The presence of the Mexican population in the United States dates back to the 16th century, when people of Spanish, Indian, Mexican, and Anglo backgrounds occupied the region that was then northern Mexico and is currently the American South-west, including parts of what today is Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. It is noted that Mexicans comprise the largest modern-day immigrant group and largest immigrant group in American history (sagepub).
Groups identical of gangs are said to have first appeared in the West region as early as the 1890’s. It is proposed that the predecessors of urban gangs in the West were the palomilla (small groups of young Mexican men). These emerging gangs grew within Mexican culture along the immigration trail that began in Mexico and continued along a route through El Paso and Albuquerque, and onward to Los Angeles (sagepub). The first Mexican Los Angeles gangs, the Bogardus called “boy gangs” in 1926, were modeled after the palomilla (StudyingYouthGangs).
Many gangs have arisen since then including Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13). MS-13 was formed in Los Angeles, California in the 1980s by immigrant Salvadorian youth and young adults who were being victimized by other gangs. MS-13 quickly became known as one of the most violent gangs in the area because many of their founding members had experience or training in guerilla warfare, thus gaining a level of sophistication that superseded their rivals.
The MS-13 are more of a cartel if you go beyond face value. They are one of a handful of gangs that actually have a strong communicative network and overarching agenda, not limited to local factions. Which isn't necessarily true concerning a lot of other gangs aside from hate groups whose on...
... middle of paper ...
.... Failure to abide by these rules result in consequences, involving a beat down, injuries, or in some cases death.
Once a gang member, it is very difficult to leave the gang without consequences. It depends upon the situation and gang. There are gangs that are nearly impossible to leave alive and others have far less serious consequences. Interviews with current and previous gang members describe situations where members were jumped-out or beaten-up in order to receive the gang’s permission to leave. Other situations involving leaving gang become as complicated as a member being forced to stay to protect himself from rival gangs. If police or court officials view a youth as a gang member, such a label may limit the educational or employment opportunities, encouraging them to remain in the gang when they are actually looking for a way out (how to leave a gang).
These members that follow the rules blindly are subjected to loyalty. The consequences are grim if a member doesn’t obey the rules. In the documentary the reporter interviewed former members of MS 13. There is no hope for a former MS 13 member. “There’s no way out” states a previous MS 13 member “but either by hospital, jail, or death.” They’re jails strictly filled with all MS 13 members. If you’re a refugee to MS 13 jail is your safe haven. Many men who leave the organization flee to jails to seek protection. Because if they were on the streets they would end up dead. If you leave MS 13 there’s a target on your back. Once you’re in MS 13 you’re committed for life. No exceptions. No excuses. If you want out of the gang that is a sign of being disloyal. If you leave not only are you in serious danger, but your family are now at risk as well. The ultimate penalty of disloyalty is to be killed. That’s why many men who leave the gang go to jail for protection. The only correct answer in MS 13 rule book is to live your whole life solely devoted to the gang. These types of rules foster fear of leaving and that’s why a lot of members continue the path they’re on so that they can protect there family. The leaders of MS 13 make up the rules and their followers are required to follow them because there is no other option. When it comes to a right and wrong decision the leaders make the final decision. There’s only one
The MS13 is a perfect example of a counterculture. They are a world within themselves. The gang is very organized and structured; there is hierarchy with the gang. There is a significant amount of money flow within the gang. A few ways the gang obtains money is by drug dealing, illegal weapons, vendors pay the gang to work in their territories and for their protection, and drug dealers also pay the gang to earn the right to sell drugs in their territories. There are laws and rules that a gang member must abide by. One very strict rule for a gang member is silence. If a gang member becomes informant and it is found out that they are, it will more than likely result in death for the informant. The breaking of laws and rules are punishable, even by death. They have a law system and law enforcement of their own. Check courting is a punishment served by the gang to gang members who break the laws of the gang. There are initiations one must endure to become a member of the gang. Jumping in is one of the initiations, a brutal thirteen second beating by multiple people at the same time. (World’s Most Dangerous Gang) There is a communication system within the gang. They use stacking to communicate, tattoos, graffiti, and an overall dialect that is unique to the gang. This counterculture exists internationally inside and outside of prison walls. Within the gang there are individual cliques, but when threatened they will come together and fight alongside one another. It is instilled in a gang member to kill to maintain territory and to acquire new territories. T...
Surprisingly, little has been written about the historical significance of black gangs in Los Angeles (LA). Literature and firsthand interviews with Los Angeles residents seem to point to three significant periods relevant to the development of the contemporary black gangs. The first period, which followed WWII and significant black migrations from the South, is when the first major black clubs formed. After the Watts rebellion of 1965, the second period gave way to the civil rights period of Los Angeles where blacks, including those who where former club members who became politically active for the remainder of the 1960s. By the early 1970s black street gangs began to reemerge. By 1972, the Crips were firmly established and the Bloods were beginning to organize. This period saw the rise of LA’s newest gangs, which continued to grow during the 1970s, and later formed in several other cities throughout the United States by the 1990s. While black gangs do not make up the largest or most active gang population in Los Angeles today, their influence on street gang culture nationally has been profound.
First let's focus on the fact that gang related crime is one of the most dangerous challenges facing society and law enforcement today. They are younger, more brutal, unafraid of consequences and becoming increasingly more vicious. Gang members work together as cliques, they commit all sorts of violent crimes including murders, rapes, robberies and kidnappings. "They live in aimless and violent presents; have no sense of the past and no hope for the future; they commit unspeakably brutal crimes against other people often to gratify whatever urges of desires drive them at the moment and their utter lack of remorse is...
Bringing up on the streets of big cities, young Latin Americans were joining to existing gangs or creating their own. Some of them, mainly Salvadorians joined The 18th Street Gang and other groups, recruited mainly from among Chicanos (Americans of Mexican origin) and Mexicans. However, with the development of the Salvadoran community in the United States there was a need to create an entirely new group, that would give young people a sense of national identity. The first was the Mara Salvatrucha gang which initially focused only Salvadorans and later also people from other countries of Central America. In the meantime in Central American countries first Maras started appearing. Weakened by internal conflicts in Guatemala and El Salvador, many people lived in very bad life conditions, being practically excluded from the society. Maras in these countries were created mostly by groups of young people that shared power between themselves in various districts and parts of the country. In 1992 in Los Angeles, there were many blood riots which drew the attention of American police to the significant increase in activity of street gangs. Anti-gang policy in the United States tightened. In 1994 created the Law "Three Strikes and You're Out" as a result of which people convicted of three or more offenses receive much higher sentences. The next step in the fight against Latin American gangs was the adoption by the US Congress in 1996 the new anti-immigration law. People without citizenship of the United States who have been convicted at least one year of imprisonment were deported to their countries of origin. Interestingly, even US citizens who had Latin roots could be deprived of their citizenship rights and treated in the same way as immigrants. At the same time the list of crimes for which threatened deportation became increasingly longer. As a
This paper will cover issues that young minorities encounter in the movies; Crips and Bloods: Made in America (2008), Gran Torino (2008), A Better Life (2011). Movies will be summarize, and compare and contrast youths experienced. Criminological theories shall be utilized to further elaborate issues. Finally steps and theories will be utilized towards solving issues, also possible methods to correct the issues will be addressed in the end.
Prison gangs were created by inmates as a way to protect themselves from other inmates. Each prison gang has their reasons for existing. There are five prison gangs in the United States. These gangs are as follow: The Aryan Brotherhood, The Black Guerilla Family, Texas Syndicate, Mexican Mafia, and Lanuestra Familia. They all have similar beliefs, meanings of their tattoos, how gangs impact their lives and society, and the challenges they bring the prison system in order to decrease gang population.
Hailer, Julie A. A Loss of Traditions: The Emergence of American Indian Youth Gangs. Petaluma, CA: National Indian Justice Center, 1998. Print. Hazlehurst, Kayleen M., and Cameron Hazlehurst. Gangs and Youth Subcultures: International Explorations.
*Many of the juvenile gangs that have formed in the United States in recent years are reminiscent of the post -war pachucos (Paz, 14).
There were groups such as the Black Panthers, and the US Organization, which were known to have been rivals due to false rumors that had been spread by the government and the media. Black Panthers were known to have offered a more reliable source of protection during this time than the police did for African Americans. Sloan interviews current and former gang members from a variety of gangs spread throughout Los Angeles. He gives us a different perspective on where gangs came from and why they formed. Although they were originally formed to protect African Americans, they have strayed far from where they started.
Franco, C., (2007, May). The MS-13 and 18th street gangs:Emerging transnational gang threats, Retrieved from http://opencrs.com/document/RL34233/2007-11-02/download/1006/.
The mafia first developed in the 1600s, when these citizens did not want to cooperate with authorities. (Hoover) Hispanic and African American gangs started increasing in California in 1955-1965. (Hoover) The gangs in California, mainly operated in Compton and central Los Angeles. (Hoover) The ages of people in gangs ranged from fourteen, to twenty when they first started. In the 1970s, the ages increased to twelve, to twenty-four. (Hoover) Women in gangs did not do much. Mainly, they were just girlfriends of gang members. Sometimes, women would fight other women from different gangs. (Hoover)
It is surprisingly difficult to pinpoint the origin of street gangs. This may be because of the inherent nature of gangs: a group of individuals who come together for the same purpose and in the case of str...
Our team presentation focused on three Latino gangs, MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha), the Mexican Mafia and the Los Surenos gang. My part of the presentation was to provide information on the type of crime these three gangs are known to commit. The crimes committed by the MS-13 gang are varied, violent, and take place all over the country. The FBI even put together a task force called the MS-13 National Gang Task Force in December of 2004 to try to put a stop to this gang’s activities. (www.fbi.gov). Los Surenos or Sur-13, originally based in Los Angeles, has also branched out from turf wars with rival gangs to “for profit”, violent crimes across the country. The Mexican Mafia has a similar story to tell as well in regards to gang crimes, which again range from respect crimes, and retaliatory violence to crimes for profit.
Gangs originated in the mid 1800’s in the cardinal direction using it as a method to defend themselves against outsiders.The idea of gangs became populous, powerful, and a broad influence. But like all powers, they tend to corrupt and recognizes violence as a way of getting what they want faster than other methods.They turn violence into fun, profit, and control.Creating a situation that affects youth in today’s society.