The 18th Street gang grew out of an older Los Angeles gang, the Clanton 14 street gang (after the street that was their home base) better known as Clanton 14 by locals. In the 1940s, Clanton Street was changed to 14th Place due to the high number of zoot suit Pachucos 'hanging-out', as well as the war effort's need for simple addresses. The Clanton gang was active in Los Angeles for decades and comprised several generations of well-established Mexicans living in America; more recent Mexican immigrants and Chicanos that wanted to join Clanton were rejected. From these rejects the 18th Street gang was born.
The gang has since grown to be California's most fragmental and largest street gang, with membership in the tens of thousands, with many satellite gangs. Out of this, it is estimated that about 60% of its members are illegal immigrants, according to a confidential report last year by the state's California Department of Justice|Department of Justice. While the majority of the gang's activities occur in Los Angeles, the gang is active throughout the United States and other countries, including Canada, Peru, Mexico,Guatemala, and El Salvador.
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. 18th Street gangsters are traditionally rivals with the Mara Salvatrucha. Other rivals include Florencia 13, 38th Street Gang, Clanton 14, Madrid, and the Black P. Stones (Jungles). The gang was recently documented in Gangsters from 18 shown on the Crime Investigation Network
The gang was featured in an episode of Numb3rs, in which they were named the 18th Street Mexicali. The gang was also referred to in an episode of Shark as the 18th Street posse. Also in a scene in the movie Domino,also featured also in the show Gangland in a episode called "murder by numbers".
Membership was originally open to Mexican nationals. Although most members tend to be of Mexican descent, membership has opened to other backgrounds, including Central American, African American, Middle Eastern, Asian, Caucasian, and Native American. Currently, 18th Street has a loose hierarchical structure. Although the gang is well networked throughout the nation, Mexico, and Central America, there is no known central leadership nationally or internationally. Cliques generally function independently, but will join forces when combating rival gangs or law enforcement.As with most gangs, 18th Street gang members can be easily identified by their tattoos. A common identifier is the number 18 (Spanish: dieciocho), which is usually represented in the Roman numeral (X8)(XVIII) (XV3) and sometimes they also use 666 or 99 (6+6+6=18 / 9+9=18).Some use the number 5 meaning the fifth letter of the Alphabet They also tattoo themselves with the word BEST, which stands for Barrio Eighteen STreet. Members engage in graffiti to mark their terrority.
18th Street gang members are required to abide by a strict set of rules. For instance, they are forbidden from using crack cocaine and other hard drugs. 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.
According to the LAPD, some factions of the 18th Street gang have developed a high level of sophistication and organization. This is attributed to the gang's connections with Mexican and Colombian drug cartels. The 18th Street gang is occasionally referred to as the "Children's Army" because of its recruitment of elementary and middle-school aged youth.
18th Street gang members are most often seen wearing brown or black pants and a white T-shirt. Alternatively, gang members also wear jerseys from professional sports teams. 18th Street gang members are considered highly armed and dangerous.
18th Street is a well established gang that is involved in all areas of criminal activity. Some members have even become involved in producing fraudulent 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 Colombian drug cartels. They also have been linked to occurrences of murder, murder-for-hire, assaults, drug trafficking, extortion, vandalism, drug smuggling, prostitution, robbery, weapons trafficking, as well as other crimes.
The majority of 18th Street cliques operating throughout the United States and abroad are the result of Los Angeles members' migrating to other areas and establishing cliques under their leadership. Members originally from Los Angeles tend to be more respected than those in other areas. 18th Street cliques have been identified in 37 states and the District of Columbia in the United States, as well as 10 foreign countries.
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