18th Street gang

The 18th Street Gang, also known as Template:Lang, Template:Lang, Template:Lang, or simply Template:Lang in North America,<ref name="Ribando" /><ref name="Lynch 2008">Template:Cite thesis</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a multi-ethnic (largely Central American and Mexican) street gang in Los Angeles.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It is one of the largest street gangs in Los Angeles, with around 30,000–50,000 members between the United States, Mexico, and Central America.<ref>Franco, Celinda. "The MS 13 and 18th street gangs: Emerging transnational gang threats?." Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, 2007.</ref> A United States Department of Justice report featured the following statement regarding 18th Street and rival gang MS-13: "These two gangs have turned the Central American northern triangle into the area with the highest homicide rate in the world".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

History

The 18th Street Gang was formed in the Rampart District of Los Angeles in the 1960s by Mexican-Americans and other immigrant youths who were not accepted into existing Hispanic gangs, specifically the Clanton 14 gang.<ref name="Ribando"/><ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref> The Clanton 14 gang was composed of mostly second generation Hispanics, and only accepted members of Mexican descent.<ref name=":0" /> Some members of Clanton 14 wanted to start a new clique called "Clanton 18th Street" and allow members of other ethnicities to join; however, this proposal was rejected by the Clanton 14, which led to the formation of the 18th Street Gang.<ref name="Barrio 18"/><ref name="Zilberg">Zilberg, E. (2011). Space of Detention: The Making of a Transnational Gang Crisis between Los Angeles and San Salvador. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.</ref><ref name=":0" /> The two gangs have been bitter rivals ever since.<ref name="Zilberg"/>

18th Street grew by expanding its membership to other nationalities and races, and it was among the first multiracial, multi-ethnic gangs in Los Angeles.<ref name="Ribando" /> In the beginning, they were made up largely of second-generation Hispanics.<ref name="Ribando" /> As the 18th Street Gang began to battle with more established Hispanic gangs, they began to recruit outside the Hispanic community. There are approximately two hundred separate, autonomous gangs operating under the same name within separate barrios in the San Fernando Valley; specifically, in North Hollywood, the San Gabriel Valley, South Bay, Riverside, East Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, Northeast Los Angeles, Pico Union, Westlake, Koreatown, Inglewood, South Gate, Huntington Park, Maywood, Bellflower, Long Beach, Orange County, San Bernardino County, and Los Angeles' Westside or West LA, according to the latest figures from the NDIC.Template:Citation needed In the early 2000s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation initiated wide-scale raids against known and suspected gang members, netting hundreds of arrests across the country.

Central America

18th Street started as a Mexican American gang, but the gang also became Central American as it started to recruit more members of other ethnic groups.<ref>Maras in Guatemala Increasing in Sophistication - published by Jeremy McDermott on 3 January 2013</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> When Central American gang members were arrested in the United States, they were then deported back to Central America, where the gang arose not just in El Salvador, but also in Honduras and Guatemala, becoming one of the most violent gangs in the region.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Honduras gangs "You can recognise the gangs from their murders" published By Rob Crilly on 14 November 2014</ref> 18th Street later became a bitter rival of MS-13 as both gangs sought supremacy in Central America. Members of 18th Street are mainly Mexican, Salvadoran, Honduran, and Guatemalan, but the gang does have members from other parts of Central America. 18th Street influences have recently been spotted in Belize as well.<ref>Honduran 18 Street gang member arrested in Belize publish by edition.channel5belize.com</ref><ref name="Lynch 2008"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In El Salvador, a faction called the "Revolucionarios ("Revolutionaries") split off 18th Street in 2005,<ref name="Barrio 18"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> becoming rivals with the other members, who came to be known as the Sureños ("Southerners.")<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Description

Location

The majority of 18th Street cliques operate throughout Southern California, but are active in other states and internationally as well. Los Angeles members began migrating to other areas outside California and started to establish their own gangs. 18th Street gangs are active in 44 cities in 20 U.S. states,<ref name="Criminal Street Gangs"/> as well internationally reported in Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Lebanon, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela and the Philippines.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Organization

The organization of the 18th Street Gang differs from location to location. With the gang being spread so vastly nationally and internationally, it is difficult to have a universal organizational structure. The gang is organized in such a way that allows for leadership at every level. One common organizational structure seen used by Barrio 18 is as follows. At the very top are “palabreros” or "leaders," a majority of these members are in prison, but still help run the gang by coordinating all criminal activities. "Palabreros" also exist outside of the prison and are known as "en la libre." Lastly, there are civilians who are known as collaborators. They are not officially gang members, but they are responsible for helping the gang with small jobs, like obtaining intelligence, and moving or holding illicit goods.

In Central America the 18th Street Gang designates positions in their organizational structure in another way; at the top are the leaders, known as the "toros," meaning bull. Underneath each “toro” is a clica, which is led by a "homie." Under each "homie" are the "soldados," meaning soldiers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Outside of the prisons, Barrio 18 is organized into divisions based on territory called "canchas" (courts) at city/neighborhood level and "tribus" (tribes) at regional level. The gang is horizontal in structure, allowing for a more decentralized approach to things. Although, overall 18th Street Gang is not very organized compared to some other modern day gangs. Women were also able to join the gang, but were treated very poorly. The women that joined the gang had three ways to do so, first was an 18-second beating, second was sexual intercourse with multiple members, and the last option was being the girlfriend or wife of a member can potentially lead to membership over time. The women were expected to take on male-associated roles often involving violence, as well as playing more of a mother role by caring for children and taking care of the sick.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Culture

18th Street Gang members are required to abide by a strict set of rules. 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to the FBI, some factions of the 18th Street Gang have developed a high level of sophistication and organization. 18th Street Gang members often identify themselves with the number 18 on their clothing and sporting clothing from sports teams such as the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Kings, and Las Vegas Raiders. 18th Street will use the symbols XV3, XVIII, X8, 666, 99, and 3-dots (Mi Vida Loca [My Crazy Life]) in their graffiti and tattoos. 18th Street colors are blue and black; blue is to represent and to pay tribute to The Mexican Mafia, and black is to represent the original color for the gang. The 18th Street Gang is occasionally referred to as the "Children's Army" because of its recruitment of elementary and middle-school aged youth. They also allow other ethnicities to join their ranks making the gang multi-ethnic. In El Salvador it is common for members of the gang to be tattooed on the face with a large "18". In many cases the tattoo covers the entire face.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Pete Wingfield's 1975 single "Eighteen With a Bullet" is the official theme song of 18th Street.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Criminal activity

Alleged members of the 18th Street gang incarcerated at CECOT

The most lucrative activity of the 18th Street gang is street-level distribution of cocaine and marijuana, and to a lesser extent, heroin and methamphetamine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The gang is also involved in auto theft, carjacking, drive-by shootings, extortion, identification fraud, robbery, assault and homicide.<ref name="Criminal Street Gangs"/>

Special Agent George Rodriguez of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) described the 18th Street gang as "one of the most violent street gangs and one of the most prolific in the United States". 18th Street is a well established gang that is involved in all areas of street-crime. Several 18th Street Gang members have reached a higher level of sophistication and organization in their illicit activities than other gangs. While their main source of income is street-level distribution of drugs, they also have been linked to murders, assaults, arson, copyright infringement, extortion, human trafficking, illegal immigration, kidnapping, prostitution, robbery, and weapons trafficking, as well as other crimes.<ref>National Gang Intelligence Center – National Gang threat assessment 2009 Template:Webarchive</ref> The 18th Street Gang has also been implicated in the high-profile kidnapping and murder of the 16-year-old brother of internationally renowned Honduran football player Wilson Palacios.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1998, Catarino Gonzalez was sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted Gonzalez of first-degree murder for fatally shooting Officer Filbert Cuesta in the back of the head, while the officer was sitting in a patrol car.<ref>Life Term Given in Slaying of Officer published by TIMES STAFF WRITER</ref><ref>People v. Gonzalez published by scocal.stanford.edu</ref>

Kingston, New York police arrested and jailed several young men on the charge that they abducted a victim, took him to nearby woods, and murdered him. They were held on federal murder and racketeering charges.<ref>Jesse J. Smith, "DA: Gang behind brutal slaying is still in Kingston," Hudson Valley 1, 6 April 2018 https://hudsonvalleyone.com/2018/04/06/da-gang-behind-brutal-slaying-is-still-in-kingston/</ref>

In 2019, an 18th Street gangster was fatally shot by a member of rival gang MS-13 in a Queens subway station.<ref name="NormanBoroughs">Template:Cite news</ref>

In Guatemala City, many bus drivers who drove through the alleged territory of the gang have been killed by 18th Street Gang members. Bus drivers have also often been victims of robberies and extortion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In film

• Template:Interlanguage link, a 2008 documentary film by Christian Poveda.

See also

• Criminal tattoo
• Mejicanos massacre
• Transnational gangs

Further reading

• Template:Cite news
• Template:Cite journal

External links

• MS-13 Member's Trail Shows Gang's Movement 18th Street Gang/MS-13 Rivalry
• Template:Cite news
• La Cloaca Internacional: Entrevista de dos horas a integrantes del Barrio 18 (in Spanish)
• FBI.gov
• ICE.gov