THE BARRIOS AND GANGS OF CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN PARTICULAR HAVE EVOLVED THROUGH VARRIOUS STAGES OF ORGANIZATION, SIZE, AND POWER. ONE KEY THING TO THE BARRIO IS WHAT EXACTLY IT IS YOUR CLAIMING, WHO ARE YOUR ALLIES, AND WHO ARE YOUR ENEMIES, AND WHY. ORIGINALLY IT MAY HAVE BEEN A SIMPLE MATTER WICH COULD HAVE BEEN DECIDED AND JUDGED UPON BY ANY ONE MEMBER OF A CERTAIN BARRIO. EVENTUALLY THINGS GOT SO BIG, AND VERY COMPLICATED TO COMPREHEND. SINGLE ENTITIES FRAGMENTED AND BECAME EVER MORE COMPARTMENTALIZED. WHETHER A BARRIO OFFICIALLY HAS A COMITTEE OVER FOREIGN RELATIONS OR NOT, THE STREETS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ARE MORE DIVERSE THAN THE U.N..

WHEN MOST BARRIOS STARTED THEY WHERE LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS AND LIVED AND DEALT MAINLY WITH THERE OWN NEIGHBORHOOD AND MAYBE WITH NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS. THEY DID NOT ACCUSTOM TO GO OUTSIDE OF THESE BOUNDARIES, AND IN FACT IT WAS CONSIDERED STUPID TO CLAIM SOMETHING WHEN YOU DID NOT ACTUALLY LIVE IN THAT BARRIO. AS TIME WENT ON AND MORE AND MORE BARRIOS STARTED INTERMINGLING, AND STARTING NEW BEEFS IN OTHER MUCH FURTHER AREAS, THEY BEGAN TO FORM CERTAIN ALLIANCES WITH OTHER BARRIOS FOR EIHTER PROTECTION OR CONVENIENCE. AS THIS WAS HAPPENING, SOME BARRIOS WHERE GROWING AT A VERY RAPID RATE, AND BECAME HUGE EMPIRES, WITH DIFFERENT SIDES AND DIFFERENT CLIQUES. IRONICALLY, AS I AM POINTING OUT, BARRIOS FORMED ALLEGIANCES WITH OUTSIDE BARRIOS WHILE AT THE SAME TIME BREAKING UP WITHIN THEIR OWN RANKS.

THE EVOLUTIONARY TRAITS OF A BARRIO ARE MUCH THE SAME AS THE EVOLUTION OF A COUNTRY OR GROUP OF COUNTRIES. ONE MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BARRIO AND A COUNTRY, OR A FAMILY OR RACE FOR THAT MATTER, IS THAT TO BE FROM A BARRIO YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO BE INITIATED INTO IT, AND THIS CAN ONLY HAPPEN BY ACTUALLY PROVING YOURSELF FOR THE BARRIO AND WILLING TO DEDICATE YOUR LIFE TO IT. IN A COUNTRY OR A FAMILY, THE MEMBERS REALLY DO NOT HAVE ANY CHOICE WHERE THERE FROM, YOU ARE BORN INTO IT. A BARRIO IS AS MUCH A SOCIAL STRUCTURE AS A GEOGRAPHIC AREA, AND AS MUCH AS IT IS A FIGMENT OF ONES IMAGINATION. BARRIOS IN GENERAL ARE LATINO, MAINLY MEXICAN AND SALVADORAN ON THE WEST COAST, BUT CAN HAVE MEMBERS FROM ANY RACE AS LONG AS THIER DOWN, AND THERE IS EVIDENCE OF THIS IN MOST MAJOR LOS ANGELES BARRIOS.

AS I SAID FRAGMENTATION IS A COMMON TRAIT IN BARRIOS. THEY SPLIT INTO DIFFERENT SIDES, DIFFERENT CLIQUES, AND SOMETIMES CLIQUES WITHIN CLIQUES. AS I HAVE OBSERVED, THIS IS SOMETIMES DONE BY SMALL BARRIOS TO MAKE THEMSELVES LOOK BIGGER, BECUASE IT IS ASSUMED THAT IF A BARRIO HAS TWO SIDES AND THREE TO FOUR CLIQUES WITHIN EACH SIDE, IT IS BIGGER THAN A BARRIO THAT HAS NO SIDE, AND ONE CLIQUE, AND IN SOME CASES NO CLIQUE AT ALL. EVEN THOUGH HAVING ALL THIS CLIQUES DOESNT REALLY MAKE A BARRIO BIGGER, AS SOME BARRIOS WITH NO CLIQUE ACTUALLY HAVE MORE MEMBERS AND MORE TERRITORY THAN A BARRIO WITH 2 SIDES AND 6 CLIQUES.

BARRIOS FRAGMENT FOR DIFFERENT REASONS, AND THIS FRAGMENTATION HAS VARIOUS CONSEQUENCES. A BARRIO WHICH HAS TWO SOMEWHAT DIVIDED GROUPS WITHIN ITS MEMBERSHIP MAY CHOSE TO EITHER MAKE TWO SIDES OR TWO CLIQUES, DEPENDING ON HOW FAR AWAY GEOGRAPHICALLY THE TWO GROUPS ARE, OR WHAT MENTALITY THAT BARRIO HAS. OVER THE YEARS EVEN THESE TWO GROUPS MAY BECOME EVEN MORE DIVIDED WITH IN THEMSELVES OR MEMBERS OF DIFFERENT CLIQUES MORE CLOSE, TO THE POINT THAT A NEW CLIQUE OR SIDE IS ADDED. THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHIN A BARRIO THAT CONSTANTLY HAS THE SAME GEOGRAPHIC AREA. IT IS MORE LIKELY TO HAPPEN IN A BARRIO WITH EXPANDING, OR BELIEVE IT OR NOT, CONTRACTING AREA. HOWEVER, SOMETIMES A BARRIO EXPANDS TO A COMPLETELY NEW LOCATION MAYBE EVEN IN ANOTHER STATE AND IT CHOSES TO MAINTAIN THE NAME THAT IT HAD IN ITS ORIGINAL HOOD.

ANOTHER SIDE OF THIS FRAGMENTATION, ASIDE FROM BREAKING UP INTO CLIQUES AND SIDES, IS WHEN BARRIOS SPLIT OFF COMPLETELY. AND EVEN ANOTHER SIDE IS WHEN DIFFERENT BARRIOS IN THE SAME GEOGRAPHIC AREA, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE ENEMIES WITH EACHOTHER, DEVELOP CLIQUES WITH THE SAME NAME, AND IN SOME CASES THEY SHARE MORE THAN ONE CLIQUE WITH THE SAME NAME. ONE EXAMPLE OF THIS IS ON PICO STREET IN WEST LA, WHERE PLAYBOYS, DRIFTERS, 18ST, MIDCITY STONERS, AND WHO KNOWS HOW MANY OTHER BARRIOS ALL HAVE PICO LOCOS CLIQUE. I HAVE HEARD THAT THE 18ST PICO LOCOS CLIQUE WAS ORIGINALLY ITS OWN BARRIO BUT IT IS UNCLEAR TO ME IF THIS BARRIO SPLIT UP AND JOINED ALL THE HOODS I MENTIONED. OTHER COMMON FEATURES I HAVE NOTICED IS ADAMS STREET, BROADWAY, HOOVER, HAWTHORNE CRIMINALS, AND OTHERS. THEN THERE IS BARRIOS IN ONE GEOGRAPHIC REGION WICH SHARE CLIQUE NAMES THAT ARE NOT RELATED TO A GEOGRAPHIC REGION, LIKE BAGOS, BABY GANGSTERS, PLAYERS, TERMITES, TLS.

WHEN ONE BARRIO FRAGMENTS WITHIN ITSELF THE CONSEQUENCES VARY. SOMETIMES THE NEW CLIQUES ALL GET ALONG. SOMETIMES ALL THE SIDES GET ALONG. YET OTHER TIMES ALL THE CLIQUES IN ONE SIDE GET ALONG AND ALL THE CLIQUES AND THE OTHER SIDE GET ALONG, BUT THE TWO SIDES DONT GET ALONG WITH EACHOTHER. THE REASON FOR THIS SOMETIMES IS THAT TWO BARRIOS SEEM TO BE THE SAME BUT IN REALITY STARTED OUT SEPERATLY AND THEREFOR THEY DONT GET ALONG FOR THAT VERY REASON, FOR IT IS NOT CONSIDERED HONORABLE FOR TWO BARRIOS OR TWO PEOPLE EVEN TO CLAIM THE SAME NAME WHEN THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. SOME EXAMPLES OF THIS MAY BE THE ENTIRE BOLEN GROUP, SOME OR ALL THE PACOIMAS, THE POMONAS, THE PASADENAS, THE COMPTON VARRIOS, THE LYNWOOD VARRIOS, WILMAS, NORTHHOLLYWOOD, RESEDA, LONGO,THE MARAVILLAS, AND MANY MORE. OTHER TIMES STILL ONE BARRIO MAY HAVE TWO SIDES THAT DONT GET ALONG, AND WITHIN THOSE SIDES CLIQUES THAT DONT GET ALONG, AND IN EXTREME CASES FACTIONS WITHIN ONE CLIQUE THAT DONT GET ALONG. PROBLEMS LIKE THIS ARE NO DOUBT THE REASON WHY BARRIOS SPLIT UP INTO TWO ENEMY BARRIOS IN THE LONG RUN. ONE CASE OF THIS HAPPENING IS TOONERVILLE RIFA, WICH PRESENTLY HAS TWO ACTIVE SIDES, AND WITHIN ONE OF THE SIDES 5 OR 6 CLIQUES, AMONG WICH SOME DONT GET ALONG. ASIDE FROM THIS IN THE PAST OTHER BARRIOS,SUCH AS SS ELMWOOD ST, WS LOCOS, WS THEE RASCALS, BURBANK TRECE, HAVE ALREADY SPLIT OFF OF TOONERVILLE, AND IT IS NO DOUBT FOR THE SAME REASON. IN EXTREME CASES WICH ARE VERY RARE, AND QUITE REMARKABLE TO ME, A BARRIO MIGHT SPLIT OFF ANOTHER BARRIO AND STILL GET ALONG WITH THE PARENT BARRIO. OTHER EXTREME CASES INVOLVE TWO BARRIOS WICH ARE WORST ENEMIES BECOMING BEST FRIENDS AND EVEN CLIKING UP WITH EACHOTHER. ONE GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS IS BLYTHE ST AND VALERIO STREET, ALSO SS AND WS RESEDA, AND CRAZY RIDERS AND MARA SALVATRUCHA. I BELIEVE THAT ONE BARRIO WICH CAN BE AN EXAMPLE OF ALL OF THESE THINGS HAPPENING IS 18ST, DUE TO ITS LARGE SIZE. THERE HAS ALSO BEEN CASES IN WICH A BARRIO BECAME TOO FRAGMENTED AND IT WAS OBSERVED BY THE LEADING MEMBERS TO BE CUASING PROBLEMS, SO THEY WHERE FORCED TO ALL JOIN UP UNDER ONE COMMON CLIQUE. ONE BARRIO IN WICH THIS HAS HAPPENED HAS BEEN BLYTHE STREET, WICH HAD DUKES, LOCOS, CYCOS, AND OTHER CLIQUES, WICH WHERE ALL JOINED INTO THE DUKES, ALTHOUGH LATER THEY STARTED NEW CLIQUES WITH THE RASKALS CLIQUE, AND THE NIGHT OUTS CREW, WICH WAS JOINED TO THEM. ANOTHER BARRIO IN WICH THIS HAS HAPPENED HAS BEEN NORTHSIDE OR NORTHEASTLA TOONERVILLE, WICH HAD CHEVY CHASE LOCOS, CHEVYCHASE PEEWEES, TINEYLOCOS, WINOS, ATWATER LOCOS, AND OTHER CLIQUES WICH WHERE ALL JOINED INTO THE CHEVY CHASE LOCOS CLIQUE.

AS THE TITLE OF THIS PAGE IMPLIES, SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE CLAIMING ALLEGIANCE TO SOMETHING WHILE NOT EVEN REALIZING THAT THERE ENEMIES IN REALITY ARE CLAIMING ALLEGIANCE TO THE SAME THING, AND IN RARE CASES DO ENEMIES REALLY HAVE NO COMMON ALLEGIANCE.

BELOW I WILL SHOW THE INITIALS OF VARIOUS HOODS AND ANALIZE WHAT IN FACT THEY MEAN, AND HOW ALLEGIANCE CAN BE DETERMINED FROM IT. ALSO WHAT FRAGMENTATION HAS OCCURED.

SS=BVNSR=13=D-ST=CYS

SOUTH SIDE[SIDE WITHIN BARRIO]= BARRIO VAN NUYS RIFA [OFFICIAL NAME OF BARRIO]= SURENOS TRECE [GEOGRAPHIC ALLEGIANCE TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA]= DELANO STREET [DIVISION WITHIN SOUTH SIDE]= CYCLONES [CLIQUE WICH CAN BE CONSIDERED EITHER A DIVISION OF DELANO STREET OF A DIVISION OF THE SOUTH SIDE IN GENERAL]. BARRIO VAN NUYS IN PARTICUALR ALSO HAS NORTH SIDE WICH THEN HAS TRAVIESOS CLIQUE AND POSSIBLY OTHER CLIQUES, WITHIN THE SOUTH SIDE THERE ARE OTHER CLIQUES ON DELANO AND OTHER CLIQUES WICH ARE NOT ON DELANO.

FT-RS=13

FROGTOWN [NAME OF THE BARRIO]- RIVERSIDE [IS USED EITHER AS A SIDE OR AS AN ACTUAL STREET NAME WICH RUNS THROUGH THE ENTIRE FROGTOWN BARRIO, THEREFOR IT IS NOT A DIVISION WITHIN FROGTOWN]. AS FAR AS I KNOW FROGTOWN HAS NO ACTIVE CLIQUES, AND THERE IS ONLY ONE MAIN GROUP WITH NO DIVISIONS.

SS=GD=TVR=13=JKS

SOUTH SIDE [SIDE WITHIN BARRIO]= GLENDALE [CITY WITHIN SIDE]= TOONERVILLE RIFA [BARRIO NAME]=SURENOS= JOKERS CLIQUE [CLIQUE WITHIN SS=GD]. THIS BARRIO IN PARTICULAR HAS TWO ACTIVE SIDES, NORTHSIDE BEING THE OTHER ONE, WICH ONLY HAS ONE CITY AND ONE CLIQUE WICH IS CHEVY CHASE LOCOS IN ATWATER. THE SOUTH SIDE ITSELF IS DIVIDED INTO MORE THAN ONE CITY, GLENDALE, TUJUNGA, AND TO SOME DEGREE AZUSA AND SAN FERNANOD VALLEY. FROM THERE THE CITIES THEMSELVES ARE DIVIDED INTO CLIQUES, WITH GLENDALE HAVING THE JOKERS, VAGOS, NIGHT OWLS, LOMITA LOCOS, AND TUJUNGA HAVING THE DUKES, TOKERS, TINY LOCOS, WITH AZUSA HAVING ITS OWN CLIQUE THE YOUNGSTERS, AS WELL AS HAVING JOKERS AND DUKES IN IT. IN GENERAL THE CLIQUES WITHIN A CITY STAY IN THAT CITY UNLESS ITS AN EXPANSION CITY, WHERE THE CLIQUES WILL BE THE SAME ONES FROM A FORMER CITY. AND THE CITIES THEMSELVES STAY WITHIN THEIR SIDE DESIGNATION, MEANING THAT THE BOUNDARIES WITHIN THE SIDES ARE DEFINED AND MAINLY OBEYED. IF ANY DIVISION CAN BE DROPPED IT WOULD BE THE CITY DESIGNATION, AND IN RECENT YEARS THE SIDES HAVE BEEN ABOLISHED, BUT THIS JUST GAVE GREATER RISE TO CITY PATRIOTISM, WICH ARE CONVENIANTLY INSTEAD OF SOUTH SIDE, SOUTH GLENDALE, AND INSTEAD OF NORTHSIDE, NORTHEAST LA. AND THE PEOPLE FROM SGLENDALE DONT CLAIM ALLEGIANCE TO NELA, AND THE ONES FROM NELA DONT CLAIM ALLEGIANCE TO GLENDALE. IN THIS CASE THE AREA CODE DIFFERENCE IS ALSO USED AS A DIVIDER, WITH GLENDALE AND THE REST OF THE SOUTH SIDE IN THE 818 AREA, AND NORTHEAST LA BEING IN THE 213.

P-12=SKS=13

POMONA [BARRIO NAME]- 12TH STREET[GEOGRAPHIC NAME WICH THE WHOLE BARRIO CLAIMS ALLEGIANCE TO]= SHARKIES [CLIQUE INSIDE THE BARRIO, I AM UNAWARE OF ANY OTHER CLIQUES FROM P12, SO IN REALITY IT IS NOT A DIVISION]

WS=R=13

WEST SIDE [SIDE WITHIN BARRIO ALTHOUGH IT IS THE ONLY SIDE THE BARRIO HAS]= REBELS [BARRIO NAME]. THIS BARRIO IS ONE UNIT WICH APPEARS TO BE DIVIDED BUT IN REALITY IS NOT. THERE IS NO EAST SIDE OR ANYOTHER SIDE, AND WITHIN REBELS THERE MAY BE CLIQUES BUT THE BARRIO IS SO SMALL THAT ALL THE CLIQUES HANG WITH EACHOTHER ANYWAYS.

AS YOU CAN SEE MOST BARRIOS HAVE AN ORDER OF PRECENDENT TO WICH THEY WOULD CLAIM ALLEGIANCE IN CASE ALL HELL BROKE LOSE. MOST WILL SAY THAT THEIR MAIN ALLEGIANCE IS TO THERE BARRIO, THEN THE SUR, THEN THERE SIDE IF THEY HAVE ONE, THEN THERE PARTICULAR CLIQUE. IF THERE SIDE IS IN MORE THAN ONE CITY AND THERE CITY HAS MORE THAN ONE CLIQUES THAN THEIR CITY COMES BEFORE THERE CLIQUE. SOME PARTICULAR MEMBERS WILL CLAIM ALLEGIANCE TO THE SUR BEFORE ANYTHING. MOST BARRIOS WILL EITHER WRITE THERE SIDES OR CITY, THEN THE BARRIO, THEN THE TRECE, THEN THE CLIQUE, THEN THE ACTUAL MEMBER NAME. SOME ACCUSTOM TO PUT THERE BARRIO THEN THE CLIQUE THEN THE TRECE, BUT THEN IT CAN BE CONFUSED FOR THE CLIQUE BEING THE ACTUAL BARRIO. SINCE THE TRECE STANDS FOR SUR OR SOUTH SIDE, ANY BARRIO WICH CLAIMS TRECE CAN ALSO CLAIM SOUTH SIDE. USUALLY THE PHRASE USED IS SOUTH SIDERS THOUGH, AND WHEN THIS IS DONE THE BARRIO SIDE IS USAULLY LEFT OUT. IT IS EASY TO TELL IF THIS IS THE CASE BECAUSE WHEN THEY HIT UP A SOUTH SIDE THEN A TRECE, THEN THERE BARRIO AND CLIQUE, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THIS BARRIO IS NOT SOUTH SIDE LIKE SOUTH SIDE PLAYERZ IS, AND MAY INFACT ACTUALLY BE A NORTH SIDE BARRIO, LIKE NORTH SIDE BOLEN, NORTH SIDE REDONDO, OR NORTH SIDE EIGHTEEN STREET. SO IN THEORY NORTH SIDE REDONDO ARE SOUTH SIDERS TOO. IT BECOMES MORE CONFUSING WITH BARRIOS LIKE EIGHTEEN STREET WICH ACTUALLY DOES HAVE A SOUTH SIDE. THEN SOME BARRIOS CLAIM A SIDE THAT IS OUT OF PLACE, LIKE WSPRIMERA FLATS, WICH IS ACTUALLY IN EAST SIDE SOUTH CENTRAL, THEN WSTHEERASCALS, WICH IS ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE LA RIVER, AND THE SOUTH SIDE OF ATWATER. SOME BARRIOS HAVE CONVINIENTLY FIT IN THERE NAME, SIDE, AND GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION IN ONE, LIKE SOUTH SIDE PASA, WICH WAS ORIGINALLY FROM VARRIO PASA RIFA, AND IS IN SOUTH PASADENA CITY.