Home > Hispanic Gangs > 18th Street
By Alex Alonso Staff Writer Streetgangs
updated December 22, 2002
updated June 25, 2008
“The spread of 18th Street’s violence is shown by 154 murders linked to the gang from 1985 to 1995. This only plots homicides within Los Angeles where the killings have been tied to the gang.” The killings on the map show 18th Street as both victims and assailants of murder and one can see a concentration west of the 110 Freeway near downtown Los Angeles, November 17-19, 1996. |
In Los Angeles the 18th Street gang is considered the largest gang in Los Angeles County but that label is very misleading. Even though 18th Street are estimated to have approximately 15,000 members in Los Angeles County, they are actually a collection of approximately 20 separate individual autonomous gangs operating under the same label with separate barrios in the San Fernando Valley, the San Gabriel Valley, the South Bay, South Los Angeles, Downtown Los Angeles, Pico Union, Inglewood, and Cudahy. Some estimates of the 18th Street are as low as 8,000 members. The notoriety of the gang is based on four distinct barrios, three near downtown Los Angeles west of the Staple’s Center and the 110 Freeway, and one in the West Adams area.
The individual factions can number from 50 to several hundred members and they are dispersed throughout the County, but their strong hold and their oldest barrio is located in the Pico Union (Grand View, Hoover clicks) area east of the Staples Center between the Harbor 110 Freeway (east) and Hoover Ave (west). Slightly to the north, are two other barrios in the Shatto Park and MacArthur Park (Colombia Lil Cycos click) areas. There are also two significant size 18th Street Barrios in South LA, one between Vernon (north) and Slauson (south) along Vermont Avenue and the second one being between Florence (north) and 91st Street (south). One of the most infamous 18th Street neighborhoods would be in the West Adams (Smiley, Alsace, Lil Lowks) because member Catorina Gonzales was convicted for killing LAPD officer Filbert Cuesta in 1998, and more recently, member Pedro Espinoza was charged in the murder of High School star athlete Jamiel Shaw stemming from the conflict with the Bloods.
The media often states that 18th Street is the largest gang in Los Angeles, but the largest single Hispanic gang in terms of turf size and membership would be one of 18th Street’s main rivals, the Florencia 13 gang that has a turf that stretches from Western (west) to Compton Avenues (east). Members of this gang were indicted by the Federal Government in a RICO case in 2007 on drug trafficking and murder charges.
Historical Background
The 18th Street gang formed around 1965 in the Pico Union area when members of larger Westside Clanton 14th Street neighborhood decided to start a new click. Originally, 18th Street was a click of the bigger Clanton 14th Street neighborhood (First Hood) who had another neighborhood, Eastside Clanton that was split by the freeway construction of the early 1950s.
As membership of Clanton grew, newer members who lived off of 18th Street decided to start Clanton 18th Street. Forming a new click of a gang can sometimes be a challenge, because some members may look at it as an action that does not unify but separates the neighborhood, and possibly creates division between members that will be forced to choose sides during a conflict. On the other hand, adding a click can expand the turf, bring in more members, and make the neighborhood appear to be stronger.
There is usually a protocol to creating a new click and each neighborhood is different when it comes to that, but ultimately Clanton 14 core members did not approve of having Clanton 18. One of the reasons why original Clanton members began to reject the 18th click, was because it was being led by a non Mexican-American, named Rocky Lee Glover (b. 1950 – ).
The new click members had to make a decision between falling in line with Clanton 14 and the strict rule of Mexican-Americans only, or take a defiant position to start their own gang and create Varrio 18th Street.
Some decided to stay with the more established Clanton identity, but Rocky Glover and a dozen other teens decided to just simply dropped the Clanton off their name and then became rivals against them. As the years progressed, Clanton lost most of their first westside hood in the Pico-Union area, and today that area is completely dominated by 18th Street and a few other gangs. Other early 18th Street members during the 1960s included Beto, Eddie Boy, Goofy, Indio, Penguin, Tank, Toro and Smiley who were initially Clanton members of the 1st hood that all decided to take their click into another direction.
Clanton did not disappear though as their neighborhood in Hollywood off Beverly has survived and their other Eastside neighborhood still exists in two areas. Most gangs today have clicks and there is usually little resistance from the rest of the gang when members want to start a new click, because there is a perceived benefit to the entire gang as outsiders will assume the gang is growing, and it provides a psychological edge against their rivals.
Through a small act of defiance, one of the most well known gangs was born in Los Angeles. Because of its aggressive recruiting techniques of accepting members even if they were not Mexican-American, the name of this gang has caught on and has been copied and mimicked in several other cities and countries around the world. Contrary to popular belief, not all of the 18th Street neighborhoods operate in unison, know each other, or even get along.
Global Reach: Real or Perceived?
Since its inception, youth from every large city in the US, Canada, Mexico and countries in Central & South America America, Europe and most likely several other cities and countries have adapted the use of the name 18th Street. Because of the wide spread popularity, the FBI has labeled this gang a transnational gang with global reach, but there is no evidence to support the existence of any such global network in which the 18th Street gang operates between cities or across national borders. Because of deportation, the gang culture of LA was introduced into Mexico and Central America, but transnational linkages in which the 18th Street gang operate have not been uncovered thus far. A study from 2007 found that international connections among Hispanic gangs like 18th Street and Mara Salvatrucha were over stated and that there were no signs of transnational coordination among gang members. Academic studies have also fell short from identifying these types of networks among Los Angeles based Hispanic gangs.
Any suggestion that these gangs operate in this sophisticated manner has been considered propaganda from law enforcement and designed to stigmatize the gang and its members by exaggerating the extent to which the gang operates. Phrases like “violent foreign-born gang members” and “their behavior is often deadly” uses the fear card to gain public support for what ever law enforcement action is desired against the group. For years the FBI has been telling us that there exists parallels between 18th Street and international crime but many of those linkages have been overstated and just because the federal government says that 18th Street possesses weapons of mass destruction does not necessarily mean that it is true. United States Senator Dianne Feinstein published a report in 2003 which erroneously stated that 80 percent of the 18th Street gang membership in California consists of illegal immigrants but according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department only about 10 percent of the gang membership in Los Angeles County are illegal citizens.
Gang Injunctions
The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office has three gang injunctions against the 18th Street; two in the Rampart Division and one in the Southwest Division of the LAPD against the same faction that Catorino Gonzales and Pedro Espinoza were from. This specific 18th Street gang has several clicks including Alcase, Lil Lowks, and Smiley Drive.
The Rampart injunctions were under review and temporarily halted in September of 1999 because of the Rampart corruption scandal that implicated several LAPD officers in criminal activity. In 2002 these injunctions were refiled by the City Attorney’s Office and placed back into effect.
Warring with Bloods
Graffiti of the 18th Street gang from off the area of Hoover and 74th Street of South Los Angeles.
List of all 18th Street Neighborhoods in Los Angeles County
Related posts:
18th Street Gang in Los Angeles County
Various 18th Street neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles County
Hollywood and Central Los Angeles gang map of 1978
Hispanic Gangs in Los Angeles County | 18th Street | Mara Salvatrucha | MS13 | Diesiocho | Eighteen Street
Gang map of the Pico Union area of Central Los Angeles
Temple Street (TST) in Central Los Angeles
Rockwood Street (RWST) Locos in the Westlake area of Central Los Angeles
18th street is overated, splinterred all over LA and under the control of the Mexican Mafia. They don’t realize that fighting bloods or any black hood is bad for business, but that let’s u know how senseless they are.
Punk ass bitches is all they are.
WORLD WIDE MARA SALVATRUCHA \,,/
Fuck you and your gang. Go back to Mexico you fucking greaser.
Fuck Mierda Secas ! !
And fuck you and whatever you represent. BITCH!!
How is that beef with F13 going for y’all ..unheard they firing y’all shit up all up and down irolo 8th st Wilshire hoover and by the park ..ha catching the blues
Fuck LAPD and Mayates!
18TH STREET GANG
FREE THE HOMIES
CULO GIVER,
MAN BOOBS,
BEND ME OVER,
LIL JOTO,
BIG CHAVALA,
ANGRY BIRD,
ÑOÑO,
POKE ME MON,
LIL SOCA,
MR. DICK RIDER IN PINK PANTIES,
BIG SISSY,
EL BOOTY CLAPPER,
TACO TRUCK,
VATO PANOCHA,
PALETERO,
MR. I LOVE MY ENEMIGAS,
MR. PERVERT,
CHILINDRINA
MR. G STRING,
LIL RANKER
BIG RANKER
AND THE HOMIE IN THE BAY
MR. BUTT FUCKING THE HOMIES.
Hey check this shit out…you weird ass motherfucker you putting all of that gay ass shit on here is fucking stupid..I don’t curse much but that’s how you know you fucking piss me off! If you have something to say.Then actually use correct grammer and explain what is it you are trying to say! Bitch.I have a very legit connect that can track your fucking IP..internet protocol and trace it back to your cheap ass metro phone that the police gave you for being a fucking informant so you can keep in contact with crash if some shit go down where your bitch buttfuck mom lives..Shut your fucking mouth and keep your dumbass antics and rhetorical statements to yourfucking self.you homosexual drug addict piece of shit.
In 2005 Mexican Mafia green lighted all 18th Street gangs in Southern California for deciding not to submit under the Sur umbrella anymore. Today all 18th Street gangs are in protective custody, but only a few are in general population and claiming Sur. BTW, 18th Street gang members got sick and tired, fed up and frustrated of being green lighted for no reason just like Maravilla.
fuck Waterdown gangsters like lil g !!
Straight buster scary as mf.. Fuck faketeen
Lil G is a Pussy Ocho?
I thought he was from MS13.
Can’t believe you Lost Angels are still a buncha wimpy ass shitty gangsters
Still running your gay ass mouths over your worthless city.
Move out or get real fucking jobs when you still can.
You can scribble all the gay shit you want but the $ money $
is always going to win out bitches
FUCK PUSSYOCHAS
LOS DRIFTERS Y KE!!!!
You vatos tried to get panorama city but you ran out of troops lol
My uncle started the original 18st I blasted his bitch ass to show him who is really the BEST13
That’s not why you shot him.
You shot his dick for fucking you
in your mouth and ass on your
18th birthday.
DONT EVEN GO WITH THE FLOW BEST13….BEST SPELLS OUT ***Barrio Eighteen StreeT NOW THAT IS SUMN RO BE PROUD ABOUT THAT E-LIFE
WS EIGHTEEN ST. 54TLS MR.GRUMPY FROM BACK N DAY!
You vatos like how vBEST13 hit you fools up at your party huh lol
WS LOS DRIFTERS 13 JKS GANG RIFA
EVERYBODY KILLA.
STEP UP AND GET UR WIG SPLIT MOTHER FUCKERS.
ENOUGH SAID.!!!!!
FUCK ALL FAKETEENS OR PUSSYOCHASK WHAT EVER THEY LIKE
HOOVER N PICO IS OURS. U BITCHES LAST IT A LONG TIME AGO
WS LOS DRIFTERS 13 Y KE
TELL UR HOMIE BULLET WE SAID WHAT’S UP. LOL
GONE N FORGOTTEN LET’S GET THE NEXT ONE
Dumbfucks from 12st bagos are bitches they hide. They only come out in the morning so they won’t get gun down. We be patrolling your hood and hitting up 18st and you don’t come out and play. Tell William what happen to him a while ago with the Ak’s he didn’t even claim your varrio straight snitch all you dumbfuxks out lol and to that foo in the wheel chair we have something for him.
Frist of all, if you think we gonna be your friend ,so you could exspand yo hood on are backs, then you got us fucked -up fool,yall just madd , cause yall sister &daughters are leaving home with these young black men, and yall so call fathers cant fuck these , girls before they get married to there usbands,and that comes straight from a latina chick,( the cats out the bag!)
Pffft…. what the fuck????? Stop getting your facts from crackheaded ass bitches!!!
huh? both of yall are wierdos..
WS MaRa SaLvATrUcHa 13 GANG FUCK ALL FAKE TEENS PUSSYOCHEROS FUCK ALL UR HOMIES FROM THAT CLS I PATROL THEIR HOOD BUT THEY BEEN HIDING IN THAT BABY WINOS ALLEY ONE OF THEY OLD CLICK OF 18……………..STILL POSTED ON WESTLAKE.
Fuck mierda sekaK
Fucking paisa ass panocha power.
AHA WASSAP U PUSSY LIL BUSTAS DIS BE DAT BIG MARA GANG KILLING ALL U FOOLS FUCKING CHAVALAS PUSSYOCHAKILLA, CRSKILLA, COCKWOODKILLA, TAMPAXKILLA, DRIFTERKILLA ETC…… LA MARA CONTROLA PUTOS Y ANDA SUELTA \,,/ EVERYBODY KILLA
u talking bout Westlake Mcauther fo those niggas aight shit fuck Parkview
WSX8GANG COME TOWARDS 54 & VERMONT
were no t even border patrol
BIG FOR NOTHING HOOD FUCc YOU LAMES
Bitch maywood locos smashing yall ass.
fuck you bitch ass hard tacos rancheres simon i whent throw your fucking barrio mr lil_one ws uno ocho they call us malditos
FUCK ALL U MONKEYS.
HIDING IN TREES.
ALL U NIGGIE ARE LOOSING UR HOODS WE TAKING OVER STREET BY STREET.
WHAT EVER IT TAKES
CRABS OR SLOBS ALL THE SAME K!!!
FUCK FAKETEENS MESSICANS SURRATS AND LATINOS BLOOD THEY KILL LIL BOYS AND GIRLS CAUSE DEY BLACK? I GOT NO RESPECT FO DAT WE DONT GO ON AN KILL ALL MEXICANS CAUSE WE WAS HOLDIN DOWN COMPTON FIRST SO FUCK BLOOD DESE MESSICANS NEED TO STOP SHOOTIN LIL GIRLS AND BOYS U KNO WHERE DAQ HOOD NIGGAS AT COME GET ME MS13K SUR13K MMK NFK N14K C14K SLK V53K CVK WVK FUCKK ALL VARRIOS
Are the KBGs still active?
FUCK PUSSYOCHO
NIGGER LOVER.
DR1FT3RS GANG Y KE!!!
Tu madre puto. Drive by puto so I can put a hole in you. 14840 Hartland van nuys
18 street dont have to have anything against blacks or bloods. Were under the power of the mexican mafia but, we all shouldnt have fear. Its our gang, we didnt wait til no mafia to tell us that we were official and go start killin blacks. If it were up to me, a true 18 streeter, then i’d have an alliance with a few black gangs. Its good for business, u gain more territory, and more members. Think about it.
Can you tell us if Indio the veteran from 18 is still around gombe would be old now
Blood gang nigga fuck faketeenz
WS ROLLIN 20’S NHB C18K
FUCK ALL YOU LAMES STRAIGHT SMACHIN
ALL FAKETEENS
Fuck piss stainsK And all your dead homegirls.
Bk all day them 30’s be on your hood all day TF?
Fuck tweenkysK slobK all on mine.
Wtf is smachin???!!!
you slobs aint smashing on anybody, you need more slobs to join in to take us out. even the dirus want some but they cant fade us.
fayteKeKnK all across the map BLACK P. ST5XneKs JungleKs St5XneKs Exterminating FakeKteKeKnK on site fayteensK getting taking over
U WISH MONKEY FEVER
DOWN WITH THE MONKEYS
GO BACK TO AFRICA AND CHASE BUFFALOS
18st is the oldest gang in the latino commuity and should set an example for all latino gangs,and stop this war on blacks, because we have kids by most of your sister.and killing us anit gonna change that, we just gonna make more babbys with your sister’s.
If you just want to be kool for the bussiness side of it then fuck you too, and just to build up your hood domain, you got black peolpe fuck up ,I almost said somethnig good about you til, red on a little more.
LOOK ESE FUCK ALL THE BLACK GANGS THEY AINT ABOUT SHYT I STAY IN THAT 818 VALLEY I GOT HOMIES FROM NS MS 13 AND NS 18ST BUT THIZ VATOS FROM 18ST BEEN ACTING BLACK THEY BEEN USING THE WORD NI666A AND IF THEY ARE SURENOS WHY THAT FUCK THEY B SAYING SHYT ANOTHER THANG ESE LOTS OF CLICKS FROM 18 THEY BEEN SAYING FUCK SCRAPS FUCK SUR13 WTF ESE LIKE THIZ BITCH ASS PUSSYCHEROS TALK 2 MUCH ……PURO VARRIO ASSASSINS KINGS LOCOTES 13 GANG WOODMAN ST 818 VALLEROS GET THAT SHYT STR8……..FUCK BLACKS SOME PUTOS ARE FIRME BUT MOST OF THEM AINT BOUT NADA.,,
ak loko x3= Fuck your wetback mother shut your punk wetback ass up you type we katch sock up on you and say my fren ion want any pro lems lil wetback spain slave bitch fuck your momma you roach ass wetback spain slave aint nothing lower than this fucking beaner
LOOK ESE FUCK ALL THE BLACK GANGS THEY AINT ABOUT SHYT I STAY IN THAT 818 VALLEY I GOT HOMIES FROM NS MS 13 AND NS 18ST BUT THIZ VATOS FROM 18ST BEEN ACTING BLACK THEY BEEN USING THE WORD NI666A AND IF THEY ARE SURENOS WHY THAT FUCK THEY B SAYING SHYT ANOTHER THANG ESE LOTS OF CLICKS FROM 18 THEY BEEN SAYING FUCK SCRAPS FUCK SUR13 WTF ESE LIKE THIZ BITCH ASS PUSSYCHEROS TALK 2 MUCH ……PURO VARRIO ASSASSINS KINGS LOCOTES 13 GANG WOODMAN ST 818 VALLEROS GET THAT SHYT STR8……..FUCK BLACKS SOME PUTOS ARE FIRME BUT MOST OF THEM AINT BOUT NADA.,…..AK GANG
I katch ya mark ass you Spain slav bitch you gon by left in a morgue that’s what I think about ya netbanging fag tails punk wetback bitch
Qvole I’m at Lester and vanowen puro WS 18st. 14840 heartland in van nuys. We put holes in vatos
WEST UP IM ESE MR STOMPER FROM THAT BIG WEST SIDE MS13 GANG ESE FUCK ALL MY ENEMIGAS KEEP RUNNING UR MOUTH IT DOESNT MAKE US WEAK IT MAKE US STRONGER SERIO PINCHE PUSSY CHEROS CAGA PALOS ,,,,,,WTF U LEVAS DO BEEF IT WIT BLOODS SLOBS WTF DONT TALK IF U DONT KNOW ALL U PUTOS ARE PERDIDOS DONT EVEN KNOW WHERE UR VARRIO IS AND THATS TRU3 U HYNAS BEEN HIDING ON THE BABY WINOS ALLEY SERIO MY HOMIE IS NOT LYING I BEEN AROUND THERE ANDU FOOLS BEEN POSTED THERE COME OUT ………..OR DONT TALK WAS THE POINT OF BANGING IF U GONNA B HIDING LIKE PUTAS WEST WEST WITH THAT ESE….BE REAL JUST WAIT SO I CAN CACH U FOOLS ON THE CALLES..WELL THAT IS ALL I GOTTA SAID ESE….IM NOT GONNA TALK MORE CUZ REAL G´S DONT TALK MS 13 WORLD WIDE EL SALVADOR MEXICO,HONDURAS,GUATEMALA,NICARAGUA,ALASKA,CANADA, USA,SPAIN,AUSTRALIA, ANYWHERE EVRYWHERE ESE………..WE DONW FRO DAT BIG SUR 13 MARA SALVATRUCHA X3 HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA M´S UP PUSSYCHEROS DOWN KILLA
CHARATERS AND ACTORS ITS FUNNY INTELL THAT VERY MOMENT
Fuck outta here mierda Aqui Para Y Rifa La Bigg Bkarrio DIESIOCHO. A La Verga Todas Las Chavalas La 18 Con La Bala!!!
Mr.lonley puro SC.XV3 ST LGS Fuck ms putos monkey shit all of you putos ain’t shit talk i be in Santa Monica Vermont and fuck lemons
FUCK FAXTXXN & YALL DXAD ONES. LA MARA CONTROLA. WS.MARA SALVATRUCHKA.13 NORMANDIE LOKOS CLICKA M’S UP FAKXS DOWN \,,,/
PURO 310 WEST!!!!!
everybody on this page is a fuckin lame
fuck ur life and i hope all ur mamas have heart attacks
how u like me now
You must dont have a mother anymore, so youcan say that bevause your on this site too, and you just might back fire your comment!
hey putito simon por la computadora you can say and type all the shiet you want pero come face to face and them show me and ask me how i like you now but so this just wont go with out a respuesta fuck you and all your dead homies puro big barrio calle diecieocho gang they call me mr lil_one ws dieciocho malditos fuck all haters uno ocho cantrola
Fuck your hood. I’m at 14840 Hartland in van nuys let see if you got balls bitch
bgirL raVer
emo foolz
smiley
dope nigga
Naw player ass niggas.bitch!
bang on those wops sluts peoices of shit fagoots
54 KINGZ
MAILmaID
Still killing faketeensK fuck faketeen Bl5XD they fucking weak ass bitxh punks BLACK P STONE NATION 5X Jays up til my days up BL5XD.
sCOPE FOOl
bURN a Dvd BluD
do i loOk LikE MR DRumen
Fuck fayteenK and they mommas BIG BAD RED GANG
This cat is lawenforcement yall!
splInTer iz a CRIP movie BLOOD
whi iz splinter so wrinkled & puSSy
carson daly iz a joke
ginger ale fags
What band iz that scraps