White Fence (also known by the acronym WF) is a predominantly Mexican American street gang in the

Boyle Heights Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include: Disambiguation *Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...

neighborhood of East Los Angeles.

History

White Fence is one of the oldest gangs in Los Angeles. The gang itself claims its history goes back as far as 1900, although the gang did not emerge until the 1910s in the form of the all-male sports team associated with the La Purissima Church. The group was originally referred to as La Purissima Crowd, but gradually changed its name to White Fence, after the white picket fence that surrounded La Purissima Church. The gang's name has also been interpreted as a " symbolic barrier" between the white residents in the area and the

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

residents of the neighborhood, at a time when racism plagued the area. During the 1950s and 1960s, White Fence was considered one of the "most violent and powerful gangs in East Los Angeles." The rivalry between the gang and another Hispanic gang, El Hoyo Maravilla, is one of the longest, ongoing feuds in all of Los Angeles, a rivalry going back to the 1930s. White Fence was the first gang in East Los Angeles to use firearms, chains and other dangerous weapons. White Fence is an old established gang territory in

adjoined to East Los Angeles.

References

{{Organized crime groups in America Organizations established in the 1910s 1910s establishments in California Sureños Latino street gangs Gangs in Los Angeles Mexican-American culture in Los Angeles Boyle Heights, Los Angeles