Clanton 14

Clanton 14st

Founded	1921
In	Los Angeles, CA
Territory	California, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Georgia
Ethnicity	Chicanos

Clanton 14 St., also known as C14th St, is a Chicano street gang in Los Angeles and is also the oldest Chicano gang and one of the oldest gangs in Los Angeles.

History

The gang was named for Clanton Street which the City of Los Angeles renamed 14th Place during World War II so war-related industries had easy addressing. The gang was involved in fights against other gangs and in 1942, member Frank Torres was shot by a member of the First Street Gang at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during a city high school track meet. It sparked city officials to realize there had been a Pachuco gang problem in the city and the Sleepy Lagoon incident with the 38th Street gang had national news media coverage on the Los Angeles gang problem leading to the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots. Two decades later in the 1960s Clanton 14th Street was purely a Mexican/American gang or Chicano and other Americans of Hispanic ethnicity were the only people allowed to join. However, the flood of immigrants from Mexico starting after World War II led to the formation of a rival gang known as the 18th Street gang. It was around 1968 the 18th Street gang was formed by an American Samoan who grew up in the Pico Union area of Los Angeles named Rocky Glover known for actively recruiting children, foreigners and others not allowed in Clanton 14. The 18th Street gang was the first Hispanic gang to recruit African-Americans as well, thus the rivalry between the two was and is roughly equivalent to a turf war between an indigenous gang of Los Angeles and a foreign gang from Mexico. The LAPD used to nickname the 18th Street gang the "Clanton Throw-aways". Today the 18th Street gang is more a Salvadorian gang than chicano, Mexican or any other Hispanic descent. The Clanton 14 gang is like numerous other urban American city gangs, they branch out. Here is a list of city and states the Clanton 14 Street gang has branched out to:

• Los Angeles: Has four hoods. The first and the second in Los Angeles, the third in Hollywood and the fourth in North Hollywood, California. There is also the original mother branch in the East Side of downtown Los Angeles and has a South Side in the Watts/Willowbrook area.
• Madison, Wisconsin: Has a West Side and a South Side. The rumour is that the East Side is on the rise.
• San Jose, California: Has a West and East Side.
• Waukegan, Illinois: Has a West Side, (Chicago Area).
• Rockford, Illinois: Has an East Side Jokers clique.
• Atlanta, Georgia: Is a spin-off of L.A. and Milwaukee and the first chapter to have formed in a Southern State.
• Mexico, The Monterrey, Mexico area; Mexico City D.F.; and the city of Chihuahua (Clanton 59th St. clique), Chihuahua, Mexico.

Clanton was one of the first gangs to create a significant presence on the Internet, with a "professional quality" website featuring photos, a detailed history, and message boards on which older and younger members keep in contact and post pictures of art work and become pen-pals with older gang members who are serving time in the California penal system. Newsweek magazine had an article of the Clanton gang website in a March 2006 issue. It talked about how gangs use the internet to post their logos and crimes and how law enforcement monitors it behind the desk rather than policing in patrol cars.

Clanton also has been on friendly terms with both the Bloods and Crips as well as Wah Ching. Bloods and Wah Ching for equal hatred towards certain Sureños gangs as well equal hatred towards MS-13 and 18st.

Clanton expanded into Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1994. An agreement was made with the Latin Kings as far as turf in 1995 in the heart of their hood by the senior members. Most of that time both gangs have gotten along, although Clanton has always remained loyal to a united Mexican/American group which started in the California penal system. That group is the Sureños 13 which has its own agenda. Most Hispanic gangs in the Southern California area are in this united system of Chicanos. Sureños are the unity of most Southern California gangs.

Clanton became organized and eliminated would-be threats to its operations. The 3rd Street gang in Milwaukee was eliminated and other cliques were absorbed into Clanton. Milwaukee Clanton represents the "Dukes" which was originally a clique back in Los Angeles, with connections to Waukegan, Illinois and Atlanta, Georgia.

Clanton in Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Waukegan, Chicago and Atlanta have always had high standards in regards to membership into its family. In fact these high standards are what led to the formation of the immigrant 18th Street gang. Clanton gang members are self called "Clantoneros" and in Milwaukee are required to be branded but only after they have proven themselves and earned the brand. The brand in the Midwest changes to avoid incrimination by law enforcement, yet it serves as a graduation record for its members.

Notes

During the 1960s, Clanton 14 was made up of mostly Mexican-American members, but there were many members from other ethnic groups as Caucasians, Japanese & Korean-Americans, etc. "Huero" and "Jett" were both Caucsian, "Buddha" and "Johnny" were Asian-Americans. What few know, was that many members of C-14, were active participants in Robert F. Kenndy's 1968 Presidential campaign and John Tunney's 1970 Senatorial campaign, and many worked with Cesar Chavez & Joe Cerda rearding the Grape Boycott. Others participated in the 1968 "High School Blowouts" were Students walked out of class due to poor education teaching.

Bibliography

• Baker, Bob (1988). "Deeply Rooted in L.A. Chicano Gangs: A History of Violence." Los Angeles Times December 11.
• Briscoe, Daren (2006). "Netbangers, Beware." MSNBC.com. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
• (1942). "Police Seize 300 in Boys' Gang Drive; Many Weapons Taken in Roundup Conducted by Hundreds of Officers." Los Angeles Times. August 10.
• (1942). "Gang Shooting Told in Court." Los Angeles Times August 12.
• (1953). "Suspects Held in New Gang Killing." Los Angeles Times. December 15.
• Will, Bob (1953). "Youthful Gangs Active in All Parts of the City for Many Years." Los Angeles Times. December 16.
• Mr. X