are related in Tony Rafael's true crime bestseller The Mexican Mafia. The gang claims Highland Park and parts of Cypress Park, Glassell Park and Eagle Rock as its turf. [1]
History
The Avenues took their name from the fact that the streets in the area are called "Avenue 53" and "Avenue 54".[2]. The Avenues main enemies are Highland Park 13 and Toonerville Rifa 13
See also
Source
- Tony Rafael, The Mexican Mafia, Encounter Books, 2007.
- ^ The Avenues gang's long, violent history - By Bettina Boxall, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, February 22, 2008
- ^ http://www.glendalepolicefoundation.org/news/news.htm