' Modern day gangs came from a phenomenom known as PACHUCOS or ZOOT SUITERS. They dressed in big suits with pants that were baggy and got narrower near the floor, with a long gold chain that arched from the belt and up into the pocket. The suits were worn in flashy colors and with felt hats, sometimes rounded on top. The pachucos lived by a code of honor and respect. They organized into clubs with ritualistic initiations. The jumping in method became the universal initiation for these clubs. These clubs were started as closley knit units wich were considered a second family to its members, and to many with problems at home it was considered their only family. Their was a huge cultural and generational gap between the pachucos and their parents. This is one of the main reasons they started. ' As time passed these clubs started gaining popularity among the youth, and like all youth, they had fights. Fights were expected to be one on one and once and once the fight was over the problem was solved. Some groups blew the problems out of proportion and bitter rivalries bagan. At first the main disagreements were over the honor of their girlfriends or RUCAS. This is still a main reason today. Other times it was over popularity, who had the most firme carucha, who wore the best clothes, who had the finest ruca, or who was the best fighter. It was also regional at times, people on one side of town made fun of the styles people were wearing on the other side of town. These petty problems always occur in youth and it was no different with PACHUCOS. ' What changed the face of pachuco clubs was the drugs and guns wich started coming in during the vietnam war.This was a very militant age and many BROWN PRIDE groups were born and eventually evolved into gangs. There were also many vatos wich had gone to war and come back trigger happy. Once killing your enemies became accepted the modern cholo was born. Dealing marijuana and carrying a cohete or gun became the norm. The introduction of crack and cacaine in LA speed up the process. ' Drugs and prime drug markets became the new reason for war. The barrios of East LA began to turn a huge profit off slanging drugs. The whole time new gangs were being created to usurp old ones. One gang would get swept up by police and a new one would come up in its place. Then the members of the original one would come out of jail and try to win their neighborhood back. This went on for 30 years. Some gangs came to be greatly hated and people in their own hood didnt want to join them, so they created new ones. Some times these new ones would join up with other gangs for backup or convenience. The story of ELA is like the story of all the countries in this world. It is like a German confederation. ' The first barrio in east LA is disputed between WHITE FENCE and MARAVILLA. White Fences' original barrio is all of Boyle Heights and allegedly used to have cliques throughout the San Gabriel Valley and Northeast LA. Marravillas' original barrio is ELA proper and most of South East LA extending to the Rio Hondo and south to Slauson. Maravilla too has cliques throughout SGV and the Inland Empire. These two gangs are the classic EastLos rivalrie and probably the longest going feud in LA. Both of these barrios have lost extensive territory and are midgets compared to their former size. In numbers though they are bigger than ever. I heard once that Hazards, Avenues, Toonerville, and Frogtown were all once cliques off of White Fence, and members from White Fence claim even more barrios broke off of them. Later gangs such as Michigan Chicano Force, Varrio Nuevo Estrada, and all the Flats sprung up in East LA.
' East LA gangs in general believe they are superior in culture and honor to West LA gangs. This is another ongoing feud in LA. It is hard to pinpoint an actual place and time to the birthplace of most EastLA gangs due to their age. Most gangs atleast know of a year in wich they were started, and in EastLA the 70s is considered brand new. If your gang isnt four actual generations old... its considered a fad. ' Many of the flats and East Sides of gangs wich were originally South Side are allegedly in former Maravilla territory. ES 38st and ES 22st are just some examples. The flats, mainly Primera and Tortilla, are the most active barrios in East Los now. Even gangs wich are adamantly West Side now have East Sides on the east side of the river, ES18st, ESC14st, and ESPlayboys. Now it is common practice to force tagging crews in the barrio to click up or get checked. This has been a great source for new drug dealing disciples. Some crews are so large that they are split between two or more barrios wich are sometimes enemies, such as OFA, wich got split between 18st, Clover, Lincoln Heights, Avenues, Burlington st, and many more barrios. AMK became a click of Primera Flats, calling themselves Avenue Marisol Krooks. Most gangs wich have a K as there last initial used to be crews such as, Tiny Insane Kriminals, and even Krazy Ass Mexicans. Also gangs that have awkward sounding names that have tagger sounding initials.
' NorthEastLA is another old region in LA barrios. Its most famous, and perhaps most infamous gang is the Avenues or Avenidas gang, wich is named after the numbered avenues off of Figueroa. They themselves are two ar even more gangs in one consisting of 43rd Avenue and Cypress Avenues. These two gangs at first did not get along but later joined together for convenience. The 43rd allegedly broke off of Hazards and the Cypress allegedly broke off of Frogtown. They are a very large gang in numbers and are the PDs worst nightmare. Another old NorthEast gang is Toonerville. Their relationship with Frogtown is hard to follow. Some say Toonerville started Frogtown, others say Frogtown started Toonerville, others say they had nothing to do with eachother. Some say Toonerville started The Rascals others say Frogtown did. This I believe is evidence that the two are interconected. Then some say they all started off of White Fence.
Tell Me About Your Hood
