18th Street gang
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The 18th Street gang is a large Chicano street gang, originally from downtown Los Angeles, which was 'founded' in the 1960s and has since spread across the United States and Central America. Some gang experts consider them to be the most violent and aggressive street gang in the country.
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History
The Eighteenth Street gang is comprised mostly of Chicano and Mexican gang members. It is estimated that it is the largest gang in the United States with over 20,000 members in Los Angeles County alone.<ref>Alejandro A Alonso, 18th Street Gang in Los Angeles County, streetgangs.com</ref> The Eighteenth Street gang has its origins in a Los Angeles gang known as the Clanton Street Gang (named after the street around which the gang was centered). In the 1940's, Clanton Street (the street name) was changed to 14th Place due to the high number of Zuit Suit Pachucos 'hanging-out'. The Clanton gang was active in Los Angeles for decades and was comprised of several generations of well-established Mexican-Americans, i.e. they were not recent immigrants; more recent Mexican immigrants and Chicanos wanted to join Clanton but were rejected. From these rejects the Eighteenth Street gang was born. It has since grown to be one of California's largest street gangs, with membership in the thousands at the start of the gang. Out of the membership it is estimated that about 60% are illegal immigrants, according to a confidential report last year by the state Department of Justice.<ref>Southern California's Largest Gang Aims for Dominance, The Los Angeles Times November 1997</ref> While the majority of the gang's activities occur in Los Angeles, the gang is active throughout the United States and in other countries. Currently it is known to exist in Europe, Canada, Peru, Australia, and several Asian Countries.
Members of the gang frequently tattoo "18" or "XV3" on their bodies and, sometimes, all over their body. The gang is divided into five subsets or 'sides': North, East, South, West and South Central Los Angeles. Furthermore, each side has its own cliques or mini gangs. There is a lot of confusion concerning the 18th street gang. For example, Mara 18 gang is a copy of the original 18th street gang, because the word mara is a Salvadorian slang term which originated with a group of Salvadorians.
Criminal Activities
The gang is involved in many forms of organized crime. Los Angeles police claim that 18th Street - with its close ties to the Mexican Mafia prison gang - has become so influential in narcotics circles that it now deals directly with the Mexican and Colombian cartels. The gang has been linked to 154 murders from 1985 to 1995 in Los Angeles alone. 18th Street has had its share of casualties from retaliations by many gangs in the Los Angeles area. The main rivals of 18th Street include MS 13, Florencia 13, Clanton14 or C14st., White Fence, Echo Park, Pacoima, San Fer, Rebels13, Playboys', Rockwood, Longo13 Drifters and Mid City Stoners 14th Street. The last gang mentioned has its origins in Clanton Street as well. Additional rivals include other Hispanic and Sureño gangs in Los Angeles. Certain factions in South Los Angeles are fueding with African-American gangs, such as the Black P-Stones from the West Adams area and the Black P-Stones from the Culver City area of Los Angeles. They have also been fueding with the Rollin 20s and the long time allies turned enemies the Hoover Crips which is the also one of the nations largest gang. The Hoover Crips has also ex-ported its gang to large Mid-Western American Cities.
18th Street is also active in Honduras, where an intense rivalry with MS 13 and the Honduran government is ongoing. In La Ceiba, the leading cause of teen murders is the result of having an association either with the MS13 or 18th Street gangs. The Honduran military has had numerous gunbattles with both gangs as part of the country's mano dura (strong hand) policies, introduced by president Ricardo Maduro. An example of the mano dura policy was the 2003 mass killing at a prison in La Ceiba, Honduras when 51 members of the 18th Street gang were hunted down and shot, and their dorm wing was set on fire.<ref>Marked for Death, the Tattoo Gang Kids of Honduras, Guardian Newspapers, September 4, 2004</ref> [1]
Notes
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