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A year in the World of Female Gangsters: There is no way you can neatly squeeze in a single report what female gang life posses. What I am giving is highlights and statistics staffed with local information. There is no such thing as a typical gang each possess a history that reflects the community they grew up in. The research is in Los Angeles and smaller California communities San Antonio, Texas, and Chicago, Ill... Most research has been done in L.
A. where female gangs have achieved a greater notoriety more than anywhere else but no matter where the gang is each are similar in nature. The history of gangs is a history of farther fear of the outsiders. Although their skin was darker, their faith was catholic, Latino gangs grew in Los Angeles for reasons that most street gangs do everywhere, including the white Italian and Irish gangs of Chicago and New York in the mid 1800 s and later the German and Jewish gangs as a result of swift demographic change. In the 1920 s thousand of Hispanics streamed into California to answer the need for cheap labor, looking for a better life. It was here the term Barrio, a Hispanic settlement in unincorporated terrains left over from the Italians and Irish Youths who moved into the larger economy and society of Los Angeles.
When the Depression hit in the 1930 s, the Hispanics were no longer needed. It was felt that they took away the jobs from the poor white families. These were jobs white people would not of even considered working in but was all that was available in times when jobs were scarce. The Hispanic Communities remained outcasts, facing more intense discrimination than most white immigrants do. California began repatriation, forcing immigrants back across the border. Throughout the 1930 s and 1940 s neighborhood street gangs formed for protection and identity.
Their members were called color, people trapped between worlds, originally referring to those on the fringes of indigenous Indian and Spanish colonial cultures in Mexico. In America it meant poor second-generation kids whose parents remained Mexican at heart while their children desired, yet were denied, full American citizenship. Misunderstood in their own homes as unwelcome d outsiders they fell into the area between Season Avenue and Firestone (Manchester), during the 20 's and 30 's which was occupied primarily by white residents, but just south of Firestone, African-American populations were growing in Watts between 92 nd Street and Imperial. During the 1920 's and 30 's, some of the Black gangs that were active in Los Angeles were the "Good lows, "Kelley's, "Magnificent's, "Driver Brothers, " the "Boozies, " and the "Blodgett es" which hung out in an area off the Imperial Freeway known as the "Blodgett e Track, " where the 105 Freeway is today. The "Boozies" were a family of many brothers and friends who were involved in The guys frequented the Jefferson Park area on Los Angeles and hung out on Denver Avenue.
The "Magnificent's" were a group of youths from the Central Avenue on the eastside of LA. Eventually these gangs faded in the late 1930 's as the youths became older. Gangs during this time were strictly juvenile in nature, and those reaching their late teens distanced themselves from gang. Although black gangs also existed by the 40 s, they were in response to racist whites. Today one of the largest gangs in L. A.
Grape Street Watts Crips, named after its neighborhood turf of 103 rd and Grape Street is the oldest black gang in existance. The Crips and Bloods didnt arrive on the scene until three decades later, the Crips being the largest of the two out numbering Bloods seven to one, but not to undermine their reputation it is thought the Bloods are more crazier. According to statistics in 1993 female gangs represented 10 % of 650, 000 gang members, this polled from 79 -law enforcement agencies nation wide. This does not identify those girls that are affiliated with already existing male gangs. These girls are regulated to associate gang members. Wherever teenage boys get together, girls are sure to follow.
The early female gangs were called Cholas. They wore short skirts, mesh stockings, and pompadours. In the 1960 s, they grew their hair long and teased, lined their eyes in black and white raccoon like circles, and slithered into hip-hugging balk skirts. They participated in gang life as the sisters and girlfriends of male gang members, although soon female cliques or auxiliaries emerged. Though they took their name from the feminine version of a male gangs name the Dallas, for instance, spun off from the Diablos they acted, for the most part, entirely on their own. In some cases, girls formed completely autonomous all female gangs, like Las Monas or the Black Legion, they bonded for partying and dancing, a girls club without a clubhouse.
Although both early male and female gangs were primarily social, occasionally breaking out into chains and knife fights, the Los Angeles police treated them like a corrupting force. For the fifth straight year, nearly 800 people died in gang killings, the highest gang homicide rate in the nation. In one year alone, some 8, 050 victims were treated at L. A. county hospitals for gun shot wounds thirteen times the number of U. S.
military personnel killed and wounded during the Gulf War. Lennox- 13 a large Latino gang consisted of smaller gangs or cliques, of thirty to fifty kids all around the same age. Most lennox- 13 members are first generation teenagers born of Spanish speaking parents who crossed the border from Mexico, El Salvador, or other Central American countries. The gang takes its name from its neighborhood of Lennox a 1. 5 square mile area of Los Angeles. In 1980 s the female gang the Lennox Playgirl Gangstas came about. Although deeply affiliated with the male gang Lennox- 13, these girls kept their own identity.
Girls face the same risks as guys poverty, drugs, unemployment, violence. Most of their mothers had been teenagers themselves when they gave birth, and without strong female role models to emulate, their daughters looked to the boys. The gangs accept anybody handicapped ugly, fat, gay girls, not guys, but almost anyone. Most girls come from really abusive homes and theyre just looking for some comfort. In the gangs these girls find a level of acceptance and what they think of as love. They adopted names such as Miss Crazy, Bambi, Dreamer; this follows the rules to keep their identity secret.
Girls excelled in gang life, they learned how to break into houses, by watching crime shows on T. V... Steel cars by jimmy an ignition and start one without a key in under a minute. Even dress up as guys and commit murder, since most carry guns either Mac 11 s or TEC- 9 s, because they are easy to conceal. While some girls are allowed to join male gangs this is rare. To join a male gang a female has to be as tough as a guy, and willing to take a beating from one of several boys.
Many male gang members welcomed lesbians in their ranks with an acceptance that extended beyond most. Both boys and girls in gangs prized aggressive masculinity above nearly any other trait. Extremely butch homosexual women win respect precisely because they appear almost indistinguishable form men, favoring the same clothes, right down to boxer shorts. They stay active far later if life than straight women because usually they do not have kids.
The level of girls involvement in cliques runs in cycles. At times the boys gangs welcomed girls, at other times they pushed them aside, denigrating them as whores, bitches, snitches, and spies. Girls frequently found themselves in a catch- 22: male leaders would order the prettiest to infiltrate an enemy party to set up or lure a rival-at high risk to herself-only to resent her and all females for making men vulnerable. Girls are at the bottom of the totem pole by their male counter parts. Beatings and rape for these girls by there boyfriends, x-boyfriends, so called homeboys, and enemy's of their clan is not unusual. It is a accepted way of gang life for these girls where most already know what it is to be beaten, theyve seen theyre fathers do it to their mothers and many have it experienced themselves from their mothers boyfriends.
The age group is similar to male gangs starting at the age of 12 or 13. Most have dreams and goals but all share an attitude of Nothing to live for, Nothing to lose. Like women nearly everywhere, women in gangs will always be second-class. Throughout the 1980 s San Antonio's stray and misplaced children began to find each other, forming secret tribes, developing their own language, writing their legends on walls: The stomper's, the town freaks, Tha fellas. If this graffiti was the extent of teenage terror the city had light-years to go before reaching the level of gang war raging in Los Angeles.
San Antonio is a Mecca of Spanish-American culture, a retirement paradise hat is home to the Alamo, rodeos, and debutantes, with the tourism industry second only the military. Although San Antonio is 54 % Latino, most residents will tell you that Hispanics live on the West Side, blacks on the East Side, whites on The North Side, and a mix on the South Side. On the East Side, poor black kids, mimicking L. A. , called themselves the Crips and Bloods. On the West Side, Chicanos formed the Kings and their female counterpart, the Queens, which eventually exploded into the citys largest gang. San Antonio hods the distinction of being the drive-by capital of Texas, averaging 3. 5 shootings a day.
Gang life in San Antonio was explained, Want to know what gang life is about? Its all about kill or be killed. The current generation of girls began joining gangs in the late eighties and early nineties. Some were, of course, the steady girlfriends, or wives, of gang members. One male gang member explained girl life in gangs, he said, I flush girls down the toilet.
Kick them to the curb. But we have them in the organization. Anyone messes with us, we send the girls to talk to them, start a relationship, and set them up so we can take over. The girls were known as POLOs: Property of Latino Organization.
In schools of San Antonio as now everywhere students are barred from wearing gang attire of tossing signs. One teacher quotes, their swagger, their tattoos, the way they slouch in their chairs, the aggressive way the boys and girls flirted, as though issuing a challenge, spoke as loudly as if they had all pulled out semiautomatics and fired. Nancy's story: Nancy was a member of the BCs chicks, raised poor, dropped out of school before eighth grade, abusive father. Friendship was easily uprooted by the tug of economic or psychological self-interest the guys wanted sex and Nancy was willing to provide it for them. At 15 she never had had a relationship, never fell for anyone. She had been having sex with the BCs for over 4 years.
For Nancy it was never a case of rape not with the BCs she always came back for more, her...
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