38th Street gang

Infobox Criminal organization
name =38th Street


caption =
founded on =1920's
founding location =Los Angeles
territory =Los Angeles, South Central, East Los Angeles, and City of Vernon
ethnic makeup =Mexican
membership est =
criminal activities =Drug trafficking, Murder, Theft, Racketeering, Extortion and Vandalism
allies =Mexican Mafia and Sureños, Hoodlums Family 13
rivals

The 38th Street gang is a Mexican street gang from South Central, Los Angeles. The 38th Street gang is one of the oldest street gangs in Los Angeles.

History

The 38th Street gang was founded in the 1920s. They date back to the pachucos, zoot suits and formed in the City of Vernon. They received media attention in the 1940s as a result of the "Sleepy Lagoon Murder" and trial. Several members were arrested and convicted of the murder of José Díaz.cite news|title=Delgadillo, Bratton, Perry Announce Crackdown on South L.A.'s 38th Street Gang | publisher=Office of Civil Attorney, L.A. |date=2006-08-24 |url=http://www.lacity.org/atty/attypress/attyattypress6922441_08252004.pdf#search=%2238%20street%20gang%20los%20angeles%22] cite news|title=People & Events: The Sleepy Lagoon Murder |date=Unknown |publisher=PBS |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/zoot/eng_peopleevents/e_murder.html] On October 4, 1943, the convictions of the gang members were overturned and the gang members were allegedly welcomed back to their communities as heroes.cite news|title=A History of california's Hispanic Gangs |publisher=National Alliance of Gang Investigators' Associations |date=Unknown |url=http://www.nagia.org/Gang%20Articles/Hispanic%20Gangs.htm] Shortly after "Sleepy Lagoon", the newspapers were said to have exaggerated the headlines about the gang that wore zoot suits and created war-time hysteria and prejudice against the Mexican-American community. Many Mexican-Americans from the segregated parts of town were attacked by sailors and members of other branches of the United States military. The military personnel felt Zoot Suiters were not contributing to the war effort and were wasting valuable resources by dressing so flamboyantly. This became known as the Zoot Suit Riots and culminated in a massive riot involving hundreds of sailors against Zoot Suiters and some innocent civilians. The day after the riots the city council adopted a resolution that banned the wearing of zoot suits on Los Angeles streets. It also banned sailors from going to Los Angeles on leave.cite news|title=People & Events: The Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 |date=Unknown |publisher=PBS |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/zoot/eng_peopleevents/e_riots.html]

Criminal Activities

Since the 1920s, the 38th Street gang has continued its criminal activities and has evolved to become one of California's most violent street gangs. They conduct various activities including drug sales, murder, theft and vandalism. In the late 1980s and early 1990s the city closed many of its roads in the 38th street vicinity; due to high volume of people that were coming to purchase narcotics in the area. The city hoped that having blocked streets would make it impossible for people coming in from other areas to purchase narcotics. By the late 1990s a federal task force was set up in order to investigate the gang's involvement in illegal drug trade; this resulted in the arrest of several of its members, the authorities confiscated thousands of dollars in drugs and money, as reported by the "Los Angeles Times" and local news channels. The group has also quarreled with various rival gangs for placement and competition, which has resulted in many drive-by shootings and deaths. On August 24, 2004 a law enforcement preliminary injunction was handed out on terminating the active members of the 38th Street gang, out of the streets, banning them from using firearms, alcohol, graffiti and other dangerous materials in public.38th street being an old and large gang has accumulated countless rivalries which has labeled them as one of the most hated gangs in LA county and other cities were they've established.

See also

*List of California street gangs
*Sleepy Lagoon Murder
*Mexican Mafia

References