The Barrios Origins
The origins of the 18th street gang can be traced back to Los Santos, San Andreas, during the early 1960s in the Downtown district. The gang was originally made up of immigrants from different Latino countries, which was unusual for that time period. Bigger neighborhoods during that time would usually discriminate against other ethnic groups, choosing only to recruit and admit Mexicans into their ranks. As the small gang of 18th streeters slowly grew they gained the attention of a much bigger gang, Clanton 14. Members of the 18th street gang were actually interested in joining Clanton and making their own clique. However before they were allowed to join the Clanton gang made a demand, the 18th street gang had to get rid of all their non-Mexican members. This decree did not sit well with 18th street membership. The smaller gang rebelled against C14s demands and went to war against them. Establishing themselves as their own neighborhood
The Rise of 18th Street
Eighteenth Street has become one of the most significant gangs within Los Santos and has spread to numerous locations. Such growth in membership and geographical coverage can be attributed to 18th Street’s open ethnic enrollment of members outside the Latino community, this broadened the appeal for youth to join the gang. The spread of 18th street across Los Santos can be linked to US immigration policies in the 1980s. The mass immigration of people fleeing from civil war in South American led to the gangs recruitment pool increasing in size. These immigrants flocked to the 18th street gang due to the lax recruitment guidelines it had compared to other Hispanic gangs that did not want them,. The gang was one of the few that allowed members of all races and ethnic backgrounds to join. The recruitment of these war refuges led to a sudden increase in the violence committed by the gang. The wave of new recruits were more prone to violence due to the militarized lifestyles they lived in their home countries. These newly gained violent tendencies led to the 18th street gang being able to absorb many smaller gangs and take control of their turf. However, this new found approach to gang banging led to the gang gaining a long list of enemies.
Barrio Eighteenth Street vs Mara Salvatrucha
One of 18th streets life long enemies is the equally large and infamous Mara Salvatrucha 13. The feud between these two gangs has claimed the lives of hundreds of members from both sides, as well as the lives of many innocent civilians. There are many different stories as to why the war between the two gangs started, many of them becoming somewhat folktales. One story that seems to be the most likely is that one night during a party, members of both gangs got into a dispute over a girl who was seen dancing with a MS13 member after recently breaking up with a reputable 18th street member. The two groups were fighting when shots were fired and a 18th street member was left dead. The two gangs have been involved in a bloody war ever since. The feud has went beyond Los Santos borders as both gangs expanded outside of America, the fighting has now reached new levels in South America.
Barrio Eighteenth Street vs The Bloods
Up until the early 90s the eighteenth street gang had actually maintained peaceful relations with most black gangs. This allowed them to expand their turf within black neighborhoods. In 1993 the 18th street gang attempted to move into the "Jungles", a black community residing in a maze of apartment buildings in the Chamberlain Hills neighborhood. This led to a dispute between them and the "Black P. Stone" gang over clientele and drug turf in the jungles. The dispute escalated to the point where members of BPS decided to shoot and kill a leader of the Rancho Park clique over the dispute. This led to a series of brazen retaliation shootings by the 18th street gang, members of the gang were shooting at anything black in the Jungles. Due to the jungles being considered a safe haven for bloods, many other blood gangs were dragged into the war on account of their members getting shot by 18th street after being mistake as BPS members. 18th streets main blood adversaries ended up being the Black P Stones, The Rolling Twenty Bloods, and the Westside Brims.
18th Street Tiny Devils
The Tiny Devils 18 (TDSXV3) are a clique operating out of the Rancho Park area of South Los Santos, representing a local set under the broader 18th Street identity. Rooted in the culture and symbolism associated with the larger 18th Street movement, Tiny Devils built their name through territorial presence, tight-knit membership, and neighborhood loyalty. In 2015, a new generation emerged from within their ranks known as the Night Stalkers (NTS) a younger clique that carried the legacy forward while establishing its own identity on the streets. The Night Stalkers quickly gained recognition for their active presence and unity, and they remain active today, representing the evolving future of Tiny Devils 18 while holding firm to their roots in Rancho Park.
