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Lowenstein Grandes Salvatruchas (MS LGS) is a predominantly Central American street gang in the Rancho neighborhood of South Los Santos. It is among the newest Mara Salvatrucha cliques in Los Santos. It was formed in 1999 by cousins Alejandro and Manuel Dueñas, ostensibly to act as a protection force for Salvadorans against other racial minorities. The Dueñas cousins were economic migrants from El Salvador who arrived in the United States in 1995. Upon failing to find lucrative employment, they turned to violent crime. Eventually, they formed a gang that comprised of other Salvadoran migrants. HISTORY The Lowenstein Grandes Salvatruchas were originally called the Usulutan Asesinos because the Dueñas cousins were from Usulutan. Even though the gang’s nominal purpose was to protect other Salvadorans, they were heavily involved with crime from the start. They sold drugs and ran guns across South Los, while also replicating barbaric levels of gang violence that took place in El Salvador. Coupled with their brutal approach to crime, they were self-described racists who openly hated non-Central Americans. Mexican-Americans were particularly targeted in racial hate crimes. Reports of homicide, dismemberment, and other mutilation carried out by the gang had reached the Los Santos police by 2002. The gang formally joined forces with the Los Santos-based Mara Salvatrucha in 2004. Their name changed to the Lowenstein Grandes Salvatruchas. Lowenstein in particular was derived from Roy Lowenstein Boulevard, on which the gang was mostly active. With the backing of MS13’s central leadership, their organization became more sophisticated while recruitment drastically increased. They broadened their preferences to include non-Salvadorans, such as Guatemalans, Hondurans, and Nicaraguans. Youth were picked up from schools, community centers, sports associations, and the streets. It was around this time that they recruited first-generation Americans into the gang, whose parents came from the Northern Triangle. By the late 2000s, the gang ran with a notorious reputation for barbaric violence and heinous crimes. Sexual assaults, rapes, homicides, and mutilation were the modus operandi for the gang. They often went short of profit due to their indulgence in violence, which strained their relationship with the Mexican Mafia. They usually prioritized community terrorism over revenue from drugs, guns, car thefts, robberies, and other traditional crimes. This resulted in the gang becoming widely feared and hated across South Los Santos. They were largely responsible as a sole party for their rivalries against the 18th Street gang, Playboys, Bloods, and Crips. At one point, rivals such as the Bloods and Crips would join forces to massively attack the Lowenstein Grandes as they were posted up in the streets. MODERNITY Today the Lowenstein Grandes Salvatruchas still exist but in a weakened and disorganized state. MS13’s centralized authority had greenlit the gang since 2009, and it wasn’t until 2020 that this order was rescinded. While greenlit they were allied with the Mexican Mafia but heavily beefed with the Sureños around South Los. These conflicting allegiances, coupled with their approach to community terrorism made them into a universally hated clique around Los Santos. Throughout the 2010s the gang had a large focus on community terrorism. Their most common “torture crimes” included sexual assaults, ransom kidnappings, homicides, and Medieval-style street executions. These activities, which were shunned by both centralized MS13 and the Mexican Mafia, drew undesired news media attention. The gang became especially notorious after a 2013 Cluckin Bell hostage incident, in which 3 civilians were killed, and the 2017 abduction and homicide of Juliet Bell, the niece of Los Santos police Staff Sergeant Todd Bell. This brutal culture was fostered into the gang by Oscar “Diablito” Villarama, a Palomino Locos (MS PLS) defector with military experience. Villarama had joined the US Marine Corps in 2002 and served two tours of the Iraq War as a tank crewman. Upon his honorable discharge in 2008, he brought tactical combat training back to the Palomino Locos. He was promoted to lieutenant in the PLS hierarchy. However, a falling out with the PLS shot-callers forced his defection to the LGS in 2011. The culture he brought to the gang was allegedly inspired by the brutal conditions of fighting in Baghdad and Fallujah. Villarama purchased several inexpensive properties across South Los Santos in the early 2010s. These properties were purchased using laundered money from drug production & distribution. Located on dead-end streets for a sense of security, the detached homes were converted into drug dens, weapon caches, and “torture dungeons” for the Lowenstein Grandes. Aside from the production of methamphetamine and fentanyl, these properties were the end location for abducted civilians and gang rivals. The victims were tortured to death by the gang inside, who discreetly disposed of the bodies in gallon-sized drums or dumpsters. Villarama was arrested and criminally charged by the LSPD during a relevant drug distribution case in 2017. Seven other Lowenstein Grandes members were also arrested. While remanded in the Men’s Central Jail, Villarama was stabbed to death by the Alley Locos 13 (ALS13). He was killed by his cellmate in the middle of the night. His cellmate, James “Filero” Covarrubias, is currently serving a 45-year sentence for the homicide and other irrelevant convictions. NOTABLE INCIDENTS On July 16, 2005, LGS founder Alejandro Dueñas was approached by local and federal authorities at his home in Rancho about an arrest warrant and his undocumented status. Dueñas opened fire on the police from his 3rd story window with a Ruger Mini-14 rifle, which resulted in 5 non-fatal casualties. He was killed by the police after they explosively breached his apartment unit. His cousin and fellow LGS founder, Manuel Dueñas, fled the United States for Mexico earlier that summer. To this day his whereabouts remain unknown. It is suspected that he’s residing in Tijuana, but this hasn’t been confirmed. On October 7, 2013, five members of the Lowenstein Grandes overtook a Cluckin Bell restaurant in Strawberry. Armed with machetes, they caused a hostage situation that went on for over twelve hours. The gang emptied the cash registers, terrorized the employees, and killed randomly selected customers. All of the deceased customers were African-Americans, which led the LSPD to believe that the siege was racially motivated. The victims were hacked to death and dismembered; their remains were strewn all around the restaurant. The incident ended on the same day when a Los Santos police SWAT team assaulted the restaurant. Three gang members were immediately shot to death; two were apprehended as they attempted to flee through the rear exits. Two Honduran nationals were given death row sentences in 2015, and are currently being served out at San Quentin State Prison. On September 22, 2017, the body of Juliet Bell was discovered in an alleyway in Rancho. She had been stabbed to death and her heart had been torn from her body. Her heart still hasn’t been recovered. The bodies of two other young women were discovered around South Los in the following three weeks. They had all been brutally murdered in the same fashion. On December 18, the Los Santos police arrested and criminally charged Federico “Grim Reaper” Escalón and Hugo “Lil Spider” Alfaro with the homicides. The three women had been publicly murdered and brutalized after being falsely accused of defacing an LGS mural in the area. In reality, the mural had been vandalized by the 18th Street gang, and the young women were merely used as scapegoats. Following Bell’s homicide, her uncle internally pushed for an injunction into the gang. From March-May 2019 the Lowenstein Grandes were subject to a gang injunction. Twenty-four arrests were made with applicable criminal charges. The police were especially forceful with the injunction as a relative of one of their own had been senselessly killed by the gang. Numerous incidents of police brutality were recorded, but nothing was internally done to correct the problem. The injunction crippled the Lowenstein Grandes as their key members were all eventually incarcerated. Only one member was acquitted after a hung jury, and she has since fled back to her native Guatemala. OOC INFORMATION This unofficial group intends to provide the community with a proper portrayal of an MS13 associated street gang. We intend to portray a fictional offshoot of the Mara Salvatrucha gang which is heavily inspired by cliques such as the Fulton Locos, Leeward Grandes, and the South Central MS13 clique Central Locos. To join this group one must have minimal knowledge of Central American culture and/or must be willing to learn about it for the sake of their character's portrayal. It's also recommended to have at least minimal knowledge of the Mara Salvatrucha street gang and the way they operate in Southern California. This faction's in-character recruitment is predominately geared towards Salvadorans and other youth from Central America. To join the faction and be accepted one's character must be either Salvadoran-American, Honduran-American, or Guatemalan-American. Additionally, your character could also be a youth from Central America. This route is the most recommended as the clique's recruitment is geared more towards paisa-type people. Mexican or Mexican-American characters will not be accepted into this group as a result of in-character racism. The same goes for African-American members and other non-Central Americans. Also, we expect to have fewer female members within this group than in previous MS13 projects, and especially won't be having any female leaders. MS13 is a very male-dominated street gang that puts its male members above any female. This doesn't mean your character can't become part of the street gang as a female, it just means that it's going to be much harder for them to become a trusted associate. Questions, concerns & other things can be forwarded to either @Garras Up, @Black Swan or @Malandro Here is a link to our discord channel for anybody trying to join; https://discord.gg/5NxSrzaCgK

The Mara Salvatrucha (MS), also known by the alternatives names 'Las Dos Letras (The Two Letters)', Trece Diecenueve (Thirteen Nineteen) or simply La Mara is a large and brutally violent Salvadoran street gang that was formed in Little Seoul, Los Santos in the early 1980's under the name 'Mara Salvatrucha Stoners'. They were originally a relatively peaceful group who were more about good times, peace and fun than anything to do with violence. They were what was at the time called a 'Party Crew'. However, during much of the 1980's and early 1990's the Mara Salvatrucha were targeted by local street gangs, this caused various instances of interethnic clashes, most of which dragged on for years. This caused somewhat of a divide between Salvadorans and Mexicans in the Los Santos area. When the inter-ethnic clashes of the 1980's and early 1990's were over, the Mara Salvatrucha Stoners group was no longer a single click of Salvadoran youngsters who identified with punk rock culture. They were a new and vicious breed of street gang who were feared throughout the city's impoverished districts and slums for their cold blooded approach to crime. It was during this time period that the Mexican Mafia (eMe) met with Mara Salvatrucha Stoners shotcallers in the streets and brought them under the umbrella of Latino gangs in Southern San Andreas. The shotcallers from the Mara Salvatrucha agreed to the Mexican Mafia's demands and officially added 13 to their street gang's name, thus making them the Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS, MS13 and or MS - 13). The Mara Salvatrucha have historically and traditionally identified themselves in various ways. They usually wear blue and white clothing, sports paraphernalia with the number 13 on it, are heavily tattooed (especially on the face) and communicate with gang signs such as the Devil Horns. No matter which geographical region that they occupy, they predominately speak Central American dialects of Spanish that heavily incorporate urban slang from both El Salvador and the Chicano subculture of Southern San Andreas. Their moral subculture dictates that extreme acts of violence that include decapitation, disembowelment, physical castration, rape and other forms of sexual assault are necessary in order to obtain retribution against their rivals. During the late 1990s and especially during the early to late 2000s, members of Mara Salvatrucha migrated out of San Andreas in order to evade law enforcement prosecution. They mostly settled in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington D.C. but some of them settled in Texas and Florida. Thus, the first out-of-state sets of the Mara Salvatrucha were formed by these migrants. At the same time, members of the Mara Salvatrucha were deported back to their home countries of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. This enabled the Mara Salvatrucha to entrench themselves within Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras but not so much in Nicaragua. In Costa Rica and Panama, the street gang is practically non existent. The Mara Salvatrucha in Los Santos since 2005 has a been fractured gang, split into offshoots known as 'programs', which usually contain clusters of cliques that are loyal to them. Each program typically has its own structure and rules. The most prominent MS-13 in Los Santos has been the Los Santos or Sureno Program, which for a long time served as a governing body amongst MS-13 cliques in the city. However, In mid 2020. Xiomara 'La Zombie' Coreas was shot and killed by the Los Santos Police Department. The death of a highly respected shotcaller, which was followed by the incarceration of Josue 'Lil Bandit' Zelaya, another highly respected shotcaller created a leadership vacuum among the Mara Salvatrucha offshoots throughout San Andreas. This same leadership vacuum caused Josue Zelaya's empire to crumble ontop of itself a after he was very quickly shipped off to another state by San Andreas authorities in an effort to lower the gang shotcaller's influence within the gang.Some of the vacuum was a result of the hesitance of mid level and lower level members to move up in the Mara Salvatrucha's hierarchy, where they'd be targeted by law enforcement. At the same time however, with the lack of a solid leadership within the so called 'Los Santos' Program of MS-13. Several factions and cliques, including the Forum Locos Salvatruchas clique of the MS-13 have returned to using more traditional and violent methods, similar to what has been seen throughout Central American countries and in other parts of the United States such as Liberty City, Vice City and Maryland. The introduction and continuation of more violent tactics used by MS-13 is the result of other factions within the MS-13 gang emerging in an effort to exert their dominance in South Los Santos, as opposed to affiliating themselves with the Mexican Mafia and its extensive criminal enterprise in San Andreas and in prison facilities as members of the Mara Salvatrucha in San Andreas have done extensively in the past. This has been the result of various MS-13 members and offshoots throughout San Andreas no longer fearing what might happen if they step out of line and betray the so called 'Los Santos Program' within MS-13. This is because In Josue Zelaya's Mara, those who committed violent rapes, drive by's and murdered innocents were brutally murdered by Zelaya and his loyalists. Now in his absence, nobody is there to force the more violent offshoots of MS-13 back into line with the Mexican Mafia. As a result, several cliques have returned to the MS-13's original way of operation and as a consequence, have re-modelled themselves after MS-13 cliques throughout the Eastern Coast of the United States and also after various offshoots seen throughout Latin America. Brutal violence that often includes vicious beheadings, medeival style murders, rape, senseless kidnappings, drive by's, forced human trafficking and the murders of innocents have become commonplace among many, if not all MS-13 offshoots that are present throughout Los Santos. Forum Locos Salvatruchas (FLS) The Forum Locos Salvatruchas (FLS), also known as the Mara Salvatrucha Forum Locos (MS FLS) are a small and tightly knit Mara Salvatrucha 13 clique that operates off the Strawberry side of Forum Drive in South Central Los Santos. The FLS clique was formed in 1992 by members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang who migrated from Little Seoul into the South Central slums of Strawberry. Due to the growing number of Salvadorans and other Central Americans in the area of Chamberlain Hills and Strawberry, the Mara Salvatrucha began to rapidly recruit and build up a sheltered, but strong presence in the neighbourhood. The gang became entrenched in the Casa Cristina and The Tahitian Housing Projects from 1994 onward. By 1998 the Mara Salvatrucha Forum Locos had managed to become one of the most reputable Salvadoran street gangs in the South Central area. They were feared throughout South Los Santos for their involvement in horrific violence. Although some didn't fear the Forum Locos, but instead hated and despised them. By 2001 the Forum Locos Salvatruchas were considered the universal enemies of most, if not all Mexican American and African American gangs in the South Central area. In the years following 2015 the gang saw a slight increase in activity in the Strawberry area, but due to the resurgence of old enemies such as the Rollin 60's Neighborhood Crips (RSC), Jungle Stone Bloods (JSB), East Side 13 (ES13), Playboys 13 (PBS) and the Ghetto Boyz (GBZ) by 2018 the Forum Locos clique was forced almost completely underground. All the years of being on everybody's scope, coupled with several other factors such as inter-gang tension between the Forum Locos and other MS-13 cliques in Los Santos would take their toll in the Forum Locos clique. By 2019 the Forum Locos were not only greenlit by several other MS 13 cliques throughout Los Santos, but were also on less than favorable terms with the Mexican Mafia. The Forum Locos had fallen out of the Mexican Mafia's good graces for their involvement in a horrific spasm of violence that took place in the years between 2017 and 2019. The spasm of violence was categorized by senseless abductions, the murders of innocents and children, sex crimes and various other acts that were less than favourable in the eyes of the Mexican Mafia. The FLS clique's fate was sealed when the leader, Jerry Flores a/k/a Maniak was murdered by a member of a South LS Sureno gang with the alleged help of several MS-13 affiliates. By 2019 the Forum Locos Salvatruchas clique was considered fully defunct Months later, during the later months of 2020, members of former MS-13 cliques throughout Los Santos gathered in the 'The Tahitian' Housing Projects in South Los Santos. where they aimed to continue the Forum Drive Locos Salvatruchas clique and forge a new name for the clique and also for the gang itself in Southern Los Santos. The clique's reformation was for the most part kept under wraps. No evidence of the group's presence in Chamberlain Hills was visible for some time, apart from the odd tag here and there. Many of their gang tags have been depicted by a skeletal hand holding up the infamous Devil Horns (La Garra/The Claw) handsign along with the large letters 'MS' 'FLS' '1319' 'XIII' 'MARA SALVATRUCHA' and 'MAREROS'.. Recently the newly revived clique of the MS-13 gang has taken up residence in the Tahitian and Casa Cristina housing projects in Chamberlain Hills, where they've re-established a rather sheltered and fragile presence for themselves in the area of Forum & Carson. Much of the Mara Salvatrucha gang's new generation of members members have been described as extremely young and for the most part, lacking tattoos. The Mara Salvatrucha gang's newer generation is much more disconnected from the Mexican Mafia than previous generations have been. Lacking any sort of morals or code when it comes to the way they operate in the streets. If it doesn't benefit them, they don't care to destroy it. Not many of them are even past the age of 24. All suffering from extreme impoverishment and all carrying extremely violent attitudes and tendencies towards perceived enemies. This level of violence was caused by a new clique policy within the Forum Locos clique that required prospect members to commit a violent murder in order to join the clique. As the weeks went by, Residents who were African-American or Mexican-American began to be harassed by the new generation of Salvadoran gangsters in the neighbourhood. One woman from the Casa housing projects described being ruthlessly harassed and stalked by members of the Salvadoran gang, even witnessing her boyfriend get shot down in cold blood after attempting to discuss an issue with the teenaged gang members. 'They shot him for nothing' the female resident us, peering nervously at a bald headed Salvadoran teenager who was perched up on the steps nearby as she spoke to us. She later explained to us that everybody who entered the Casa Cristina projects while the gang was outside would likely become subject subject to the same type of harassment, surveillance and extreme violence which was both sexual and physical in nature The Forum Locos Salvatruchas and the greater Mara Salvatrucha street gang are for the most part unfriendly towards most, if not all Mexican, Asian and African American street gangs throughout Los Santos. In light of this fact, they're alleged to have an alliance of convenience with the Mexican Mafia, very weak ties to a small Hispanic gang known as Diablos 13 (DIA) and an alleged understanding with the Black P Stones (BPS) and the W/S Rollin 20's Neighborhood Bloods (RTB). Although the aforementioned alliances are alleged to only be a result of the Black P Stones and Rollin 20's gangs' long standing and bloody feuds with the Barrio 18 (XV3) gang. Rivals of the Forum Locos Salvatruchas and of the Mara Salvatrucha in general include but aren't limited to; Playboys 13 (PBS13), Harpys 13 (HPS13), Ghetto Boyz (GBZ13), Rollin 60's Neighborhood Crip (RSC), Innocence Family Gangster Bloods (IFGB), Hillside Gangsters 13 (HSGS13), Alley Locos 13 (ALS13), Aztlan 13 (AZT13), Wanderers 13 (W13), White Fence 13 (WF13), Drifters 13 (DFS13), Barrio 18 (XV3/18) and the Crazy Riders 13 (CRS13) street gang. OOC INFORMATION The Forum Lokos Salvatruchas faction intends to portray a fictional, but realistic and well portrayed Mara Salvatrucha 13 offshoot/clique which is heavily based off of the Mara Salvatrucha's 'Fulton Locos' clique. We intend to portray a close to defunct MS-13 offshoot/clique which has not only become disaffected by the previous leadership of the MS-13, but is also despised by many MS-13. While many former MS-13 cliques in the city have been loyal to the so caled 'Los Santos' or 'Sureno' program among MS-13, the Forum Locos Salvatruchas don't, and instead hold loyalties to another MS-13 offshoot known as the Mara Salvatrucha 503. The Mara Salvatrucha 503 is portrayed as a fictional/semi non-fictional faction of the Mara Salvatrucha that carries a great pride in upholding the values of Salvadoran Nationalism and adherence to MS-13's more violent roots. While most Mara Salvatrucha 13 groups are focused on money, the Mara Salvatrucha 503 is heavily focused on terorizing their enemies and also local communities through the use of horrific violence. Upon becoming affiliated to the Forum Locos Salvatruchas (Jumped in / completing your initiation process) you automatically accept gore & character kill permission, which the leadership of Forum Locos Salvatruchas will excersize if need be. Along with the latter, if one's character begins their initiation process with the clique and ends up dying during a gang related activity, your character will be considered Character Killed (CKed) as well. Although, once jumped into the clique. Players are safe from character kills unless decided on by the faction's leadership. Additionally, characters from former MS-13 factions are more than welcome to attempt to associate themselves with this faction. Though, be warned. If you do so, and are found to be a 'Sureno loyal MS-13' member, you run the risk of being character killed by the faction's leadership if need be. Questions, concerns, reports against members of the faction & criticism can be sent to @Ears Up. We take our portrayal extremely seriously and the leadership welcomes and encourages anybody who wishes to bring something to our attention. In order to be a member of the Forum Lokos Salvatruchas on an OOC level, players are required to adhere to any and all server rules. A GTA:W Wiki page detailing MS-13's history can be found here: https://wiki.gta.world/index.php/Mara_Salvatrucha_13 A GTA:W Wiki page for the Forum Locos clique can be found here: https://wiki.gta.world/index.php/Forum_Locos_Salvatruchas