The MS-13

A normal citizen’s core values may be family-oriented, and MS-13’s values are similar to an extent. The gang, although callous, do seem to care for one another – that is, unless they betray the organization like the female in the film who was killed by her gang member friends for telling the police gang secrets. Despite this, like already stated, when a gang member dies, they get a mural painted in their honor – spray-painted illegally, of course. With that being said, the film covered very little on how the gang’s members treat their actual blood families; however, I do wonder about the dynamics since gang members are constantly at risk of being sent to prison or being deported. I also wonder that if when a gang member has a child, is that child then part of the gang, or do they get to decide, and do they still have to be beat in? It comes as no surprise, but gang members have vastly different values when it comes to concepts like killing and fighting. Killing is their job and they treat it as such – but this does not excuse their actions in the slightest. Along with this, instead of going through the government, state, county, city, or region to own land, the gang members acquire land in unjust ways such as turf wars with rival gangs that end in fights or murder. On a different note, unlike in a normal American society,

All of the MS-13 activities were kept low-profile very well. Unlike many gang which us guns, knives, and ropes to hang their victims, La Mara Salvatrucha uses machetes, which have become their weapon of choice (ms-13gang.com). From the start gang members only wore white,

Deviant acts cannot be discussed without taking into account culture, perspective, and religion. Every culture is known for their types of expressions though tattooing, piercings, and body modification. Asian gangs such as the Yakuza are known for their full body tattoos, while African tribes can be associated with wearing rings that stretch their necks. Often, these types of tattooing and body modifications are seen as a sign of beauty or a sign of respect. In the United States, tattooing, piercings, and body modifications are becoming more acceptable, in moderation.

Defining gangs have been compared to packs, teams, and groups. Participants of gangs do not necessarily commit violent acts or commence in illegal matters. The National Gang Center has come to a consensus on defining gangs with the commonalities of three or more members between the ages of 12 through 24, shared identity, recognized by others as a gang or crew, has levels of organization, and usually involved in criminal activities (Shelden, Tracy, Brown, 2013). Some gangs are excluded from this definition due to not proportionate with their usual activities. Overall, we can consider gangs to be founded when members share similar characteristics and establish a symbol to represent their livelihood.

While they might sport the tattoos, the jackets, colors, and signs, often these members are only tangentially affiliated. According to much of the available literature, tattoos also serve as a badge of protection against coercion from other gangs (Jackson and McBride 1985). In the current study, tattoos signify a number of different and personal matters, only one of which gang membership and a warning to others.

The MS-13 gang has cliques, or factions, located throughout the United States and is unique in that it retains is ties to its El Salvador counterparts. With cliques in Washington DC, Oregon, Alaska, Arkansas, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and several other South American countries, the MS-13 gang is truly "international" and on the verge of becoming the first gang to be categorized as an "organized crime" entity.” (MS13 Gang….)The strength of the gang members is 36,000 in Honduras. The age of the members is normally between 11 to 40 years. Initially started as a defensive organization to protect El Salvadorian immigrants from the cruelty of LA gangs, the gang soon began targeting the members of the Salvadorian community as well. Criminality became a way of life for the M-13 gang members, with no holds barred. It soon turned out to be business of profiteering, and it expanded rapidly across the United States. By the 1990s, its network spread like the octopus growing in all directions, and its membership had reached the East Coast. Initially they were not well-organized. In the early 2000s, the organizational pattern had changed. The leadership of these newly organized units emanated from faraway places like California and El Salvador. Cells began to sprout all over the country. In Texas and the Rio

“There are approximately 27,900 gangs, with 774,000 members, impacting towns, cities, and communities across the United States. Gangs conduct criminal activity in all 50 states and U.S. territories. Although most gang activity is concentrated in major urban areas, gangs also are proliferating in rural and suburban areas of the country as gang members flee increasing law enforcement pressure in urban areas or seek more lucrative drug markets. This proliferation in non-urban areas increasingly is accompanied by violence and is threatening society in general (Decker, 1996).” The code of the street is silence and to snitch is death. Everyone within Calliope projects knows this so no one talks, not even to the police. In the distance music from a radio playing “Hand on pump finger on the trigger (Cypress Hill)” can be heard as men laughing and joke about how they just creeped up on some guy and shot him and the look on his face. A 187 has just been committed (police code for homicide) but no one cares in this community

Gangs and Organized Crime in the United States is on the rise. With the increase in turf wars, position and the financial gains, gang wars and Organized Crime are linked together in many ways. Within this paper, I will show how they are all tied together in. The M-13’s are the largest reported gang controlling large areas of our states. However, the largest area to which the MS-13’s control is within our own capital, Washington D.C. Their leaders rule all the gangs from inside El Salvador. I will discuss other gangs, and their ties into Organized Crime.

MS-13 the gang depicted in the documentary, “World’s Most Dangerous Gang” is shown as having a deep seeded rooted collection of social integration through use of semiology, terror, family, and the use of symbolic imagery and art. The most deeply rooted connection of the original MS-13 members is the tight bond over the 1979 El Salvador Civil War. This war lead to the refuge and fleeing of several El Salvador citizens to the western United States seeking solace and peace in the land of Opportunity. Many MS-13 members would want to seek a better life in the red, white, and blue only to find that life here would proof to be much harder or if not the same. This brotherhood of people coming together over a Civil War made them stronger and connected

In the U.S the Ms 13 is more of an average street gang that does drug sales and mainly ‘protecting’ urban turf. The gang also has even created ‘educational’ centers where extortion and other illegal activities are

Valdez states, “African-American street gangs adopted membership indicia commonly used by Latino Gangs” A common form for all gangs are to use graffiti, which is a way of marking their territory and or a way to show rival gang members that they have been into their neighborhoods and have disrespected their enemies. Clothing plays a critical part in the way all gags represent their

When most people think of the word status, they think of where it places them in society. If you have a higher status you might be considered a more important human being. If you have a lower status you might be considered “poor” or “in poverty”. But what does it mean to have a status as a gang? That questions certainly can’t be answered by me correctly, however I would imagine in a world of gangs having the highest status would make you the most feared gang. If you are going to join a gang, it might as well be one worth joining such as MS 13. If MS 13 is recognized worldwide as the most “dangerous” gang then they probably are! Having a status like that on the streets would make other gangs stay away from you, as well as make people afraid to tell you no or show you consequences. In the video we watched as a class police enforcement coming up short every time when they would “bust” them for drugs or something else. It made me wonder if the police really were being out smarted or if they didn’t want to dig too deep into an unfamiliar territory. Even though MS 13 is recognized as the world’s most dangerous gang, everyone seems to know little information about them. It is still unknown whether not

The group members often get tattoos with their “Juggalo names” and other Juggalo tattoos. They also wear face paint to look like scary clowns, usually black and white to emulate the Insane Clown posse’s style. Their

The Florencia 13( F-13 or FX-13), also know as the southside florencia 13 or Florencia treca Ave are an infamous Mexican-American Sureno street gang, with cliques throughout the Los Angeles County, California. Florencia 13 located in an unincorporated section of South Los Angeles between Slauson(North) and Firestone(South) from central Avenue(West) in compton(East). Florencia 13 formed during the 1950s among with the old street gang located in south Los Angeles. One of the oldest gangs that use 13 in their name it represents the 13th letter in the alphabet for marijuana or mota. Also use “13” predates the founding of mexican mafia in 1957 and the year of their city wide influence of 1994. Florencia 13’s territory further west into the city

Gang members in particular take pride in branding themselves as outside of the boundaries of conventional society(ukessay) Tattoos have long been a means of identifying oneself with a group or culture and because people have used tattoos for gang purposes that is not the only things tattoos stands for people see tattoos as and I feel like automactically assume you’re a gang member.