Street Gangs of America

Generally, for purposes of this discussion, a gang can be considered to be a loosely organized group of individuals who collaborate together for social reasons. Modern day gangs now collaborate together for anti-social reasons. Gangs generally have a leader or group of leaders who issue orders and reap the fruits of the gang's activities. A gang may also wear their "colors", wear certain types of clothing, tattoos, brands, or likewise imprint their gang's name, logo, or other identifying marks on their bodies. Many gangs also adopt certain types of hairstyles and communicate through the use of hand signals and graffiti on walls, streets, school work, and school property. It must be understood that it is not illegal to be in a gang and indeed many adults are currently involved in activities that meet Webster's definition for a gang. However, many gangs of today, especially youthful gangs, break the law to provide funding for gang activities or to further the gang's reputation on the streets.

Gangs may identify with a large city gang or remain locally turf oriented. Development of local intelligence as well as pro-active events are a mandatory part of dealing with this problem. Schools must develop lines of communication with law enforcement officials in order to track and prevent gang growth and violence effectively.

 

MS-13: MARA SALVATRUCHA 13



The MS-13 gang, aka Mara Salvatrucha 13, is one of the most violently dangerous gangs in the United States - and one of the most organized.  The MS-13 gang has cliques, or factions, located throughout the United States and is unique in that it retains is ties to its El Salvador counterparts.  With cliques in Washington DC, Oregon, Alaska, Arkansas, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and several other South American countries, the MS-13 gang is truly "international" and on the verge of becoming the first gang to be categorized as an "organized crime" entity.

Gang members, who sport numerous tattoos on their bodies and faces, wear blue and white colors taken from the El Salvadoran flag.  Their membership is estimated to total over 36,000 in the Honduras alone.  Members typically range in age from 11 to 40 years old.  Their progressive increase in violent activities and careless disregard for the law (threats and attacks against law enforcement officials is common), has made them the most feared gang in the United States.  MS-13 criminal activities include drug smuggling, gun running, people smuggling, hits for hire, theft, drug sales, arson, and of course, strong arming the locals.  Their wide-ranging activities and elevated status has even caught the eye of the FBI who recently initiated wide-scale raids against known and suspected gang members netting hundreds of arrests across the country.

Their penchant for violence is renowned.  Members often arrive in the United States with fighting skills gained in military training and are particularly adept with machetes.  In March 2004, the Maldon Institute, a Washington DC based think tank, released a report detailing the violent methods MS-13 used, including their increasingly typical (and disturbing) calling card.  MS-13 often leaves behind dismembered corpses, complete with the decapitated head, at the scene of their murders.  Often a grim note is attached to the body. 

18th STREET



The 18th Street gang was created in the late 1960s in the Rampart area of Los Angeles. They have been described as the most violent and agressive street gang in the country.

Over the past few years 18th Street quickly grew, but membership levels have appeared to reach a peak in many states.

As with most gangs, 18th Street gang members can be easily identified by their tattoos. A common identifier is the number 18, which is usually represented in the Roman numeral (XVIII). Members engage in graffiti vandalism to mark their territory.

Although 18th Street maintains a stronghold in several Southern California cities, they have continued to migrate throughout the nation. Although they claim 18th Street by name, they are actually a collection of several smaller gangs who use 18th Street as their gang's moniker. 18th Street is heavily populated with illegal immigrants from both Mexico and El Salvador, but also has numerous Asian, Black, Native and White members.

18th Street is a well established gang that is involved in all areas of criminal activity. Some members have even become involved in producing fradulent Immigration and Naturalization identification cards and food stamps. Several 18th Street gang members have evolved into a higher level of sophistication and organization than other gangs. This progression is credited to the gang's close relationship with Mexican and Columbian drug cartels.