In Anchorage, Ala., for instance, there was a case where some graffiti had the initials "TRG" and "FTC" written next to each other beneath it was the phrase, "works here." Simply put, this means that the Tiny Rascal Gang (TRG) and the Full Time Criminals (FTC) are allies and will back each other up. Gang graffiti can also indicate working alliances between gangs, which are indicated by graffiti representing two different groups. However many of these Asian gangs place graffiti near the areas where they hang out, such as the walls near a cafe they frequent. Almost all Southeast Asian gangs, for instance, do not claim turf like traditional Hispanic gangs. Graffiti can also be used to announce the mere presence of a gang in a certain area or neighborhood it's not always used to mark off turf. In San Diego, for example, the Impe gang-short for the city of Imperial, Calif.,-uses the numerals "619" in their gang graffiti (or they might spell it out). Many gangs-including Skinheads, Black, Tagger Crews and Hispanic -may all claim their Southern California alliance.īut gangs will indicate exactly what part of Southern California they're from via their telephone area codes. Gang graffiti may contain directional descriptions like north-side (NS), south-side (SS), eastside (ES) and westside (WS). Some gang sets, or "cliques," are geographically located in different parts of the city or county. In the graffiti you should also expect to see "Sur" or "Sureno," another indication that the gang is from Southern California. In the California state prison system, the number "13" also is a symbol for the Mexican mafia, more commonly known as the "Eme." If the gang originates in Northern California, expect to see the number 14-the 14th letter of the alphabet, "N," which represents Norteno (north). (Historically, one can trace the origin of turf rivalries for Hispanic gangs back to that era.) The number actually represents a bit of history for Hispanic gangs, referring to the Mara Villa housing project in 1940 Los Angeles. It might contain the Roman numeral "13" in some form, which represents the 13th letter of the alphabet-the letter "M." Some of the younger gangsters say it stands for marijuana. Typically, it will tell the reader the gang name, indicate a Northern or Southern California orientation and have a claim of superiority over other gangs. A classic example is Hispanic gang graffiti. Some may include a partial gang roster and denote gang affiliation. For many turf gangs, the graffiti becomes like a road map, saying it is either safe or dangerous here.īoundary markers may be as simple as a gang name or symbol. What are you going to do about it'?" It is an insult for a rival gang to violate the warnings. It says, "Beware, this is our turf-we're No. The graffiti is a "stay away" signal and, at the same time. Gang members and their allies recognize such markings as a form of greeting-a sort of "welcome home."įor rival gangs, the graffiti becomes a form of warning and challenge. For turf-oriented gangs, the graffiti will act as a territorial boundary like a silent advertisement.
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