Azusa 13 is a

street gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...

based in

Azusa Azusa may refer to: Relating to California From a Native American language, likely Tongva ''Asuksagna:'' *Azusa, California, a city in the United States *Azusa Pacific University, a Christian-based institution in Azusa, California *Azusa Street Rev ...

in the eastern

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley ( es, Valle de San Gabriel) is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, lying immediately to the east of the eastern city limits of the city of Los Angeles, and occupying the vast majority of the eastern part ...

area of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Started in the 1960s, it is now one of the most aggressive Sureño street gangs, currently claiming around 400 active members.

Territory

Azusa 13 claims all of Azusa; however, they are most active in southern Azusa, the Atlantis Gardens neighborhood off Alosta and Rockvale Avenues, and in areas surrounding the downtown area around Azusa Avenue and Foothill Boulevard.

Criminal activities

Like many other Mexican gangs, the 13 in the name stands for the letter "M", indicating its affiliation with the

Mexican Mafia The Mexican Mafia (Spanish: ''Mafia Mexicana''), also known as ''La eMe'' (Spanish for "the M"), is a Mexican American criminal organization in the United States. Despite its name, the Mexican Mafia did not originate in Mexico, and is entirely ...

. The gang is known to tax drug sales in the area and funnels money to the

Involvement in hate crimes

The gang has been involved in terrorizing African-American residents in Los Angeles. 51 members of the Azusa 13 street gang have been indicted and convicted since 2011 for "terrorizing" African Americans in Azusa. In 2013, Santiago "Chico" Rios, a leader of the gang, was sentenced to 19 years and six months in prison by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Feess, according to the Times, and his hearing impaired son, Louie "Lil Chico" Rios, was given a 10-year sentence. Both had pleaded guilty to conspiring to attack African Americans and chase them out of Azusa, a gang policy established in 1992, the paper said. The attacks by this gang have been described as a campaign of ethnic cleansing by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Much of the racially inspired murder and mayhem was and is being directed from far away from the streets and hills of Los Angeles. As the Intelligence Report detailed in the Winter 2006 issue the powerful

, a prison-based gang, had given the "green light" to the many Latino gangs it controls in Southern California to terrorize and murder black people as part of the effort to drive them out.

References

{{Organized crime groups in America Organizations established in the 1960s 1960s establishments in California Sureños Latino street gangs Gangs in Los Angeles Mexican-American culture in Los Angeles Azusa, California