18th Street Gang

About 18th Street Gang

18th Street Gang, also known as Eighteen St., or Mara 18, is a Los Angeles-based largely Hispanic street gang. It is estimated that there are between 8,000 to 20,000 members of 18th Street gang in Los Angeles County alone, The latest figures from the NDIC 18th Street membership at 30,000 to 50,000 nationwide.

The 18th Street gang grew out of an older Los Angeles gang, the Clanton 14 street gang (after the street that was their home base) better known as Clanton 14 by locals. In the 1940s, Clanton Street was changed to 14th Place due to the high number of zoot suit Pachucos 'hanging-out', as well as the war effort's need for simple addresses. The Clanton gang was active in Los Angeles for decades and comprised several generations of well-established Mexicans living in America; more recent Mexican immigrants and Chicanos that wanted to join Clanton were rejected. From these rejects the 18th Street gang was born.

The gang has since grown to be California's most fragmental and largest street gang, with membership in the tens of thousands, with many satellite gangs. Out of this, it is estimated that about 60% of its members are illegal immigrants, according to a confidential report last year by the state's California Department of Justice|Department of Justice. While the majority of the gang's activities occur in Los Angeles, the gang is active throughout the United States and other countries, including El Salvador,Honduras,Guatemala,Nicaragua and Mexico.