This is the project for my law class. We had to research a gang and I chose the MS-13. I don't want you guys to tear it apart. I'm in 9th grade so expect that work.
Ben *********
10/2/11
Per.4
Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13)
Imagine that you are only nine years old, you are barely even old enough to know what a gun is; you dont know what death looks like; you dont know the horrors of war, death or gangs. You may only be nine, but you are a murderer. You have shot and killed a rival gang member, because you are part of a gang. You are part of MS-13, the worlds most dangerous gang. This is the story of a man codenamed Jester. He was only nine when he was jumped in which is the initiation right of MS-13, after which he got his first order. To go and kill a rival gang member. He may have been only nine, but they gave him a pistol and told him to go and murder their enemies and he obeyed just like a dog obeys their master. He then killed two other rival gang members. In an interview he said I dont know how many shots I fired I.. uh. It all happened so fast, but I think I fired somewhere around 5-6 bullets. This is the story of Jester and only three weeks after that interview he was arrested along with a fellow gang member for shooting and killing two rival gang members.
The gang MS-13 has claimed the title of the worlds most dangerous gang. It deals in murders, drugs ranging from simple marijuana all the way to heroin, crack, coke, and meth, extortion, assassinations and numerous more illegal activities. The gang was born around the L.A and Hollywood area where a group of around only 10 boys was a constant target for other boys to pick fights on. They were in their own words stoners quoting that the worst thing that could happen to them back then was not getting the tickets to the Ozzy Osbourne concert. The moment of creation for MS-13 was when the group got beat up on a playground near L.A. The group soon grew from a few hundred to over tens of thousands. It has expanded into over 42 states and runs rampant all over Latin America with it being centrally located in El Salvador. There has even been graffiti spottings in Spain! Nobody has any exact numbers on the amount of members in MS-13, but its estimated to around 50,000-100,000 members worldwide with over 10,000 members in the United States. They are by far the most active and deadly gang out of all of the vast amounts of gangs out there.
Enemy: The mortal enemy of MS-13 is the 18th Street Boys. They have a rivalry that goes all the way back since MS-13 was still in its infancy.
Allies: The MS-13 doesnt have too many allies, but they do have a few however. They include the Mexican Mafia, Sinaloa Cartel, and the Gulf Cartel.
Signs/Tattoos/Colors/Designs: The hand sign of the Mara Salvatrucha is the typical metal culture hand sign the Devil Horns which is a commonly used hand sign among fans of heavy metal and the heavy metal culture. They have adopted this as their own unique hand sign by having an individual make the sign and then turning it upside down which forms an M. It is used as a way to intimidate the rival gangs and to show their dominance. Their initiation right, also known as jumping in, is you taking a beating by the rest of the gang members for thirteen seconds regardless if you want them to stop or not and also regardless of the injuries you receive. They dont have any official colors, but they constantly are spotted wearing blue and white. They have numerous tattoos which include whatever their area code is, the numbers 666, and MS all over their bodies.
Ethnicity: The majority of their gang is of Hispanic descent with some Caucasians.