La Raza is a

street gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collective ...

founded in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

in 1973. Their colors are green, white, and red (same as the

Mexican flag The national flag of Mexico ( es, Bandera de México) is a vertical tricolor of green, white, and red with the national coat of arms charged in the center of the white stripe. While the meaning of the colors has changed over time, these thre ...

). Their symbols include the Mexican flag, cross, and a six-point star.

Relations with other gangs

Although La Raza Nation is affiliated with the

Folk Nation The Folks Nation is an alliance of street gangs originating in Chicago, established in 1978. The alliance has since spread throughout the United States, particularly the Midwest region of the United States. They are rivals of the People Nation. ...

, La Raza Nation has been to war with many Folk Nation gangs such as

Gangster Disciples The Gangster Disciples are an African American street and prison gang, which was formed in the South Side of Chicago in the late 1960s, by Larry Hoover, leader of the Supreme Gangsters, and David Barksdale, leader of the Black Disciples. The ...

, and other Folks. Their main rivals are local gangs such as the

Almighty Saints The Almighty Saints is a street gang founded in the early 1960s by Polish youth at Davis Square Park in the Back of the Yards neighborhood of Chicago, but later was largely made up of Hispanics due to the change in the community's ethnic makeup. ...

, Latin Kings, and Black P. Stones from the

Back of the Yards New City is one of Chicago's 77 official community areas, located on the southwest side of the city in the South Side district. It contains the neighborhoods of Canaryville and Back of the Yards. The area was home to the famous Union Stock Ya ...

area.

Activities

La Raza's activity has historically been centered in the Chicago area, but it has since expanded to other areas. A 1996 police report noted La Raza as the rival of the Gran Familia Mexicana, a federation of Mexican gangs in the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

area. Between 2001 and 2003, La Raza was involved in a gang war with Vatos Locos. In the end, 12 Vatos Locos members were charged in the conspiracy to kill 4 rival gang leaders, including one leader who was sentenced to 151 years for his part in the plan. In April 2005, 19 suspected members of La Raza were arrested in the

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...

area by federal and local law enforcement. Officials estimated the group's membership at around 100 and noted they'd been in the area since at least 1996. In July 2005, La Raza was listed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as one of the 54 violent street gangs targeted by ICE in a two-week nationwide enforcement action called Operation Community Shield. Local officers in

Gwinnett County, Georgia Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia (after Fulto ...

have noted the presence of La Raza members in their jurisdiction. ICE officials have arrested La Raza members in the Atlanta area. A 2005 report produced by the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

noted the presence of La Raza in the western United States, but not at a high level of activity. A total of approximately 17 percent of the law enforcement agencies surveyed nationwide reported a presence of La Raza in their jurisdictions. Just over 6 percent of those agencies reported La Raza activity as moderate to high levels. In 2004 authorities arrested 89 known high ranking members in Naples, FL including the highest ranking Leonel Lopez aka Pitufo on R.I.C.O statue for many crimes including attempted murder, racketeering ,and narcotics sales. In 2008, La Raza was documented in

Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Its population was 71,158 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Village of Waukesha. History The area tha ...

References

{{Organized crime groups in America Organizations established in 1973 1973 establishments in Illinois Latino street gangs Hispanic-American gangs Mexican-American culture in Chicago Folk Nation Gangs in Chicago Gangs in Florida Gangs in Georgia (U.S. state) Gangs in Wisconsin