La Mara Salvatrucha (MS

13)

Hugo Alfredo Barajas

11393409

Chicano/a Latino/a Studies 151

Thesis

• La Mara Salvatrucha was created in the United States due to poverty, discrimination, lack of education and low paying jobs; however, the spread of these gangs began because of immigration, consequently spreading gangs into Central America and evolving them from street gangs into high criminal international organization gangs.

Questions I had

• How does MS13 affect the Chicano Latino community?

• How was the gang created and what factors went in to the creation of the gang?

• How has it evolved and formed itself?

• What is the identity it has formed itself?

• What has it adopted from previous LA gangs?

• Why should we as a community be concerned about gangs?

• What should we do?

• Who is to blame the chicano Latino Cummunity or the U.S?

How does MS13 affect the Chicano Latino community?

• Young children and teens are being influenced by gangs and when they join MS13 they are making a lifetime long commitment that the only way out is death.• “Sangre Afuera, Sangre Adentro” (Ling) Only way in to get into MS13 is to spill

blood.

• Jester became a member by age of 8 (Ling)

• Criminals by the time they are adults

• High drop out rates, murders, violence, drugs, prison• Drugs; crystal, cocaine, crack cocaine, weed and pills (Ling)

• Kill trespassers that go onto their turf

• Impact on people within the community• Taxing people within the community (Ling)

• Makes it more difficult for our people to reach the American dream

How was the gang created and what factors went in to the creation of the gang?

• In the 1980’s El Salvador and Guatemala were facing a Civil War within the Guerrillas and the Government. Due to the fact that many people were dying many people migrated to the North. (Franco 6-7)

• 300,000 Salvadorians went to Los Angeles because of their lack of education and the work (Franco 7)

• Los Angeles were constantly being harassed by the Mexican street gangs in the area

• Salvadorians formed together their own clique (Mara Salvatrucha Stoners) (Ling)

• Recruited veterans from the Salvadorian Civil War. (Stiles 108).

• These veterans knew how to use combat action and they came from El Salvador where violence and death was a norm at the time.

• Alliances with the Mexican Mafia (Mara Salvatrucha MS13)

How has it evolved and formed itself?

• Drugs. • Drugs; crystal, cocaine, crack cocaine, weed and pills (Ling)

• Working with the cartels

Gangs help the cartels by murdering people and transporting drugs, as reward MS13 members may be paid by getting 10% of the shipments (Stiles 111)

• Violence

• . Today the Mara’s can be seen involved in drug extortion, transporting across borders, murders, kidnappings and prostitution (Stiles).

• International • 38 states in the United States and 24 in Mexico.

• Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala (stiles)

What is the identity it has formed itself?

• Ruthless violent people and known as the worlds .most dangerous gang

What has it adopted from previous LA gangs?

• Language• New generations use Calo, Street Spanish mixed with English

• Style: Innovation of the Pachuco style now has a more street styleToday’s gangs can be seen wearing clothing such as Dickies pants which are in a sence almost like dress pants. To me that is an innovation of original zoot suits

Who is to blame the Chicano Latino Community or the U.S?

• The United states is to blame for the problem our communities face today. If the U.S had not had a history of racism, discrimination and unequal rights gangs would have never been created. Gangs are only created to find a way out of the mess people live in.

• The U.S insured the growth of the gang’s by trying to get rid of their problem by deporting them back to their hometowns. This caused the spread of gangs.

• It is estimated that about half a million immigrants were deported between 1991-2006 and of those, 80% were from Latin America (Stiles 108)

• The impact it had was that in today’s society there are estimates of between 75-85,000 members in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador (Stiles 109).

• 60 % of the murders in Honduras are gang related since 2012 (Boraz and Bruneau 3).

Why should we as a community be concerned about gangs?What should we do?

• Our people are being terrorized and I feel like the only way to stop this is by giving Latino and Chicano families options.

• More jobs. With more jobs comes more opportunities

• More funding for education within communities where minorities attend school.

• More restorative programs to give young kids better education and trust for the criminal justice system.

• The focus of the criminal justice system should be to help not punish people.