- White Fence
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White Fence 
Varrio White Fence X3 graffitiIn Los Angeles, United States Years active 1929–present Territory East Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Las Vegas, El Paso, Florida. Ethnicity Latino (mainly Chicano) Membership 700 Criminal activities Murder, drug trafficking, extortion, assault, auto theft, robbery Allies El Monte Flores, Sureños, Mexican Mafia. Rivals Maravilla, Armenian Power, 18th Street gang, other Sureno sets, Crips, Bloods. White Fence, also known by the acronym WF, is the oldest East Los Angeles gang. They also sometimes use the name Cerco Blanco which is Spanish for White Fence. In East L.A. they were also known as "Pachucos".
Contents
History
The origin of the gang White Fence goes back to the 1920s when it started as a church sports team. It soon developed into a notorious street gang in Los Angeles. At first it was called "La Purissima Crowd", but gradually changed it's name to "White Fence". The gang is almost entirely composed of Mexican Americans. At a time where racism plagued the area, the name "Fence" could serve as a symbolic (or real) barrier between the white residents in the area and the Latino residents of the neighborhood.
The original barrio of White Fence was Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. Eventually the gang expanded to West Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley and other areas across the country. The rivalry between the gang and another Hispanic gang, Maravilla, is arguably one of the longest ongoing feuds in all L.A. gangs.[1]
Criminal Activities
By 1939, The Los Angeles Times was writing articles about the "White Fence Gang" while reporting on the murder of 2 males whose bodies were left along Whittier Blvd. These would only be the first of many gang crimes committed by White Fence. In East L.A. White Fence were also called "Pachucos".
In August 1942, the murder of Jose Diaz in a case known as Sleepy Lagoon murder in southeast Los Angeles, California, riots sprung around the city. The riots also became the precursor to the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 with the White Fence becoming one of many hispanic gangs in Los Angeles area to participate. The riots started when Mexican-American "Pachucos" were beaten up by American sailors and Marines during the height of World War II. The excuse the servicemen used for starting the attacks against the Latin "zoot suiters" was that the Mexican Americans were "unpatriotic" and the Americans needed to confront them in "self-defense".
Clothing & culture
White Fence members use the numbers 236, the 23 for the letter W and the 6 for the letter F respectively. They are also known for wearing Los Angeles Dodgers, Wake Forest, Oakland Raiders gear. Brown and white colors are favored by members, as well as the color blue. The symbols, XIII, X3, 13, and 3-dots are to pay homage to their Sureño allegiance.
Membership
According to a special CNN documentary entitled Homicide in Hollenbeck about gangs in the area, White Fence has well over 100 members and associates in North America and Parts of Central America.[2][3]
References
Categories:- Hispanic gangs
- Latino street gangs
- Gangs in Los Angeles, California
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