LA Latino gang sought to ‘cleanse’ their turf of Blacks

One of the most vicious Latino gangs in Los Angeles has been accused of targeting victims for murder based on race. Their quest has been to “cleanse” their turf of snitches and rival gangsters.

If the intended victim could not be found, sometimes the gang’s leader said “well, shoot any black you see.” In the Florence-Firestone neighborhood, gang violence has been common for decades. But there were 20 murders among more than 80 shootings during the gang’s rampage. Evidence of the gang, Florencia 13, or F13, is seen in arrows spray-painted on the wall of a liquor store marking the gang's boundary, and graffiti warning rivals to steer clear.

Federal, state and local officials worked together to charge 102 men linked to the gang with racketeering, conspiracy to murder, weapons possession, drug dealing and other crimes. More than 80 of those indicted are now in custody. The gang’s reach extends to Nevada, Arizona and into prisons, where prosecutors say incarcerated gang leaders were able to order hits on black gangsters.

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.