Voice of the Ghetto

The Ghetto Boyz Gang (GBZ), aka Ghetto Boyz is an almost exclusively Mexican-American criminal street gang in South Central’s East Side. Established during the early 1980s, making the gang relatively new in comparison to many Mexican counterparts, GBZ quickly expanded to control territory around the liquor store on Forum Drive. The corner there is considered the “heart” of their barrio. The Ghetto Boyz maintain a fierce rivalry with Primera Flats 23 stemming from both gang’s claim over Trinity Park recreation centre located, nearest to 25th St. Both gangs however claim 25th St as being part of their territory, causing a bloody long rivalry. In 2002, an eight-year-old boy’s life was claimed by the rivalry, when a stray bullet fired during a gang-related shooting struck him in the chest and killed him. To avoid the ire of the Mexican Mafia, the gang renounced the park as its turf. This era of GBZ history is encapsulated by Lil Silent’s late 90s and early 00s gang tapes. During the early 2010s, a clique of GBZ declared tax free. A smaller group of loyalists eventually overcame the tax free dominant clique following a struggle. The greenlight period cost the varrio ten lives. Nowadays, Ghetto Boyz is considered a “loyal Sureño set”. ‍ As of 2021, GBZ is a small, but active gang holding down a small territory of a couple streets. With older members getting out of prison from around 2015 onwards, the gang is seeing new activity with younger members being recruited and trying to earn their bones. Graffiti is still a defining feature of GBZ’s culture, with many members joining from tagging crews.