LA TACO » XVIII St. ~ Los Angeles

XVIII St. ~ Los Angeles

“The 18th Street Gang…

It is the biggest and deadliest street gang to rise from the nation’s gang capital, reshaping Los Angeles’ criminal underworld.

With as many as 20,000 members in Southern California alone, the gang called 18th Street is 20 times the size of the region’s typical gang, dwarfing even the notorious Bloods and Crips.

“We recognize them as one of the most violent street gangs and one of the most prolific in the United States,” says George Rodriguez, who until his retirement this month oversaw investigations for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

A band of unruly outcasts when it formed in the 1960s, 18th Street has become an ominous prototype. Although primarily Latino, 18th Street has broken with gang tradition, opening its ranks to comers of all races from many working-class neighborhoods in a calculated move to boost its numbers. Its primary recruitment targets: immigrant youngsters.

Wherever 18th Street surfaces, the quality of life inevitably suffers, bringing despair to residents and presenting law enforcement authorities with challenges they seem unable to conquer.

Cars are stolen, homes burglarized. On average, someone in Los Angeles County is assaulted or robbed by 18th Streeters every day. The gang has left a bloody trail of more than 100 homicides in the city of Los Angeles since 1990 — a pace three times that of many of the city’s most active gangs.

Police say 18th Street — with its tight ties to the Mexican Mafia prison gang — has become so influential in narcotics circles that it now deals directly with the Mexican and Colombian cartels. Eighteenth Street also has pioneered a disturbing trend in gangs: renting street corners — sometimes in hourly shifts — to non-gang dope peddlers, who are forced to pay “taxes.”

“They’re worse than a cancer. A cancer you can kill. These guys keep growing,” says gang expert Gabriel Kovnator of the California Youth Authority, where 18th Streeters constitute the largest group of gang members in custody.

Although 18th Street’s primary impact has been in central Los Angeles County, the gang has taken root on the Westside, the San Gabriel Valley, Orange County, the South Bay and the San Fernando Valley. Transplanted 18th Streeters also have exported their criminal ways to other states and countries.

In Utah, officials say 18th Street has arrived with a vengeance.

“Within the past two or three years, I’ve heard more and more gang cops telling me, ‘18th Street, 18th Street,’” says Sgt. Ron Stallworth, the state’s top gang intelligence officer. “If these guys are here to the extent we think they are, we have to extend some very serious resources to get our ducks lined up.”

Eighteenth Street has become the largest and fastest-growing gang in Oregon. Its members have tried to assert control over the state prison narcotics trade and are blamed for one of Salem’s worst gang slayings: A 15-year-old 18th Streeter, who wanted out, was gunned down by his homeboys.

“It’s just phenomenal what’s happening here [with the gang],” says Ron Weaver of the Oregon Youth Authority.

In El Salvador, church leaders have been working to broker a truce between 18th Street and its rivals. Authorities from Honduras, meanwhile, recently visited Los Angeles seeking advice from law enforcement on the gang.

“Eighteenth Street is like a many-headed hydra,” says Assistant U.S. Atty. Gregory W. Jessner, who oversees a prosecutorial task force targeting the gang.”

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This entry was written by taco and posted on Thursday, August 10th, 2006 at 12:05 PM and filed under Crime, Tats, Video.

Comments (40) to “XVIII St. ~ Los Angeles”

b_sick wrote:

18st now in holland…
whe have a click of 100 members…
check me webside http://www.everyoneweb.com/18thstreet

Posted on 12-Feb-07 at 3:59 am | Permalink
DOZERx8 wrote:

18st is everywhere. its the revolution.
your with us or against us.
http://www.myspace.com/captain_dazey

Posted on 17-May-07 at 4:19 pm | Permalink
18 wrote:

18 STREET RIFA FUCK DA REST DAT CAN HANG WITH THE BEST

Posted on 22-May-07 at 10:31 am | Permalink
creeper18 wrote:

cant fuck with the best man fuk the rest putas chavalas cant hand with us….

Posted on 08-Jul-07 at 9:55 am | Permalink
CH1N8 wrote:

aquiii les dejo la pagina de montreal canada puro 18 st eighteen yq putas !!

Posted on 10-Jul-07 at 4:10 pm | Permalink
LA MONII wrote:

H3Y WAZ UP I KNO ALOT ABOUT YALL AND MOSTLY ALL MY FAMILIA IS FROM THE BIG ONE EIGHT P3RO W3L ALRATOZ AND K33P IT UP

Posted on 11-Sep-07 at 1:15 pm | Permalink
spartan18 wrote:

big ups to all 18 streeters out in the world spokane on the map takin over the inland northwest SOUTHWEST DIECE OCHO HOOVER LOKOTES BIG BAD 18

Posted on 25-Dec-07 at 2:37 pm | Permalink
KASPER 18TH wrote:

PURO UNO OCHO GANG TORONTO CANADA SUREÑOS XV3:.

Posted on 14-Jan-08 at 5:40 pm | Permalink
XVIII $ Life wrote:

XVIII is here taking Eastern Oregon. If you cant hang with the best, get ready to get fucked like the rest. XVIII 4 life putas

Posted on 19-Jan-08 at 2:29 am | Permalink
Tien-R wrote:

so i jus wanna ask..
does 18th St. and Sureno13 click up? or not..i’m jw. dey both work fo La Eme..

Posted on 19-Jan-08 at 6:33 pm | Permalink
MOSKA wrote:

E’Z UP FUCK ALL THE CHAVALAS WE WILL BE THE ONE PULLING THE TRIGGER…

Posted on 08-Feb-08 at 3:44 pm | Permalink
Operation Ivy wrote:

There’s a war going down between my brothers tonight,

I don’t want no war going down, going down tonight.

Stop this war

Civilization? Ha! I call it as I see it.
I call it bullshit, you know, I still cannot believe it
Our evolution now,
has gone the way of hate
A world evolved
resolved in this stupid fate

Stop this war

All so different yeah,
I say we’re all the same
All caught, you know,
in the division game.
Self destruction fast
impending like a bullet.
No one can stop it, once it’s fired,
no one can control it.

Stop this war

A final word, wait
it’s not a call to action
We ain’t no sect,
no, this ain’t no fucking faction.
Unity, unity, unity
you’ve heard it all before.
This time it’s not exclusive
we want to stop a war.

Stop this war

Ain’t nothing wrong with another unity song

Stop this war

Unity, as one stand together
Unity, evolution’s gonna come
Unity, as one stand together
Unity, evolution’s gonna come
Unity, as one stand together
Unity, evolution’s gonna come
Unity, as one stand together
Unity, evolution’s gonna come

Posted on 08-Feb-08 at 8:15 pm | Permalink
ARiiANNA wrote:

DiZ SHiiT iiS WAy FUCKED UP FOREAL !

Posted on 12-Mar-08 at 5:52 pm | Permalink
ESA_MARYJANE wrote:

ARRIBA TODOS LOS DEL UNO OCHO!!!
ITS ALL BOUT DAT 18ST!!!
FUCK DA REST EXCEPT DA B.E.S.T!!!

Posted on 29-Apr-08 at 10:53 pm | Permalink
TRUSTY wrote:

E’s up to all the homies WS18ST HOOVER LOKOS ON MINE. IM CHILLING HERE IN PICO AND UNION..WEST SIDE BEST XV111 FUCK SLOBS BKAY ALL DAY

Posted on 12-May-08 at 4:44 pm | Permalink
John Smith wrote:

The only person on here that seems educated is the one that quoted OP IVY. Everyone here should go back to school or start paying attention at school. Gangs are for people who can’t think for themselves and are destined to be losers.

Posted on 23-May-08 at 10:05 pm | Permalink
ROB wrote:

hey waz up! este es el CANELO del big barrio 18 west side keep it real wit da hood LA 18 RIFA

Posted on 27-May-08 at 4:24 pm | Permalink
VÌÖLÈñ† W§¹8§†.HVL§ wrote:

“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 12:25.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Nochi tlakamej uan siuamej kipiaj manoj kuali tlakatisej, nochi san se totlatechpouiltilis uan titlatepanitalojkej, yeka moneki kuali ma timouikakaj, ma timoiknelikaj, ma timotlasojtlakaj uan ma timotlepanitakaj. Nahuatl

\/Ì[_É|/]¯|¯ 1

Posted on 14-Jul-08 at 3:30 am | Permalink
esa grumpy wrote:

damet tats right keep ur head up c/s

Posted on 01-Aug-08 at 10:31 am | Permalink
SMOKEYMDS wrote:

WEST SIDE FOR LIFE LOS MALDITOS CLIQUE RIFA

Posted on 30-Aug-08 at 9:53 am | Permalink
jim wrote:

you guys should get lives. and jobs.

Posted on 02-Sep-08 at 8:44 am | Permalink
faketeenkay wrote:

WS BPS1*5*8k ckity stone Bloods B1TY JUNGLEs BLACK PE STONE NATIOn C18MEXK

Posted on 05-Oct-08 at 3:42 pm | Permalink
1.CHOCOYO.8 wrote:

YUP ALRIGHT HOMEBOY 18ST ALWAYS AND FOREVER SALVADOREAN PRIDE LOCOTES !! ^_^

Posted on 07-Oct-08 at 12:59 pm | Permalink
Crazy wrote:

18are in london uk now, i think theres about 40-60 of them but there could be more

Posted on 15-Oct-08 at 5:55 pm | Permalink
The Huss wrote:

are in any in melbourne australia?

Posted on 22-Oct-08 at 3:24 am | Permalink
shanin wrote:

E’z UP u pussy ass x3 surenoz aint takin ova putos fuck wit my homeboys ill take u out.

Posted on 14-Nov-08 at 8:47 am | Permalink
Beautyful wrote:

Fuck any leva that try’s to fuck with us puro E LOVE BBY y que putos….:18:…..

Posted on 20-Nov-08 at 3:53 pm | Permalink
bibi wrote:

18 the best

Posted on 10-Dec-08 at 9:19 am | Permalink
3se $tylo wrote:

18st rifa is now in omaha and in mexica durango

Posted on 17-Jan-09 at 10:31 am | Permalink
chino106 wrote:

Fuck pistains n twinkies kay all day lames ass slobs can’t fuck with the Bk..EST gang we be in lockheaven n if u dnt know where it is at putos is in inglewoodk

E’z up hoe’s down

Posted on 21-Jan-09 at 3:56 am | Permalink
darkwolf wrote:

aint nothing sweeter than an 18th streeter

Posted on 13-Feb-09 at 12:25 pm | Permalink
jose wrote:

fuck the police xvlll im a member put loco work in

Posted on 08-Mar-09 at 8:32 pm | Permalink
fuck18 wrote:

losers! I hope u all get locked up sooner or later and realize how much u done fucked up!

Posted on 17-Mar-09 at 1:24 pm | Permalink
y los faketeen st wrote:

fuck u ey its all about that norteno shit ey! lemme catch u foos slippin in my hood of pico y union ey! ill be waitin ey dont trip ey orale whey

Posted on 17-Mar-09 at 1:46 pm | Permalink
steve wrote:

man u all are very unlucky…when i was 14 i hung around the wrong crowd and became part of a gang and before i joined i was already on probaton for growing and selling marijuana in large quantities, possesion of a deadly weapon, and burglary…shortly after like in less than a year i realized it was stupid and not for me so i did my best to escape unhurt…i was lucky to do so….that was one of the smartest decisions i made in my life and u all should learn from that….to make a long story short now i am almost done in my studies to become a doctor at UCLA with intentions on specializing in plastic surgery…do u really want to end up dead or in prison for the rest of your life…??..or do u want to enjoy whatever u have left now and rest assure that u wont go down that path?

Posted on 17-Mar-09 at 2:00 pm | Permalink
El SLOB KAY...CRAB K wrote:

Fuck all them slob ass niggersk
Puro WS DIESIOCHO GANG ese….we’re EBk YEA FOO THATS YOU
ONE EIGHT RIFA PUTOS

Posted on 20-Mar-09 at 1:21 pm | Permalink
frogg-ee wrote:

Ez up hoes down k-dubs in this bitch

Posted on 27-Mar-09 at 12:53 pm | Permalink
MANIAKK wrote:

Yeaa I’m holdin it down here on deze montana native rezzez reppin da BIG BAD 18 fuck da rest EZUP all my real gz – WS XV3ST TINY WINOS Clika we takin ova

Posted on 28-Aug-09 at 6:07 pm | Permalink
crazy wrote:

thats was up big bad ass <<<>>

Posted on 11-Sep-09 at 8:59 am | Permalink
TRAVIESO wrote:

can i ask sumthing?
can i make a clicka here in the philippines?

Posted on 05-Nov-09 at 7:38 am | Permalink