Thread: Sheriff: L.A. gang killed to 'cleanse' turf of blacks

Sheriff: L.A. gang killed to 'cleanse' turf of blacks

Story Highlights
Florencia 13 gang, also known as F13, targeted blacks, officials say

Latino gangs' increasing numbers reflect population shift

Indictment: F13 leader Arturo Castellanos ordered 'cleansing' from prison

20 murders, 80 shootings linked to gang's rampage

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- In a murderous quest aimed at "cleansing" their turf of snitches and rival gangsters, members of one of Los Angeles County's most vicious Latino gangs sometimes killed people just because of their race, an investigation found.


Florence 13 gang members are questioned by Los Angeles Sheriff's detective Adam Torres.

1 of 3 There were even instances in which Florencia 13 leaders ordered killings of black gangsters and then, when the intended victim couldn't be located, said "Well, shoot any black you see," Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said.

"In certain cases some murders were just purely motivated on killing a black person," Baca said.

Authorities say there were 20 murders among more than 80 shootings documented during the gang's rampage in the hardscrabble Florence-Firestone neighborhood, exceptional even in an area where gang violence has been commonplace for decades. They don't specify the time frame or how many of the killings were racial.

Los Angeles has struggled with gang violence for years, especially during the wars in the late 1980s and early '90s between the Crips and the Bloods -- both black gangs. Latino gangs have gained influence since then as the Hispanic population surged.

Evidence of Florencia 13, or F13, is easy to find in Florence-Firestone. Arrows spray-painted on the wall of a liquor store mark the gang's boundary and graffiti warns rivals to steer clear.

The gang's name comes from the neighborhood that is its stronghold and the 13th letter of the alphabet -- M -- representing the gang's ties to the Mexican Mafia.

Federal, state and local officials worked together to charge 102 men linked to F13 with racketeering, conspiracy to murder, weapons possession, drug dealing and other crimes. In terms of people charged, it's the largest-ever federal case involving a Southern California gang, prosecutors say. More than 80 of those indicted are in custody.

But eliminating the gang won't be easy. It's survived for decades and is believed to have about 2,000 members. Its reach extends to Nevada, Arizona and into prisons, where prosecutors say incarcerated gang leaders were able to order hits on black gangsters.

According to the indictment, F13's leader, Arturo Castellanos, sent word in 2004 from California's fortress-like Pelican Bay State Prison that he wanted his street soldiers to begin "cleansing" Florence-Firestone of black gangsters, notably the East Coast Crips, and snitches.

His followers eagerly obeyed, according to federal prosecutors.

In one case, F13 members came across a black man at a bus stop, shouted "Cheese toast!" and fired. "Cheese toast" is a derogatory name for East Coast Crips, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin S. Rosenberg said.

The victim, apparently targeted only because of his skin color, survived being shot several times, Rosenberg said.

F13 isn't the only Latino gang linked to racial killings. Last year, four members of The Avenues, a gang from the Highland Park area east of downtown Los Angeles, were convicted of hate crimes for killing a black man in what prosecutors called a campaign to drive blacks from that neighborhood.

And last January, authorities announced a crackdown on the 204th Street gang following the killing of a 14-year-old black girl.

The violence goes both ways, said Adam Torres, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department gang detective whose beat includes Florence-Firestone.

During a recent patrol on the east side of the neighborhood, he pointed to a cinderblock wall peppered with bullet holes. Torres said the Crips still control that area and any Hispanic there is at risk of being shot.

Despite the wave of violence, George Tita, a criminologist with the University of California, Irvine, said racially motivated gang killings are an exception. Latinos and blacks are far more likely to be murdered by one of their own.

"You don't see these major black-brown wars, either within the context of gangs or outside the context of gangs," Tita said.

Residents of Florence-Firestone are loath to discuss gangs, fearful they might end up as targets, but there are signs of change. Murders in the neighborhood dropped from 43 in 2005 to 19 in 2006, Baca said. For 2007, there were 19 murders as of December 24.

Jose Garcia sees the difference. The security doors on the store where he works aren't covered with graffiti as often and he hasn't heard a gunshot in two months.


http://www.cnn.com/2007/CRIME/12/31/gan ... index.html

Just good-hearted folks looking for a better life for their children.

All gangs should be labeled terrorist and really honestly shot on site, dont bother giving them a trail they don't deserve it and why should the American people pay for them.

and so why aren't the Blacks supporting the whites in this invasion??????

Originally Posted by grandmasmad

and so why aren't the Blacks supporting the whites in this invasion??????

Blacks most definitely ARE opposed to this invasion, and ARE fighting. The MSM simply won't report it.

Originally Posted by grandmasmad

and so why aren't the Blacks supporting the whites in this invasion??????

Good question, i don't know that many that are fighting it or they don't think it is going to affect them i don't know but they are the target and they will get brushed as they aren't important. I think it is important if we don't have them or they aren't in the MSM standing up on this issue it is up to us to protect them just as well.

Why aren't they getting involved? I'm no expert, but most black folks I know are just out busy trying to make a living and get ahead, like the rest of us. Just hardworking citizens who are so busy working to pay their taxes support this crap that they don't have time to keep up with it ...

Like a lot of other Americans . . . black, white, and every other race included.

And I don't think many blacks are as racist against Hispanics as Hispanics are against blacks. Don't know the reason for it ... but it's just a hunch.

Keep in mind the good sheriff of LA is a full reconquista supporter

If you remember the little deal from not to long ago where the
lil darlins ran wild and the cops tried to control the situation and
ended up getting dinged for being "insensitive"

I believe he supports special order 40 and takes his marching
orders from tony villareconquista

Originally Posted by jjmm

Why aren't they getting involved? I'm no expert, but most black folks I know are just out busy trying to make a living and get ahead, like the rest of us. Just hardworking citizens who are so busy working to pay their taxes support this crap that they don't have time to keep up with it ...

Like a lot of other Americans . . . black, white, and every other race included.

And I don't think many blacks are as racist against Hispanics as Hispanics are against blacks. Don't know the reason for it ... but it's just a hunch.

Are you talking about the blacks who don't miss a chance to protest about white racism or the ones who join islam and went to 'Million Man March' ? Maybe the ones in Jena La ?

I hope our black fellow Americans wake up soon and realize that the race card hustlers are not on thier side and was invented by a group of white liberals to keep us divided so they could 'enslave both of us '. Sad part is it's working like a charm .

You can't tell anyone with common sense that our county law enforcement couldn't put a stop to gangs in one week . They don't want to stop them . They know who everyone of them are . Curfews work miracles when crime is rampant.

Yup, Chief William Bratton has conveniently dumped his "broken windows" theory and fully supports LA's grossly incompetent, extreme ethnocentric mayor Antonio Vaillaraigosa. Basically, they encourage lawbreaking and the flouting of our laws by coddling and rolling out the welcome mat for illegal aliens.