The Gangs of Los Angeles by William Dunn

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Synopsis

A Message from the Author
This book is a culmination of 18 harsh years of LA policing and a rather enlightening three years crawling through library stacks and talking on the phone with former gang officers. You need to read this book if you are living in a town where you have an 'LA Style' gang problem with groups like 18th Street, Brown Pride, Florencia 13, Surrenos, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Hoovers, Crips, Bloods, MOB Piru, Mexican Mafia, etc. I cover them all, their origins and how they work. I relay allot of personal insight and information you won't find in the newspapers or 'intelligence' briefings. I discuss efforts that were successful and unsuccessful in dealing with highly organized street gangs. I dispel urban myths about the gangs the most important being that any gang problem can be minimized if not eradicated given the proper strategies and social environment. And I do so in a manner that is enjoyable to read and easy to understand. I also explain the history of LA gangs. I take you through the origins of White Fence, the rise of Maravilla gangs, the Happy Valley Gang Wars, Sleepy Lagoon, the Zoot Suit Riots, the rise of the Mexican Mafia, Brown Power, the first Crips, the responding Bloods, the Hoover break off, the origins of La Mara Salvatrucha and much, much more. I take you from the genesis of the Los Angeles street gang and their 'Tomato Gang' beginnings in the 1890's to the present day. I introduce you to characters like Mickey Cohen (Boyle Heights gang), yellow journalist William Randolph Hearst, Anti-gang squad officers, Ray Washington & Tookie Williams (Crips), and a slew of Hells Angels. I am a former CRASH officer and Detective Sergeant with the LAPD, and a recognized gang expert who lectures nationwide on the subject. My first book was 'BOOT: An L.A.P.D. Officers Rookie Year.'