Venice 13

Last updated
Venice 13
Founded1920-1930
Founding location Oakwood, Venice, Los Angeles, California, United States
Years active1920 or 1930–present
Territory Venice
Ethnicity Mexican American
Activities Murder, kidnapping, extortion, assault, assault and vandalism
Allies Lennox13
PlayBoys Gangster Crips [1]
Santa Monica 13 [2]
18th Street gang
Venice Shoreline Crips

Venice 13 or West Side Venice 13, abbreviated as V13 or VX3, is a Mexican American street gang based in the Oakwood (aka "Ghost Town") neighborhood of Venice, a section of Los Angeles, California. It has a substantial presence in East Venice as well as the Culver City/Los Angeles border, especially around Washington Blvd.

Contents

The gang dates back to the 1920s or 1930s. It was amongst the first Mexican gangs to fight gang wars against African-American gangs, especially the local Venice Shoreline Crips which were founded in the mid-1970s. It is affiliated with the Sureños and the Mexican Mafia. It is widely known for its deadly street violence with fellow Mexican-American gang, the Trinitarios.

History

After the 405 freeway tore through predominantly Mexican American and immigrant communities in the late 1950s and early 1960s, many migrated west into the Oakwood area of Venice Beach. [3] Originally the Oakwood area was labeled as a "servant's zone" and was one of the only areas where African Americans could live on the Westside of Los Angeles. [3] During this time Venice had been notoriously known as the "ghetto by the sea" due to the City of Los Angeles' negligent attitude toward the area, and as a result, Oakwood's cheap housing prices, which attracted young counterculture artists and poor European immigrants, and maintained a preexistent working-class African American population, made it relatively easy for Mexicans to settle in. It was in this extreme poverty that the Venice 13 gang formed, becoming one of the earliest gangs in the city.

Throughout the 1960s the gang grew rapidly and Venice gang members began playing an active role in the California prison system through Mexican Mafia membership, while on the streets the gang viciously battled with Culver City 13 creating a rivalry spanning over 50 years and still running. By this time the area was overrun with drugs and times changed, with V13 taking control of the drug trade as unemployment and racial tensions escalated, further fueling gang membership. [3] Gang members found income supplying drugs to the hippies, and eventually high-income residents who came to Oakwood from affluent areas as crack cocaine arrived. [3] In the 1990s Oakwood exploded when a war broke out between Venice 13, the Venice Shoreline Crips (VSLC) and the Culver City gang. As ordered by the Mexican Mafia, Venice 13 was to maintain control of Oakwood's drug trade and eventually a peace treaty formed between Venice 13 and the Crips. The 1980s and 1990s brought on a series of revitalization as white homeowners began purchasing property and renovating old houses, causing the City of Los Angeles to combat the gang problem although V13 still remains active.

Cliques

Venice 13 is made up of a series of cliques, or subsets within the gang.

Dukes (DKS) Mainly active in the '80s and early '90s, the set is composed of older members. Duke members often wear clothes with the Duke University Blue Devil or blue Detroit Tigers caps.

Lil Jokers(LJKS L'Js) was a large clique from V13 and are still active.

Gangsters (G'S, GEES) are a large clique. Made up of some older members, the set has seen a rapid increase in membership and activity as more and more youngsters have grown and earned membership, replacing many past members who were specifically targeted by injunctions. The GEES look up to the Dukes clique because of their well-known gang activity "back in the day".

Malos (MLS) Mainly active east of Lincoln Blvd., the division between Oakwood and the rest of Venice, and East Venice.

Lil Locos (LLS')and the Big Locos(L' S), cliques that function within Oakwood as well as around the outskirts of Venice by displaced members. Mentioned in the original script for the movie American History X. They also have an asesinos[ASNS] clique and the Jokers[JKS]clique [4]

Injunctions

The Venice gang has also been the target of West Side gang injunctions in the 1990s along with Culver City 13, and the Venice Shoreline Crips.

Rivalry

Venice 13's main rivals were the Santa Monica 13 and Santa Monica 17th St gangs, however they both settled a truce and formed an alliance. As well as 18th Street gang (particularly the 106th St in Inglewood), as well as the Grave Yard Gangsta Crips in Santa Monica and Culver City 13 in the Mar Vista neighborhood. Historically, the main rivals of the gang have long been Venice Shoreline Crips who have shared the same neighborhood in Venice called Oakwood, which in from early to mid 20th century was segregated and sectioned as the only area in Venice that African-Americans and Hispanics could own properties.

Shoreline Crips

Venice 13 was involved in an intense battle with the Venice Shoreline Crips during the 1990s. The conflict escalated and in one point in time Venice 13 and the Culver City gang went as far as to set aside their own fight to unite against the Shorelines. [3] In 1994 Venice 13 and the Shorelines bargained for a cease fire, after a war that left 55 people dead and many more wounded. [5] [6]

Notoriety

Although the gang has been known to be relatively laid back and often members prefer not to exert themselves, [7] they have gained notoriety for violent and often very reckless retaliation attacks. [7] The gang is also involved in large scale narcotics trafficking business along the Oakwood and boardwalk areas, a prime market for selling to high income residents who come from surrounding affluent areas. [8] Venice 13 has also been known to viciously defend their turf from outside drug trafficking and trespassing, with violators being killed or at least shot at. [8]

Aside from the war with the Shorelines, V13 has also gained infamy as being the most violent rival of the Culver City gang. The gang has been known to publicly take credit for the murders of rivals by marking the neighborhood with "VX3," "V13" and "Venice 13" taggings. [8] In one incident "V13s invaded the hospital in search of a Culver City enemy they hadn't quite managed to kill. It was necessary to give the patient a fictitious name and change all the labels on the census boards, chart backs, etc," [7] as described by a nurse.

On November 7, 2007 members of the Venice 13 gang fired shots, from a vehicle leaving Venice High School, at alleged rival Culver City members who were standing outside the SHOP-4 building at approximately 2:58 pm. The incident began with an argument until it turned to gunfire. The argument is said to have start with gang identification. After the first victim, Carlos, was aware of the situation he was shot at leaving 3 holes on his sleeve with one bullet. He then tried running into other classes were teachers refused to keep him there. The two other victims are unknown. The school was put on lockdown and police were dispatched for extra security for a couple days until threat was minimized. Carlos and the other victims have disappeared only with rumors from friends of moving to Mexico. [9]

Gentrification

In 1994, due to the stigma of the neighborhood's reputation as "Los Angeles at its worst" many investors were deterred from the area.

With gentrification transforming the formerly more downscale sections of the West Side, many of its rivals are either near-defunct or in severe decline. With housing prices starting in the $500,000 and escalating into the millions from there, Venice 13 struggled to maintain the same presence it used to have in its neighborhood during the 1990s. While Oakwood was at one point a very inexpensive area to buy property, it is being sought after by wealthy artists and businesspeople at competitive prices. Famous movie stars such as actresses Julia Roberts and Anjelica Huston, and actor Nicolas Cage have taken residency in or around the Oakwood area. [10] According to a Venice gang member, some Venice 13 members have even been forced into nearby Inglewood due to rent and housing costs. The affiliate, with plenty of animosity for the mostly, non-Hispanic white professional newcomers, stated that new home owners in the area at sometimes fail to even notice Oakwood as a gang neighborhood. This gentrification has been the cause of rising racial tension between the original African American and Latino residents and the more affluent newcomers. [11]

The inconsistent pattern of gang violence in Oakwood has also scared many high income residents who are not accustomed to the neighborhood, such as a 2001 string of violent shootings which resulted in 3 murders in a two-week period. Months following the incidents residents reported the streets being empty at sundown despite increased police presence. In the November 2004 issue of Vanity Fair magazine author John Brodie contested that gentrification would fail as "...the gunplay of the Shoreline Crips and the V-13 is as much a part of life in Venice as pit bulls playing with blond Labs at the local dog park.". [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venice, Los Angeles</span> Neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States

Venice is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloods</span> Street gang founded in Los Angeles, California, US

The Bloods are a primarily African-American street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. It is identified by the red color worn by its members and by particular gang symbols, including distinctive hand signs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips</span> African-American street gang

The Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips is a street gang based in Los Angeles, California, originally formed in Los Angeles in 1976 from the Westside Crips and having since spread to other cities in the United States. Membership is estimated to be around 1,600 people, making it one of the largest gangs in the Los Angeles area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crips</span> Street gang from Los Angeles, California

The Crips are an alliance of street gangs that is based in the coastal regions of Southern California. Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams, the Crips began as an alliance between two autonomous gangs, and developed into a loosely connected network of individual "sets", often engaged in open warfare with one another. Its members have traditionally worn blue clothing since around 1973.

<i>No. 10, Upping St.</i> 1986 studio album by Big Audio Dynamite

No. 10, Upping St. is the second studio album by the English band Big Audio Dynamite, led by Mick Jones, the former lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the Clash. The album's title is a pun on 10 Downing Street, the headquarters of the Government of the United Kingdom. The album reunited Jones for one album with former Clash bandmate Joe Strummer, who was a co-producer of the album and co-writer of 5 of its 9 songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">38th Street gang</span> Hispanic-American 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. They engage in many criminal activities. The Mexican Mafia controls and routinely uses 38th Street gang members to carry out their orders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gangs in the United States</span> US criminal groups or organizations

Approximately 1.4 million people in the United States were part of gangs as of 2011, and more than 33,000 gangs were active in the country. These include national street gangs, local street gangs, prison gangs, outlaw motorcycle clubs, and ethnic and organized crime gangs.

Crime in Los Angeles has varied throughout time, reaching peaks between the 1970s and 1990s. Since the early 2020s, crime has increased in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avenues (gang)</span> Mexican-American street gang

The Avenues, also known as Avenidas or AVE's, is a Mexican/Mexican American criminal street gang mostly in Los Angeles County, California. They originally started as a social club for local Latino youths to protect themselves from other violent youths. The Avenues, like most Mexican gangs in Los Angeles, are under the direct control of the Mexican Mafia when sent to State, County, or Federal prisons.

Venice Shoreline Crips, or known as VSLC, is a Crips-based gang based out of Venice, Los Angeles, California.

Santa Monica 13 or SMG is a Mexican-American street gang located in Santa Monica, California, United States. They reside mainly in the Pico neighborhood. Even though Santa Monica 13 is a Sureño gang, they wear their traditional black bandanas. The acronym SM17 refers to Santa Monica 17th Street,. They write up "SMG" or "Santa Monica Gang" to show solidarity.

<i>Crips and Bloods: Made in America</i> 2008 American film

Crips and Bloods: Made in America is a 2008 documentary by Stacy Peralta that examines the rise of the Crips and Bloods, prominent gangs in America. The documentary focuses on the external factors that caused African-American youth to turn to gangs and questions the political and law enforcement response to the rise of gang culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Playboys (gang)</span> Mexican-American street gang

Playboys 13 Gang, also known by the acronym PBS13, is a predominantly Mexican-American street gang founded in the Los Angeles County, California and extends to areas in South Central Los Angeles and Orange County, California. The gang also goes by the Spanish term "Conejo" which means "rabbit" or Rabbit gang to identify itself. They align themselves with the prison gang known as La EME or the Mexican Mafia, Because of their affiliation with La EME, while in prison, they set aside their rivalry with other Southern California gang members known as Sureño.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Edwin Richards</span> American journalist

James Edwin Richards, also known as Jim Richards,, was an American citizen journalist, editor and publisher of Neighborhood News, a weekly e-mail newsletter, that reported on crime in Venice, California. Richards was murdered at his Oakwood neighborhood home, one convicted assailant was sentenced to 16 years in prison, and the anniversary of his death is honored by locals.

The Florencia 13, also known as South Side Florencia 13,Florence Gang, F13 is an American criminal street gang based in Los Angeles, California, composed mainly of Mexican-Americans. The gang is named after the Florence area of Los Angeles County, controlled by the Mexican Mafia. They are involved in drug smuggling, murder, assault and robbery.

Oakwood is a residential neighborhood that abuts the east side of Abbot Kinney Boulevard. It is within the larger neighborhood of Venice on the westside of Los Angeles, California. The area is noted as an "important example of African-American life in Southern California during the early 20th century". The neighborhood has alternately been referred to as "Ghost Town", "Dogtown" and the "Oakwood Pentagon". It contains one Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.

The Northside (N/S) Dodge City Crips / DStreet Crips Or Simply Doris Street Crips are an active and long standing African American street gang founded in North Las Vegas but expanded too Arizona during the 1990s. Their territory covers a large area from Western Ave. in the north to Lower Buckeye Road in the south, between Central Ave. in the west towards 125th Ave in the east; an area which falls under the jurisdiction of the Phoenix Southwest Division. The DSC's fall under the 3x card and are friendly towards most Trays (3x) gangs. The DSC's are an active street gang with a reputation for brutality, bolstering about 1000 members as of 2005. Members of the DSC’s are known to wear blue and Detroit Tigers & Texas Rangers apparel to represent their gang. They are organized into 6 loosely affiliated cliques that control their particular neighborhood area. Some of These cliques are 11th Street, Deuce Street Mob, TinyLocs, and TayTown & Elm Street too name a few. The gang as a whole is known to be extremely ruthless and will check any unknowns, even civilians, when in their set if caught wearing the wrong team hats, or laces. Even having the wrong demeanor will get you pressed.

References

  1. ↑ People v. Reyes FindLaw (January 23, 2008)
  2. ↑ People v. Cortez Leagle (October 23, 2013)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Venice's Oakwood District: 'Los Angeles at its Worst'". Los Angeles Sentinel. 27 January 1994. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  4. ↑ McKenna, David (9 August 1996). "American History X". Archived from the original on October 21, 2009. Retrieved 2008-02-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ↑ "PV Jobs". Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
  6. ↑ Romero, Dennis (6 November 2003). "Gangster's Paradise Lost". Los Angeles City Beat. Archived from the original on 2007-12-24. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  7. 1 2 3 Hartman, Pat. "Ghost town: A Venice, California Life" . Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  8. 1 2 3 "IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT DIVISION EIGHT B166394 Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. SA043631)" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  9. ↑ Cervantes, Paulino; Segura, Paola (21 November 2007). "Shooting on School Campus; No One Hurt during the Incident". Venice High School. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  10. ↑ "Venice Travel Podcast" . Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  11. ↑ Hernandez, Daniel (7 June 2006). "Can't we All Calm Down". Los Angeles Weekly. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  12. ↑ "STROLLING ABBOT KINNEY". Vanity Fair. 1 November 2004. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.