Hidden Violence Essay

The word gang-everyone knows what it means or what it stands for. Of course by the time children get to the end of their elementary years they’ve heard of know gangs such as; the Cribs, Bloods, Latin Kings, Vatos Locos, but none of those names cause as much fear and terror as the gang called La Mara Salvatrucha aka MS-13. La Mara known for their psychotic methods of killing and running their turf, no other gang comes close to causing the same fear as La Mara Salvatrucha (ms-13gang.com). Forced to abandon their home land due to the civil war in El Salvador, the adventure to the U.S. was good at the start but soon the odds turned against them. Therefore for their protection they were forced to start was today is known as the most dangerous gang of the world La Mara Salvatrucha (National Geographic). A simple face-off between El Salvador’s government and guerrilla groups began the civil war of 1980 in El Salvador. The civil war killed 75,000 people and left 8,000 missing and another million or so homeless. The war was known for the government’s massacres and its Death Squad’s killing of civilians, nuns and priests (bookrag.com). This led many Salvadorians to search for a better life, many of whom came to America for their fresh beginning. A group of refugees in Pico Union, California had to get used to their new home, not knowing that by escaping the war in El Salvador they had just jumped right into a new one against the LA street gangs. Immigrate parents working endless sifts providing no parental supervision; young Salvadorian children were being raised by the streets of LA. After being beaten, stabbed, and harassed by the rest of the LA street gangs, a group of refugees decided to form a strong hold or as it is called in Salvador, a Mara. They said, â€Å"If these guys want violence we’ll show them violence† keep in mind that these refugees had a good knowledge of what violence was as well as having previous military training (ms-13gang.com). Then came the day when they said enough is enough it is time to take a stand, and the infamous MS-13 was formed. Born in LA in the 1980’s, expanding to parts of Canada, Spain, England, and Germany becoming bigger and dangerous day by day. La Mara can now be found in Washington D.C, Oregon, Alaska, Arkansas, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida just alone in the United States. In Central America they can be found in El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala and several other Latin countries. MS-13 is considered to be one of the most dangerous and organized in the world (altereddimensions.net).There are two ways to get into the gang. For males one is to get jumped in, which means the new recruit is surround by numerous members and beaten for at least 13 seconds. The other way is by killing either an enemy gang member or just a simple killing. For females there is a third option which is to get having sexual intercourse with several MS members or as they call it gang banged. MS-13 has many similar criminal characteristics as other gang such as: smuggling drugs, people, and weapons. The biggest difference with MS-13 is the willingness to use brutality in all their activities (keysaferschools.com). All of the MS-13 activities were kept low-profile very well. Unlike many gang which us guns, knives, and ropes to hang their victims, La Mara Salvatrucha uses machetes, which have become their weapon of choice (ms-13gang.com). From the start gang members only wore white, gray, and blue colors mostly colors token from El Salvador’s flag. Using a weapon such as the machete is pretty insane right? Well they went all out with this weapon not just slicing n dicing all their enemies but also just by smacking their brains out with the machetes. Let’s get to the gang signs they throw up when representing their hood. Using one hand where they stick out the pinky finger as well as the index finger letting the thumb cross over the other two fingers that are cured into the palm. Another gang sign is using both hands having both index fingers and thumbs out, extending the two fingers between the index and the pinky half way out still cured also on both hands which leaves the pinky h idden on the side last thing is to join the pinky knuckles together also having the ring fingers touch. This powerful symbolism a fearing sight to experiences, both representing devil horns are yet another hint why these guys are considered to be, if not the most, at least one of the top dangerous gangs in the world (mahalo.com). Representing their hood is so important to them that they use their own faces to rep their hood. MS members tattooing them-self all over the body especially on the face, with signs such as, MS-13, 666, and X III in big letters and fonts too. All their tattoos are gothic which simply means something very dark spirited, members will most commonly have 666 tatted on their body (ms-13gang.com). Stacking, some call it a type of dance to gangs it is just another type of language used to tell the other gangs they are MS-13 and that this is their turf. Not only do they claim their territory and rep their hood, but also around non-members, police, and enemy gangs stacking is used as their secret code language. The reason that some people think of stacking being a type of dance is because basically it uses the whole body moving in a redeem following behind hand motions. Starting out in California, soon after their members were being deported back to their home countries right after El Salvador’s civil war ended (altereddimensions.com). Police force in their native country not being suited to face off against MS-13’s level of brutality had no way to control or restrain them, and MS-13 began to grow extremely all over El Salvador. Not wanting to attract too much police attention they decide to move to their neighboring country, Honduras. Honduras a very significant act of the MS-13’s reign of terror along with a period filled with fear and anxiety for Hondurans. The Gang Slaughter of La Mara Salvatrucha on a bus with six children and twenty-two adults left a huge impact in the eyes of many. Suspected gang members armed with assault rifles cruelly sprayed a bus full with h oliday shoppers in the city of San Pedro Sula in Honduras. One of the suspected gang members was arrested in the same area just hours after the horrific action found with two assault rifles, two pistols, and ammunition in his vehicle. Another two where found just 10 miles away from San Pedro Sula two days after (altereddimensions.net). Only these three arrested suspects were linked to MS-13. As for the rest of the sad people who joined in this satanic act are believed that they were going through inanition for La Mara Salvatrucha. Yet again MS-13 attracting much attention from the Honduran authorities, they decided to move again but this time they don’t move together they spread like crazy (ms-13gang.com). Then the world wide spread started from this point on, migrating back to the United States to rejoin their soldiers left behind, and spreading over Central America as well as in parts of Europe and Asia. Up until 2002 no police department had any solid information on La Mara Salvatrucha. That’s until a brave young lady Brenda Paz spoke out against the infamous MS-13 on a search for a new start (mahalo.com). At only 16 years of age Brenda wanted to take a stand and try to stop what today is classified as an organized crime. At the time Brenda had just got paginate by the leader in her area which he knew nothing about. For almost six months she was under protection provided by the government but due to her pregnancy she left the area to get some air and have open space. Just soon after in 2003 she was found dead in Virginia-she was six months pregnant. Her body was found under a bridge in Shenandoah County. Stabbed 13 times all over the body this is just another act of La Mara Salvatrucha to show they are for real (altereddimensions.net). Several MS-13 members have been accused of the killing, Brenda who was helping authorities from at least six states investigate the gang was a great lost for the police force as well. In most case MS-13 members feel great pride when carrying out violent actions because to them it’s the crazier, most violent, and originally that gets them more resp ect with the gang, ranking up in other words. Imagine a little snow ball, what happens to the tiny thing when rolled around a few times? It grows tremendously right, yeah exactly correct. The more and more you roll it the bigger it gets. That’s how La Mara Salvatrucha started out as a simple little snow ball and look at it now, seems to me that it hasn’t stopped rolling yet and never will. Their first enemy 18 street a Mexican gang in Cali, the LAPD, the FBI and many more couldn’t stop them, what makes you think anyone can! People just stay clear of the streets avoid crossing with gangs and If you hear of MS-13 near you just stay inside. MS-13 has no respect to anyone other than their own and will let their full fury out on anyone who crosses in their way. N.p.: n.p., 1999. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. . N.p.: SparTech Software, 1998-2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. . Logan, Samuel. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. . N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. . N.p.:  © National Geographic Channel, 2009. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. .