38th Street gang

The 38th Street Gang is an American criminal street gang in Los Angeles, California, composed mainly of Hispanic-Americans. The 38th Street Gang is one of the oldest street gangs in Los Angeles and has been occupying its territory since the 1920s.^[6] They engage in many criminal activities. The Mexican Mafia controls and routinely uses 38th Street gang members to carry out their orders.^[7][8]

History

Founded in the 1920s, the 38th Street Gang dates back to the

All five of the gang members were convicted and sentenced to prison. These convictions ultimately united the Mexican community and changed Mexican gangs.^[8] The jail sentences also acted as a glue to unite the Mexican and Mexican American community in a common cause, a fight against class distinction based on prejudice and racism, a fight against the establishment.^[9] In prison, 38th Street Gang members were held in high esteem.^[9] On October 4, 1943, the convictions of the gang members were overturned and the gang members were allegedly welcomed back to their communities as heroes.^[8][11][12]

During "Sleepy Lagoon", the media exaggerated the headlines about the gang that wore zoot suits and created wartime hysteria and prejudice against the Mexican-American community. In what was known as the Zoot Suit Riots in May to June 1943, many Mexican-American zoot suiters from the segregated parts of town were attacked by European American servicemen and residents of Los Angeles. The white servicemen and residents felt Zoot Suiters were not contributing to the war effort and were wasting valuable resources by dressing so flamboyantly. Los Angeles police officers did nothing to halt the angry mobs from rioting, arresting the zoot suiters instead of the attackers. After the riots and because of international criticism, the United States Department of War banned all military personnel from going to Los Angeles on leave. The Los Angeles City Council adopted a resolution that banned the wearing of zoot suits on Los Angeles streets, although no ordinance was approved by the City Council nor signed into law by the Mayor.^[11] 38th Street is often credited^{[by whom?]} for starting a new style of dress: during the time the Sleepy Lagoon defendants were incarcerated, their prison-issue clothes were deliberately oversized, with the intention of drawing ridicule from Anglo inmates and prison staff. However, the Sleepy Lagoon defendants maintained their clothing well, cleaning and ironing it.

Location

The 38th Street gang occupies a huge area on the east side of South Los Angeles and some areas in East Los Angeles. These neighborhoods had been historically known to be some of the most dangerous in the nation. Their rivalries expand to most neighborhoods all over Los Angeles County.