Sureños
Sureños ([suˈɾe.ɲos]; Spanish for Southerners), also known as Southern United Raza, Sur 13 or Sureños X3, are groups of loosely affiliated gangs[38] that pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia while in U.S. state and federal correctional facilities. Many Sureño gangs have rivalries with one another, and the only time this rivalry is set aside is when they enter the prison system.[6][31][39] Thus, fighting is common among different Sureño gangs even though they share the same common identity. Sureños have emerged as a national gang in the United States.[7]
Founded
1967[1]
Southern California, United States[2]
1967–present[3]
35 U.S. states[4]
- 18th Street gang[8]
- Armenian Power[9][10][11]
- Aryan Brotherhood[12][13][14]
- Avenues[15]
- El Monte Flores[16]
- Familia 27[17]
- Florencia 13[18]
- Gulf Cartel[19]
- Mexican Mafia[20]
- Mongols[21]
- Ontario Varrio Sur[22]
- Playboys[23]
- Puente 13[24]
- Santa Monica 13[25]
- Toonerville Rifa 13[26]
- Vineland Boys[27]
- White Fence[28]
History
Mexican American street gangs originated in Los Angeles in the early 1900s as a result of various factors, including economic conditions and racial prejudice. In 1957, the Mexican Mafia (or La Eme), California's first prison gang, was established by Luis "Huerro Buff" Flores and other East Los Angeles gang members, at the Deuel Vocational Institution. The Mexican Mafia was formed, in part, for protection from other groups in the prison population, and recruited its members from Mexican American street gangs. A rivalry subsequently developed between Mexican American inmates from Southern California and those from Northern California. The Southern gang members viewed Mexican Americans from rural, agricultural areas in Northern California with contempt and considered them to be unsophisticated and weak, while the Northerners considered those from Southern California to be overly Americanized.[2] By 1967, La Eme was attempting to unify all Mexican American gangs in California, and a concerted effort was made to end rivalries between various groups and amalgamate them into the state's largest prison gang. The rivalry between the Northerners and Southerners was solidified, however, by an incident in which a Mexican Mafia member in San Quentin State Prison stabbed his cellmate, a Mexican American from Northern California, to death in a dispute over a pair of shoes. The Northerners then formed the Nuestra Familia (NF) prison gang for protection from the Mexican Mafia, the Southern gang.[1]
In order to distinguish themselves from the agricultural workers from Northern California, Mexican Mafia members began to refer to the gang members who worked for them as Sureños, a Spanish term meaning "Southerners". Inmates from Northern California who were affiliated with the Nuestra Familia became known as Norteños, or "Northerners".[2] Even though Sureños were established in 1968, the term was not used until the 1970s as a result of the continued conflict between the Mexican Mafia and the Nuestra Familia in California's prison system.[6] When a Sureño is asked what being a Sureño means, members answer: "A Sureño is a foot soldier for the Mexican Mafia."[40] As a result of these prison wars, all Hispanic California street gangs align themselves with the Sureño or Norteño movements—with very few exceptions, such as the Fresno Bulldogs, and the Maravilla gangs of East Los Angeles.[3] Due to its membership size, the Fresno Bulldogs is the only Hispanic gang in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that is able to remain independent.[2]
Description
Territory
The Sureños main stronghold is in southern California. They have a heavy presence in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and Utah. They have a smaller presence in Illinois, Oklahoma, Georgia, Oregon and Washington. They have spread as far east as New York.[41] Sureños have been documented in the U.S. military, found in both U.S. and overseas bases.[42] They also can be found in some parts of Mexico. Sureños also maintain relationships with various drug trafficking organizations based in Mexico.[6][7][31] They have been confirmed in 35 different states in the U.S.[4] They are with the Gulf Cartel.[19]
The statewide north–south dividing line between Norteños and Sureños has roughly been accepted as the cities of Bakersfield and Delano.[43] Sureños' strongholds in Upstate California are usually in Santa Rosa and Modesto due to a high Mexican immigrant population in those cities. Sureños in Los Angeles refer to their members in Central California as "Central Sureños" and Sureños refer to their members in northern California as "Upstate Sureños".
Etymology and characteristics
While sur is the Spanish word for south, among Sureños "SUR" also stands for Southern United Raza.[44] Sureños use the number 13—which represents the thirteenth letter of the alphabet, the letter M—in order to mark their allegiance to the Mexican Mafia.[4][6][45] Common Sureño gang markings and tattoos include, but are not limited to: Sur, XIII, X3, 13, Sur13, uno tres, trece and 3-dots.[45] Although there are many tattoos used by Sureños, there is only one tattoo that proves or validates membership. The X3 tag can also be commonly spotted in graffiti. The word Sureño or Sureña must be earned.[6] Most Sureños are of Mexican descent, but some Sureño gangs allow members from various other ethnic backgrounds to join their ranks, making Sureños multiethnic.[6] They also favor blue or grey sport clothing, such as Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Rams and sometimes Los Angeles Lakers. Upstate Sureños, however, wear Dallas Cowboys, San Jose Sharks and Oakland Raiders clothing.