Norteños
Norteños
Founded1968 (1968)[1]
Founding locationSalinas, California[2]
Years active1968–present
TerritoryMostly in Northern California,

Arizona, New Mexico, Washington (state), Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Mexico,

Canada[3]
EthnicityMainly Mexican American, some other Latino ethnic groups, including African Americans, Chino Americans
Criminal activities
AlliesNuestra Familia, Bloods, Black Guerilla Family, Norte De Valley Cartel
RivalsFresno Bulldogs Sureños MS-13 Mexican Mafia
Notable membersRyan Mitchell Wood

Norteños (Spanish pronunciation: [noɾˈteɲos], lit. 'Northerners'; Norteñas for females) are the various, affiliated gangs that pay tribute to Nuestra Familia while in California state and federal correctional facilities.[6] Norteños may refer to Northern California as Norte Califas. Their biggest rivals are the Sureños from Southern California.[3] As of 2008, the statewide north–south dividing line between Norteños and Sureños was regarded as running through the southern end of the Central Valley.[3] The gang's membership consists primarily of Mexican Americans.

History

In 1968,[7] Mexican American inmates of the California state prison system separated into two rival groups, Norteños (northerners)[8] and Sureños (southerners), according to the locations of their hometowns. Norteños, affiliated with Nuestra Familia, were prison enemies of the Southern Latinos, who are composed of members and affiliates of La eMè, better known as the Mexican Mafia. While La eMè had initially been created to protect Mexicans in prison, there was a perceived level of abuse by members of La eMe towards the imprisoned Latinos from rural farming areas of Northern California.[9] The spark that led to the ongoing war between Norteños and members of the Mexican Mafia involved a situation in which a La eMe member allegedly stole a pair of shoes from a Northerner. This event put into motion the longest-running gang war in the state of California and the founding of Nuestra Familia.[9]

Culture

Norteños use the number 14 which represents the fourteenth letter of the English alphabet, the letter N, in order to pay allegiance to Nuestra Familia.[10][11] It is sometimes written in Roman numerals as XIV, or a hybrid of Roman and Arabic numerals, X4. Norteños use the color red to signify affiliation.[10] Some Norteños will tattoo themselves with four dots.[12] The Nortenos commonly use a whistle chirp which derived from Mexican rancho calls. A Norteno could also call other gang members by shouting "shaooo" which is a common shout for back up for the Nortenos. A Norteño derogatorily refers to a Sureño as a "scrap" (Hispanicized scrapa) or "Sur rat" (south rat). Norteños also use images of the Mexican American labor movement, such as the sombrero, machete, and the logo of the United Farm Workers which is a stylized black Aztec eagle ("Huelga bird").[12] At one time, the Norteños had a large presence in Antioch, California. In 1990s, rapper Ryan Mitchell Wood, a notable Norteño began rising to prominence for his rap music which included lyrics about gang violence and crime.

Criminal activity

Tagging (graffiti) to vandalize a rival gang's territory

On January 9, 2005, in Ceres, California in Stanislaus County, Officer Sam Ryno was the first to respond to a call about a man with a gun in front of George's Liquors. Andres Raya, a U.S. Marine on leave after serving in Iraq, was armed with an SKS rifle and opened fire on officers, hitting Officer Ryno and killing Sergeant Stevenson. Raya was shot dead some time later after he opened fire on SWAT team members.[13]

Law enforcement officials claimed Raya had been involved in gangs for years prior to him signing up for military service. Modesto authorities discovered information during the investigation into the shooting that shows Raya was a Norteño gang member who was not involved in combat during his tour of duty in Iraq. A cooperative effort between local law enforcement, federal and military agencies revealed a large amount of information about Raya in a short amount of time.[14]

In August 2013, a shooting done by a documented Norteño killed three people and wounded four others at Taco Choice, a Mexican restaurant and bar in Salinas, California. The gunman, a 21-year-old Giovanni Pacheco, was sentenced to life without parole.[15]

Operation Black Widow

Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate the group, began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s. In 2000 and 2001, 22 members were indicted on Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges, including several who were allegedly serving as high-ranking gang leaders while confined in Pelican Bay State Prison in northern California.[8] Thirteen of the defendants pleaded guilty; the other cases are still ongoing. Two of the defendants face the death penalty for ordering murders related to the drug trafficking. The largest of the federal investigations was Operation Black Widow.[8] In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest ranking leaders of the Norteños were transferred to a federal supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.

Goshen murders

On February 3, 2023, two alleged Norteño gang members, Noah David Beard and Angel "Nanu" Uriarte, were arrested for the January 16, 2023 murders of six people in Goshen, California. Among the six victims were a 16-year-old mother, Alissa Parraz, and her 10-month old baby, Nycholas Parraz, both reportedly shot in the head. Surveillance video released by authorities showed the teenage mother running outside, placing the infant on the other side of a fence, then jumping over it herself. Authorities alleged that it was Beard who killed them. Both mother and son were found dead in the street, shot in the back of the head.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Tracking Surenos - Article - Police Magazine". Policemag.com. February 1, 2000. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  2. ↑ Reynolds, Julia (2014). Blood in the Fields: Ten Years Inside California's Nuestra Familia Gang. Chicago Review Press. p. 9.
  3. 1 2 3 Reiterman, Tim (February 24, 2008). "Small towns, big gang issues". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Gang Injunction". Oaklandcityattorney.org. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "Gangs in the United States" (PDF). Narcotics Digest Weekly: 1–12. October 4, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2006.
  6. ↑ "Gang Summit: Tulare County Sheriff's Department Street Crimes Division & Visalia Police Department Special Enforcement Bureau" (PDF). Tulare County Sheriff's Department. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 2, 2013. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  7. ↑ Kinnear, Karen L. (2008). Gangs: A Reference Handbook (Contemporary World Issues). Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-59884-125-1.
  8. 1 2 3 "Federal indictments crack vast prison crime ring". The Press Democrat. Archived from the original on May 8, 2001. Retrieved February 21, 2001.
  9. 1 2 Hennessey, Virginia (November 23, 2003). "An End to the Cycle". The Monterey County Herald. Archived from the original on April 30, 2006. Retrieved June 13, 2009.
  10. 1 2 Bulwa, Demian (May 27, 2005). "Sureño gang's threat growing in Bay Area". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 13, 2009.
  11. ↑ Barkan, S. E., & Bryjak, G. J. (2011). Fundamentals of criminal justice: A sociological view (2nd ed., p. 115). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Barlett Learning.
  12. 1 2 Herendeen, Susan (September 20, 2007). "Gangs thriving in Modesto". The Modesto Bee. Archived from the original on June 7, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2009.
  13. ↑ Finz, Stacy; Stannard, Matthew B. "Police shoot Marine dead after local sergeant is slain / Liquor store's video surveillance camera recorded shootout". January 11, 2005. San Francisco Chronicle.
  14. ↑ New Information About Andres Raya and His Gang Affiliation Archived March 4, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, press release from City of Ceres (January 14, 2005)
  15. ↑ "Man accused of gunning down seven at Salinas restaurant may face death penalty". Monterey County Weekly.
  16. ↑ "2 men are arrested in a California shooting that killed 6 people including a baby". NPR.
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