Norteños (, ; ''Norteñas'' for females) are the various affiliated gangs that pay tribute to

Nuestra Familia Nuestra Familia ( Spanish for ''"our family"'') is a criminal organization of Mexican American (Chicano) prison gangs with origins in Northern California. While members of the Norteños gang are considered to be foot soldiers of Nuestra Familia, ...

while in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

state and federal correctional facilities. Norteños may refer to

Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...

as '. Their biggest rivals are the Sureños from

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. As of 2008, the statewide north–south dividing line between Norteños and Sureños was regarded as running through the southern end of the Central Valley. The gang's membership consists primarily of

Mexican Americans Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

History

In 1968,

Mexican American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexico, Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the Unite ...

inmates of the

state prison system separated into two rival groups, ''Norteños'' (northerners) and '' Sureños'' (southerners), according to the locations of their hometowns. Norteños, affiliated with Nuestra Familia, were prison enemies of the Southern Latinos, who are composed of members and affiliates of ''La eMè'', better known as the Mexican Mafia. While ''La eMè'' had initially been created to protect Mexicans in prison, there was a perceived level of abuse by members of ''La eMe'' towards the imprisoned Latinos from rural farming areas of Northern California. The spark that led to the ongoing war between Norteños and members of the Mexican Mafia involved a situation in which a ''La eMe'' member allegedly stole a pair of shoes from a Northerner. This event put into motion the longest-running gang war in the state of California and the founding of

Culture

Norteños use the number 14, which represents the fourteenth letter of the English alphabet, the letter N, in order to pay allegiance to Nuestra Familia. It is sometimes written in

Roman numeral Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, ea ...

s as ''XIV'', or a hybrid of Roman and Arabic numerals, ''X4''. Norteños use the color red to signify affiliation. Some Norteños will tattoo themselves with four dots. The Norteños commonly use a whistle chirp, which is derived from Mexican rancho calls. These are also used by other gangs such as Surenos,

Crips The Crips are a primarily African-American alliance of street gangs that are based in the coastal regions of Southern California. Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams, the Crips ...

, and other groups in intercity areas. They are most often used to warn others about police activity in the area, but for the Norteños, they are mostly used to show affiliation. A Norteño could shout "shaooo," which is a common way to show affiliation for Norteños. A Norteño derogatorily refers to a Sureño as a "scrap" (Hispanicized ''scrapa'') or "Sur rat" (south rat). Norteños also use images of the Mexican American

labor movement The labour movement is the collective organisation of working people to further their shared political and economic interests. It consists of the trade union or labour union movement, as well as political parties of labour. It can be considere ...

, such as the sombrero,

machete A machete (; ) is a broad blade used either as an agricultural implement similar to an axe, or in combat like a long-bladed knife. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the Spanish language, the word is possibly a dimin ...

, and the

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...

of the

United Farm Workers The United Farm Workers of America, or more commonly just United Farm Workers (UFW), is a labor union for farmworkers in the United States. It originated from the merger of two workers' rights organizations, the National Farm Workers Associatio ...

, which is a stylized black Aztec eagle ("Huelga bird").

Criminal activity

On January 9, 2005, in Ceres,

, in Stanislaus County, Officer Sam Ryno was the first to respond to a call about a man with a gun in front of George's Liquors. Andres Raya, a

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

on leave after serving in Iraq, was armed with an SKS rifle and opened fire on officers, hitting Officer Ryno and killing Sergeant Stevenson. Raya was shot dead some time later after he opened fire on

SWAT A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...

team members. Law enforcement officials claimed Raya had been involved in gangs for years prior to his signing up for military service. Modesto authorities discovered information during the investigation into the shooting that shows Raya was a Norteño gang member who was not involved in combat during his tour of duty in Iraq. A cooperative effort between local law enforcement, federal, and military agencies revealed a large amount of information about Raya in a short amount of time. In August 2013, a shooting done by a documented Norteño killed three people and wounded four others at Taco Choice, a Mexican restaurant and bar in

Salinas, California Salinas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Salt pan (geology), Salt Flats") is a city in the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Monterey County, California, Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is ...

. The gunman, 21-year-old Giovanni Pacheco, was sentenced to life without parole.

Operation Black Widow

Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate the group, began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s. In 2000 and 2001, 22 members were indicted on

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was e ...

(RICO) charges, including several who were allegedly serving as high-ranking gang leaders while confined in Pelican Bay State Prison in northern California. Thirteen of the defendants pleaded guilty; the other cases are still ongoing. Two of the defendants face the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

for ordering murders related to the drug trafficking. The largest of the federal investigations was Operation Black Widow. In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest-ranking leaders of the Norteños were transferred to a federal

supermax prison A super-maximum security (supermax) or administrative maximum (ADX) prison is a "control-unit" prison, or a unit within prisons, which represents the most secure level of custody in the prison systems of certain countries. The objective is to ...

in Florence, Colorado.

Goshen murders

On February 3, 2023, two alleged Norteño gang members, Noah David Beard and Angel "Nanu" Uriarte, were arrested for the January 16, 2023, murders of six people in Goshen, California. Among the six victims were a 16-year-old mother, Alissa Parraz, and her 10-month-old baby, Nycholas Parraz, both reportedly shot in the head. Surveillance video released by authorities showed the teenage mother running outside, placing the infant on the other side of a fence, then jumping over it herself. Authorities alleged that it was Beard who killed them. Both mother and son were found dead in the street, shot in the back of the head.

References

External links

"Nuestra Familia" (Our Family)
(2003) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nortenos Organizations established in 1968 1968 establishments in California Hispanic-American gangs Latino street gangs Gangs in California Gangs in San Francisco Salinas, California Mexican-American culture in California