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This proposal aims to address the growing issue of gang factions escalating to lethal violence without following through with ROE term-setting, and continuing to interact provocatively without consequences. The suggestion proposes two key solutions: Mandate a full cease in hostile interaction if terms are not set post-retaliation. If terms are not set and provocation continues, enable a targeted PK war system to allow factions to lethally retaliate against provoking individuals only. The Rules of Engagement on GTA World clearly state that if conflict between two factions escalates to the point where a member of either faction is killed, both factions are required to set terms after retaliation. This process is essential for ensuring structure, realism, and fair escalation. However, in recent months, it has become common for: Factions to carry out shootings or other lethal acts. Then retaliate. But never set terms. And still continue to antagonize each other through provoking RP, especially by entering rival turf in large numbers, tagging, baiting, or issuing threats on Facebrowser knowing full well that the opposing faction cannot respond lethally without breaching rules. This behavior is increasingly unrealistic and undermines fear RP, while also creating an exploitative anti-consequence environment that ignores server rules. Some factions are even using this gap as a way to troll or dominate RP without legitimate IC risk. 1. Cease Interaction Until Terms Are Set: If factions fail to set terms after a retaliatory or lethal act, both factions must immediately stop all direct interaction. This includes: No turf entries in groups. No provoking in person or on Facebrowser, baiting, or intimidation RP. No indirect threats, Facebrowser provoking, or “passive” conflict-stirring. This rule should be enforceable by Faction Management or administration as a violation of the ROE system and fear RP expectations. 2. If Provoking Continues: Allow a targeted PK war system. If one faction continues provoking after lethal escalation without setting terms, the provoked faction should be able to initiate a targeted PK war. Targeted PK War Ruleset: Only characters who are actively provoking or engaging in conflict RP can be targeted for lethal retaliation. Innocent or uninvolved faction members cannot be PK’d. Provoking includes baiting in rival territory, issuing threats, throwing up enemy sets, disrespectful tagging, etc. The faction initiating the targeted PKs must document the provocation and attempts to settle terms or cut interaction. This system would act as a measured alternative to full-blown faction wars, maintaining IC risk for unchecked provocation without enabling mass violence. Why This Is Needed: Reasserts the importance of the ROE system as a foundational tool for conflict RP. Prevents exploitative behavior from factions who initiate and bait conflict without committing to the rules of war. Reinforces fear RP by ensuring characters can’t survive assassination attempts only to walk back into enemy turf unscathed. Provides a fair and regulated middle ground between doing nothing and declaring a full war. If factions choose to escalate violence but refuse to engage in terms afterward, they should not be allowed to continue interacting as though nothing happened. This undermines both realism and the rule structure. The option to either cut all hostile RP until terms are agreed upon, or face targeted PKs based on provocation, is a fair and immersive way to ensure conflict RP remains structured, meaningful, and consequence-driven.

I got like 2-3 channels because I got into some trouble back in the day and had to maneuver a certain way. I do not promote that way of playing GTA World anymore, yet I am still involved in the gang RP community, but the deathmatching shit isn't it. Some, if not MOST of the videos I made show roleplay more than deathmatch. Suscribe to my channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFMJgeb1ouucMITCiWAZkvw

Several characters from different factions/gangs I've RPed in on one thread Cymphonique Chambers (Lady Jaccpot) -> 40 Avalon Gangster Crip [page 1 - 7] (Still alive) Asia Moseby (Lady Bully) -> Murder Park Family Bloods [Page 7 - 9] (Killed by Rollin 60's) Tarzana Orejuela (Lady Six) -> W/S Rollin 60's Neighborhood Crips [Page 9 - 13] (Killed by Murder Park Family Bloods) Melena Cardenas (Baby Scandalous) -> W/S 18th Street Vinewood Gangsters [Page 13 - 20] (Life in prison) Kymeka Rice (Lady Tray Extras) -> W/S Playboy Gangster Crip [Page 20 - 40] (Kicked off the set, moved to Lancaster)

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Kareem Rahman (born January 15, 1986) is a former gang member turned devout Muslim inmate currently serving a life sentence without parole at the San Andreas Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in Los Santos, San Andreas Early Life and Criminal Activity: Rahman was born and raised in the impoverished South Side neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Growing up amidst poverty and gang violence, he quickly became involved in local street gangs, seeking a sense of belonging and protection. Throughout his formative years, Rahman was heavily involved in various criminal activities including drug trafficking, armed robbery, and assault. Relocation to Los Santos: In an attempt to evade mounting legal consequences, Rahman relocated to Los Santos, San Andreas, a notorious hub for criminal activity on the West Coast. Despite his efforts to start anew, he was drawn back into a life of crime, participating in violent criminal activities and establishing a reputation within the city's criminal underworld. Legal Troubles and Conviction: Rahman's criminal activities in Los Santos eventually caught the attention of law enforcement, resulting in his arrest and subsequent conviction on multiple charges. He was found guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and conspiracy, among other offenses, leading to a life sentence without parole. Transformation and Religious Conversion: It was during his incarceration at the SADCR that Rahman underwent a profound transformation. Cut off from the outside world, he delved into the study of Islam, finding solace and purpose in its teachings. Rahman embraced the principles of peace, compassion, and spiritual enlightenment offered by the faith, and emerged as a respected figure within the prison community. Incarceration and Outreach: Despite his life sentence, Rahman has become a mentor and guide to his fellow inmates, using his knowledge and experience to promote positive change within the prison environment. Through his outreach efforts, he seeks to impart the wisdom and teachings of Islam, offering hope and redemption to those who have lost their way.

SOUTH LOS SANTOS = SOUTH LOS ANGELES DAVIS = COMPTON RANCHO = WATTS STRAWBERRY = THE CRENSHAW DISTRICT CHAMBERLAIN HILLS = BALDWIN HILLS CARSON AVENUE = ROSECRANS AVENUE / WESTERN AVENUE INNOCENCE BOULEVARD = COMPTON BOULEVARD / CRENSHAW BOULEVARD STRAWBERRY AVENUE = SLAUSON AVENUE ROY LOWENSTEIN BOULEVARD = EL SEGUNDO BOULEVARD This thread was made to cover the various lifestyles of civilians and gang members living west of the infamous Innocence Boulevard street in South Los Santos. On this thread you will encounter civilians, gang members, teenagers who all live in South Los Santos on the westside of Innocence Boulevard. Blood & Crip gang lifestyles are to be covered on the thread as well as regular everyday South LS citizens trying to survive in the big city's ghetto. ((In order to have permission to post screenshots on this thread, you must PM @PapaDoc or @GoGetta)) This thread was made to follow the lives of different characters who gangbang in the city of Los Santos, San Andreas. The thread is designed to depict the lives of the many related active gang members and South Central Los Santos residents. Screenshots that are posted will show what drama the hood life does to affect one's character mentally, physically and emotionally. Sports teams play a large role in the gang community of South Los Santos. The logos of these teams represent the section that the person who's wearing comes from. It can be deadly for a person to wear a Kansas City Royals hat in a Nutty Blocc Carson Crip neighborhood. It. That's how serious these logos are taken in the hood. Usually the Crips and Bloods would take a logo that best represents their section and gang color, but this is not always the case. There have been instances to where innocent lives were affected and conflict was thrown out of proportion and war became imminent. Sports team logos are to be treated like a flag and should not be taken lightly by civilians. AVOID WEARING SPORTS LOGOS IN SOUTH LOS SANTOS AT ALL TIMES.

E/S Clover Gang was originally formed by a group of Sureno's that had formed a small reputation within the street of Brouge Avenue, after both Front Street Watts Crips and the 103 Hard Time Hustler Crips were totally wiped from the local region, upon their dissipation one of the remaining jumped in set members had decided to reform the set on Brouge Avenue with the help of the local community, the rifa formed together through their life experiences and ultimately ended out forming as a gang of Sureno youths. East Side Pueblo Bishop Bloods are a predominately African-American street gang based in the Roy Lowstein region, Davis in a community known as the Low Bottoms. They have been active in that area since the early 1970s before the Blood identity was even forged. Prior to Black gang resurgence during the very early 1970s, there was a gang in the area called Pueblo Players that was active since the 1950s. Upon reaching out to one another, and establishing a deep bond, both the E/S Clover Gang and the East Side Pueblo Bishop Bloods had decided to effectively merge both of their sets together, the Pueblo Bishop Bloods control Roy Lowstein Boulevard whilst Eastside Clover Gang hold control over Brouge Avenue, both sets are currently defunct and are ultimately working together side by side flying green and red rags with one another. -- OOC Information -- This faction will follow the development of both the E/S Clover Gang & the East Side Pueblo Bishop Bloods, both sets currently operate on both Roy Lowstein Boulevard & Brouge Avenue, for anyone interested in learning more about the faction, you can find out more on our official discord https://discord.gg/4Scz2xTgKZ

NO TOXIC REPLIES PLEASE! Personally I'd like to see 83 Hoover Criminals Bridgetown Rifa 13 Primera Flats 13 Main Street Parc Boyz E/S Dime St Bandit Crips All get official

This thread will follow the the development and characterisation of Eduardo Pintos Carret, a youthful resident of Bridge Street as the encounters the strong presence of the infamous El Monte Flores gang. I. Origins Eduardo Felipe Pintos Carreto was born in Guadalajara Mexico. He lived in La Estancia with his mother, grandmother aunt and three nephews. La Estancia, a leafy suburb of the Mexican city of Guadalajara. At the time the neighborhood was dominated by gangs such as Florencia 13. The women who raised Eduardo often forbid him to go outside, shielding him from the gang activity seen on the streets of Guadalajara. Eduardo never realized the existence of any of these gangs in the early years of his life. II. A better life After years of struggle to make ends meet, Eduardo's mother got an opportunity presented to immigrate to the United States of America. When Eduardo was 9 years old his mother was granted a work visa to reside in the state of Arizona. Eduardo didn't want to leave his family members and friends behind, but he had no choice. His mother explained to him that they were on their way to a better life in a country that's more safe which provides more opportunities for their future. They settled in Phoenix Arizona, it didn't take long for Eduardo to feel at home as he easily met new friends, mostly Mexican immigrant kids who also spoke Spanish. After 8 months of living in the States, Eduardo's mother could see the end of her visa getting closer. She met an American male called Henry who often visited them and helped them financially. It didn't take long before Henry married Eduardo's mother, allowing her to request a greencard for her and her son. III. Los Santos After 5 years of marriage the financial situation of Henry changed, he lost his job and started drinking more. The relationship with Eduardo's mother became more abusive as he started prohibiting her and her son from going out or doing daily stuff. He would lock them in their home, beating them over minor or imaginary problems. Eduardo, who was 15 at the time, would often sneak out the house to smoke marijuana with friends and to escape from the reality at home. He would start shoplifting to get cash. When Eduardo turned 17 he was already indulging in occasional home invasions, breaking into cars and shoplifting. When one of the store owners in their neighborhood caught Eduardo he didn't call the police. He brought Eduardo to his parents, because he taught that'd have a better effect on him. Eduardo got beat so severely by his stepdad that his mother decided to leave the house the next day and move out, she couldn't take it anymore. They ended up in a small apartment on Bridge Street, Los Santos. IV. A better life 2.0 Having left and divorced her husband, Eduardo's mother took a nanny job in Los Santos. She'd be away from home most of the time, trying to make ends meet. Eduardo on the other hand was going to high school, where he got good grades, but eventually got kicked out for breaking into lockers. He took a job at a pizza delivery, but his stint at the pizzeria was short lived as the owner caught him smoking weed in between deliveries. He started hanging around on Bridge Street where he met a local named Risky. Eduardo who's then 19 explained his situation to the local teen. He offered help by giving Eduardo cocaine which he was supposed to sell for him. Eduardo didn't think twice and saw this as an opportunity. He got quickly introduced to other local teens who called themselves El Monte Flores. Eduardo is a confident, smart, tall boy, which allowed him to quickly make friends with the others. He quickly learned they were all in similar positions as he was, such as a local named Alonso. Alonso baptized Eduardo to Tarzan, due to his big thick curls. V. Becoming Tarzan Not long after dropping out of high school, Tarzan was getting groomed by the local El Monte Flores gang. He started to get close with locals who would pursue him into doing illegal activities with them. Tarzan's mothers final situation was as bad as ever, which resulted in Tarzan not having to think twice before committing crimes. It started with petty theft, going around stores shoplifting whatever they could get their hands on. Tarzan also quickly became familiar with gang violence, as he figured out when they came face to face with the Piru's. Tarzan was involved in a brawl in a so called Piru neighborhood a few blocks away. Not long into the fight several police cars pulled up to the scene, which led into a chase on foot with Tarzan and the officers. It didn't take long before the officers caught him on his flip flops. The officers figured Tarzan had a clean record and released him to walk home after a short interrogation. Having kept his mouth shut he showed the local gang members and affiliates he was down for the cause. Tarzan got introduced to Wicked, the shot caller of El Monte Flores. He took Tarzan shopping, paying for his whole outfit. Something that definitely impressed Tarzan, he saw right there what he wanted to become. VI. Gaining respect After Tarzan got familiar with the gang culture, he started to get more deeply involved in crime. Mainly in car theft and drug dealing, in which he showed his true criminal qualities. Tarzan was a quick learner, he realized that his actions would only gain him money and respect from the gang. His activities didn't go unnoticed as gang leader Wicked decided that Tarzan was going to have to bring in money for the gang now. A weekly tax of $2,000 became Tarzan's objective, which made him get only deeper involved in criminal activities. Tarzan witnessed first hand that the gang life could be a short lived one. He was taken on a robbery where he saw one of his friends die in front of his eyes. One day Tarzan was sitting in a stolen car by himself when suddenly a gang member named Scrappy jumped in his car. He convinced Tarzan to smuggle some contents into the TTCF jail, promising him to become an official member of the gang after he comes back. Something they'd call getting put on. VII. Gaining respect 2.0 Tarzan made sure he got arrested on a vandalism charge, having cocaine and a Nokia phone inside him. He was told to look for a person named Quatro. Not long after Tarzan got introduced his cell, a bald hispanic male clad in several gang affiliated tattoo's knocked on his window. He introduced himself to Tarzan and made sure his paperwork got checked out by a fellow Sureño gang member. Tarzan got introduced to Quatro after his paperwork proved he wasn't a snitch. He had successfully smuggled in some valuable contents for the gang. After getting out of prison Tarzan came home, only to find out half of the gang was arrested. Tarzan was disappointed, because it meant he wasn't going to get jumped in any time soon. However it didn't hold him back from getting right back into the criminal life again, stealing cars and dealing drugs. He was going to make sure he'd have enough money for the top of the gang pyramid to welcome them home with a nice sum of cash. VIII. The demise of Tarzan Having successfully set up a car theft operation with Jesus and Alonso Ramirez, Tarzan's confidence grew. He felt he had to keep it up so that he would become official in no-time. He'd be often seen in flashy stolen sports cars. On a day he got asked by a gang member named Swifty to smuggle in a phone back into the prison. Tarzan disagreed and pleaded that he was more valuable on the street making money, and suggested they should send a different local. Swifty wasn't taking no for an answer and decided to put a gun to Tarzan's head, pursuing him aggressively to follow his orders. Tarzan was perplexed by Swifty's actions, but still disagreed, not having much respect for Swifty. He stood his ground, slapping his pistol away and leaving the area and his last respect for Swifty behind. IX. The demise of Tarzan 2.0 Looney, a high ranked EMF member took over while most of the gang was in jail. He quickly got word of what happened through Swifty. While Tarzan kept his mouth shut about the incident, Swifty had been telling Looney everything that happened. Looney quickly acted by telling Tarzan wasn't welcome in the hood anymore and was told not to come back until he showed respect. Tarzan saw Swifty's actions as betrayal and snitching, as he took their dispute higher up. Tarzan was fuming and decided to steal a car to calm himself down, something that became so usual for him now. He stole a car and found that there were several beers and vodka bottles on the backseat. Tarzan didn't think twice and decided to drink his problems away, which only made his decision making worse. He picked his friends up, ranting about how he was going to kill Swifty and skip town. His friends calmed him down and advised him to go plead his case with Looney. X. Descansa en paz Eduardo Pintos Carreto 🕯️ Eduardo's meeting with Looney didn't go as expected, not long into his explanation het got cut off by Looney. He would go back and forth with the temporary shot caller, forgetting to show respect. His friends occasionally would chime in, in attempts to solve the issue and protect Tarzan from his own deeds. It only led to them having to beat up Tarzan by order of Looney. His own friends beat him up, which made Tarzan realize this was all for nothing. In a split second he shifted his positive thoughts into negative ones, seeing how he was betrayed, mislead and abused in his eyes. As Tarzan limped back to the stolen sports car, Looney told him he would make sure that Tarzan would never become an official member of the gang. Tarzan quickly snapped back that he wouldn't want to be associated with snitches anyway. His last remark caused Looney to fire several bullets into Eduardo, who there died on the spot.

YOU PLAY, YOU PAY Daniel Parada Daniel Parada was born into a broken home, with his father incarcerated for 2x Second Degree murder, and his divorced mother addicted to heroin. At a young age, Daniel was forced into a parental role, taking care of his younger sister while his mother neglected them both. Daniel often looked to his father for guidance, frequenting visits at the Bolingbroke State Penitentiary. Whilst juggling between academics and family, Daniel found himself a sense of power within the controlling El Monte Flores gang, where he racked "Spider" as his placa due to his lanky legs. Over the next few years of Daniel's life, he made the set a priority over education, often bunking classes and eventually flunking out of high school in his last year. The income Daniel had received throughout his years within the set had given him enough money to move out of his mother's house and into his own, partly accompanied by his sister who had moved between homes often. On the night of 21 April 20XX, Daniel and a a homie of his had decided that the conditions were suitable for them to hit a lick on a random female, who had turned out to be an off-duty police officer. After flunking the robbery, the duo had took to running, sprinting through the alleys of Bridge Street, before turning a corner and into a cruiser. They were both shortly detained and later arrested, serving Daniel with 1x Armed Robbery, 1x Possession of an illegal firearm and 1x Resisting Arrest. During his stay at the Correctional Facility, Daniel had provided his camaradas with poorly-designed tattoos, created by a makeshift tattoo machine. Daniel was able to pursue his creative interests, while simultaneously making a profit via commissary. Not only did he focus on tattoos, he had also focused much of his attention on programming, increasing his muscle mass. Maya Parada Maya Parada, younger sister to Daniel, shared the same upbringing as her older brother. Her father being incarcerated and her mother would neglect the pair, choosing to feed her addiction rather than caring for her children. This would feed into Daniel ending up being her only parental figure, as he looked after her. Though, Maya was born and raised on Bridge Street. This would influence her drastically, despite her brother attempting to keep her away from the local gang as best as he could. She would be pushed by her older brother to focus on her academics, and stay away from the gang lifestyle, though her personal desires would be the opposite of what her brother wished. Looking up to him, she would pick up some of his creative side, though opting to display this talent through the use of a spray can rather than a tattoo needle. Taking great care in her artwork, she would practice designs at home, refining her craft.

Procedurally updated story on the main post. Jeremie "Big Guala Bvby#1" Herron Alias: Guala Baby - More commonly referred to amongst peers as Guala, Guap and/or Baby guala [gwah-luh] WHAT DOES GUALA MEAN? It's used as slang for "money," often as guala guala. Story so far (pre-context): Jeremie Herron has spent his whole [19 year] life in a Brouge Ave. Housing Unit after being a product of home labour. He exists in a two bedroom household with his younger sister and his mother. Jeremie idolises the trap lifestyle, despite having no desire to jump off the porch into the rap game, he moulds his personality around famous names like Lil Baby, Young Thug & Lil Keed. Living a life with little option, Jeremie put on for the Darkside Neighborhood Bloods from a young age; with selfish ideals to get his own money up, leaving the brotherhood as close second. A natural born hustler like Jeremie is often seen to be flexing to his peers, his neighbours & most recklessly his opps. Jeremie is conceited, despite not being as ready to die for the hood as others, he still exudes levels of ignorance only hoodrats would reach. He sees himself as a top-tier money maker with grade A steelo (style). Don’t get it twisted, most might look at his style and question why he’s wearing such clothes. He thinks his future in the hills within grasp. Back to the flexing, Jeremie is as vain as they get, he is the definition of a walking lick despite not wearing any particularly expensive clothing. He is materialistic, and sees his only motivator as money. Jeremie's only real loyalties lie with his mother and his little sister, he tries to avoid the line of fire so he can always come home to them. In-depth In Character Story:

Khalil Manning - 16 Tiny Macho #4 a/k/a Spazz Known locally for his accomplishments in boxing, crash dummy like behavior and ill ways, Khalil Manning inhabits Brouge Avenue. His nickname, Tiny Macho, stems from his brawling inside and out of the ring, despite his frail, featherweight build. Khalil was given this nickname by his coach at a young age. His peers also like to call him Spazz, for similar reasons. He is often seen around Suge Ray, his little big homie. On August 23rd, 2019 a video of two teens fighting in the halls of Palm Valley's High School reached the local news network. One of the teens involved was Khalil. In the video you can see Khalil getting his lights knocked out by his peer. The short-lived fight was spectated by a small gathered crowd, they verbally induce the fight on. The video is still available on YouTube to the public, titled "PVHS packouts (crip vs blood)". Rumors say that after the video was published, Khalil and a couple of other teenagers from Carson Avenue jumped the other student, who was seen in the video beating on Khalil. Khalil's grandfather, Cody "Spanking" Manning, was a prominent amateur boxer, known nationally. His boxing career was cut short after a fatal walk-up left two young men, affiliated with the Bounty Hunter Bloods, dead and Cody paralyzed from the waist down. Cody was not the intended target, but was a witness on scene.

Andre "Dre" Diamonds Pictured: Andre Diamonds, Age 16. Andre “Dre” Diamonds born on October 14th, 2000 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dre was abandoned by his mother at the time of his birth and his grandmother was granted full custody of him. Dre lived with his grandmother and five other kids till she passed away when Dre was four years old. Dre was separated from his family members as they were all placed in to foster care. After being bounced around from Louisiana to Florida. Dre is now residing in Davis, Los Santos in a foster home where he is neglected and mistreated by his foster parents. Dre can be seen around the Davis area riding his bike around or shooting hoops as he aspires one day to make it out of the hood and become a professional basketball player. Dre stands at 6”1 185lbs. When Dre speaks you can hear a slight southern accent tied with his southern hood lingo. Current Day: Pictured: Andre Diamonds, Age 20 Since rekindling with two of his cousins, Azalea and Taynara. They’ve introduced Andre to a group of people that he calls his family now. Andre is currently residing on Forum Drive, he’s currently a solider within the Morrison & Meadows DTO. Pictured: Andre Diamonds, source: www.lossantosmugshots.com Andre has built up a rap sheet for himself. His arrest record includes Assault, Distribution of Narcotics, Possession of Marijuana, and Evasion. Despite being arrested for the following charges, Andre has only served time in Twin Towers for the possession of marijuana and Evasion. This was due to the lack of evidence against him on the Assault and the distribution of narcotics charges.

Introduction In this guide I'll be breaking down some of Central America's history, along with some things about the Maras (Gangs) that inhabit the region. I'll also go a little into how these Maras (Gangs) operate in the United States. This guide is being created with the aim to give those trying to roleplay a Central American something to put behind their character and also for inspiration. The gang portion of this guide will mostly be about the Mara Salvatrucha, but will also include the 18th Street gang in some parts. However, I will mainly be addressing MS-13 as the differences between the two street gangs are too slim for me to extensively talk about both gangs. Central America; An Overview Central America is a region in Latin America. The Central America region consists of a number of countries which control territories along the land bridge that connects Mexico to Colombia. These countries consist of Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Like most Latin American countries, the primary language spoken in the streets and at home is Spanish, apart from in Belize (A former British colony) where they speak English instead. The usage of Spanish in Central America and amongst Central American individuals is distinct from the Spanish spoken in many other Latin American countries. A word that means one thing to a Colombian, could mean something completely different to a Salvadoran for example. Central Americans also commonly pronounce their Spanish words differently to most other Spanish speakers, sometimes leading to confusion In 2016 the combined population amongst the Central America region was thought to be around or over 44 million. Additionally in 2018 The population of Central America was estimated to be 47,448,333. Many countries in Central America are poor, poverty stricken, rife with corruption and generally suffer from a great deal of hardship as a result of various social and economic factors. Along with this, many of the countries in Central America countries suffer from extreme gang problems and extremely high homicide rates. In 2015 the city of San Pedro Sula in Honduras was said to have been the most dangerous city in the world. Additionally, cartels and other criminal organisations are known to use Central America as a gateway for drug trafficking through Mexico and into the United States and also for human trafficking to and from Colombia and other South American countries. In recent years a sizeable amount of Central Americans have fled the region as a result of the crippling gang problems that have plagued the region since the 1990's, these immigrants generally leave their homes bound for the United States where they generally intend to apply for a refugee status. Many are denied the refugee status and sent back to El Salvador, where alot of the time they end up dead as a result of the gangs that they fled to escape in the first place. Countries like El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala are overrun by gangs such as MS-13 and 18th Street and are also said to be operating in Costa Rica, Panama and as far south as Colombia. In addition to this, street gangs are also present in Belize. In Belize, offshoots of the Mara Salvatrucha, 18th Street and even offshoots of African American street gang sub-sets affiliated to the Crips and Bloods are also said to be present. Conflicts in Central America Since the forming of most Central American countries, the region has been rife with conflicts. One classic example of Central American conflicts was in the 1950's when Judge William Walker, a proponent of slavery attempted to subdue various parts of Central America. After a brief stint as the self proclaimed president of Nicaragua, he was ambushed and executed by local Salvadoran & Honduran revolutionaries. These revolutionaries that assassinated revolutionaries were affectionately nicknamed 'Salvatruchas' by the locals and were honoured throughout Central America for their heroic deeds against the tyrant 'president' of Nicaragua. The word Salvatruchas was later picked up by a certain Salvadoran gang, but we'll get to that later. Since then, many countries throughout Central America have been torn apart by brutal civil wars. In 1911 there was a civil war in Honduras. Another civil war took place in Guatemala between the years of 1960 and 1996. Among the most notable of these civil wars was the Salvadoran civil war of the 1980's, which began in 1979 after an Archbishop by the name of Oscar Romero was executed by the Salvadoran military while giving a speech. This came after years of civil strife throughout El Salvador as a result of a tyrannical government. The political party that was in charge was extremely corrupt. Some who were locals of Central America at the time talked about times where they'd vote for the opposite party, and if they started to win, the entire country's power would go out and when it came back, the ruling party would be winning on the poles. When the conflict initially began, the Salvadoran government was backed by the United States. Various war crimes took place on all sides and brutal violence became the norm and among the most shocking of these facts, is that for the most part, many of the soldier on either side were young children who were trained to be killers. The horrific violence ended up causing almost half of the country to flee. Some were lucky and managed to escape to other, safer countries such as Australia, Spain and others, but the vast majority of those fleeing Central America at the time ended up in the streets of Los Angeles (Los Santos), where they for the most part settled in the Koreatown district of that city. Smaller Salvadoran communities soon popped up in the districts of Mid City, Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. Mara Salvatrucha, Barrio 18 and the origin of the Maras The term 'Maras' is a word that nowadays refers to a specific breed of street gang. A Latino street gang that was formed in the United States but managed to make its way to Mexico, Central America and other countries. The term Mara was originally coined to refer to a group, a gathering, a gang. Although the term Mara is said to nowadays have a more sinister meaning to it, coming from another Central American term, Marabunta. The term 'Marabunta' refers to a vicious breed of army ant known to devour and destroy everything it comes into contact with. The most known of the Maras is the MS-13 (La Mara Salvatrucha 13) and the 18th Street Gang (Mara 18) Other Maras include Salvadorans With Pride (SWP), Mao Mao (MM) Mara Maquina (MM2), La Mirada Loca (LML), Batos Locos (BL) and various other Central American street gangs. All Maras in El Salvador are gangs, but not all gangs in El Salvador are Maras however. The Surenos exist to a lesser extent in Central America. Offshoots of La Florencia, Playboys 13 and Crazy Riders are said to have been formed in many Central American countries such as El Salvador and Honduras. While there's a sizeable amount of Central American gangsters throughout the US and across the world, the majority of Salvadorans & Other Central Americans are typical hard working men and women. Most of them don't respect gangs, but instead fear and despise them. Salvadorans & Central Americans are the biggest victims of their own street gangs, especially in their home countries. Though in the United States, that's increased tenfold. To your average Salvadoran, an MS-13 or an 18th Streeter is nothing more than a monster. Despite this, there's those who sympathize with the gangs. Some Salvadorans & Central Americans willingly take the stand in court and lie for gang members, testify against rival gang members and even hide guns / drugs or attempt to cover up murders or other criminal acts such as rape for the local gangs. For the most part, these kinds of people see whatever gang is local to their neighbourhood as their family. Maybe they have friends in those gangs, or maybe they've even got family that represents those street gangs. It all depends on the person and the way they're bought up, or what they've experienced. Central Americans in Southern California (Southern San Andreas) generally stick together in the same tight knit communities. Large Salvadoran communities can be found in the Koreatown/Rampart/Pico-Union/Mid-Wilshire neighbourhood (Which is represented ingame as Little Seoul) along with others in Westlake & Silverlake (Mirror Park), East Hollywood (East Vinewood) and North Hollywood. In each of these Salvadoran communities that are dotted around La County, there's generally a presence of MS-13, who despite being generally disliked by the law-abiding Salvadoran community, they rule these communities with an iron fist due to the Salvadorans' fear of MS-13 and of what might happen if they co-operate with the police. Some fear deportation, some fear reprisal from the gang, some just can't bring themselves to speak on the people they've grown up around, most just want to mind their own business. Many young Salvadorans who arrived in LS during the 1970's joined existing gangs. A few of these gangs included Varrio Playboys 13, 18th Street and Crazy Riders 13, among others. While some gangs and communities in LA were welcoming to the newcomers, others treated them as sub-human trash. They would mock, bully, assault, stab and sometimes rape Salvadorans in broad daylight. This not only caused a fair amount of Salvadorans to dislike Mexican-Americans and also led to the forming of the Mara Salvatrucha Stoners (MSS) street gang. When the gang was formed, the original founders of the street gang combined the Salvadoran Spanish word 'Mara', meaning gang or Group with the term Salvatrucha, which was as mentioned earlier, a term used to honor the Salvadoran and Honduran revolutionaries who overthrew William Walker over a century beforehand. The word 'Stoners' was then added at the end of the gang's name, referring to the current membership of the gang, which were for the most part a bunch of raggedy haired teenagers with a taste for Marijuana and heavy metal music who banded together with eachother for protection in the streets. The Mara Salvatrucha Stoners initially had a culture which consisted of soft and psychedelic drug abuse, attendance at heavy metal concerts and a strong pride in defending their ethnic communities from outsiders and other gangs. Other instances of Anti Central-American prejudice had also taken place 30 years before the Mara Salvatrucha Stoners came onto the scene during the 1950's when the 18th Street Gang formed as a result of Clanton 14 and their refusal to accept members with ethnic roots that weren't exactly the same as them. This helped 18th Street to become a massive street gang that by the time the MSS showed up in the 1980's, the 18th Street Gang was already an established 'super-gang' with close to 20 offshoots and cliques throughout Los Angeles. At first, MS-13 and 18th Street got along. They'd often party together. It was at these parties that members of the Mara Salvatrucha Stoners heard about the bosses of La Eme (The M) and how they ran Southern California from the prisons. Throughout much of the 1980's the Mara Salvatrucha grew in the form of the Mara Salvatrucha Stoners, however by the turn of the decade, the Mara Salvatrucha were no longer a disorganised crew of kids who liked heavy metal and banded together to protect eachother, they were a new and vicious breed of street gang that had earned its own place in the hierarchy of the gang underworld. In the mid 1990's the gang dropped the 'Stoners' nickname and instead adopted the number '13' at the end of their name. Also in the 1990's, the United States began deporting thousands of gang members from Los Angeles and back to the Central American continent. Members of the Mara Salvatrucha and Dieciocho gangs were sent to El Salvador first, then the gangs started bleeding across the borders into the neighboring countries, The fact that many of these countries were still recovering from their conflicts caused both gangs to grow extremely fast. By the 2000's the Mara Salvatrucha and 18th Street gangs had not only spread throughout Latin America, but were now also present in several other states across the US. They had taken over entire neighbourhoods and were known to recruit children as young as 9-10 for their street gang wars and drug sales. Over the years as members of MS-13 got incarcerated in Central America, the gangs got much more organised, this especially happened after prisons began being dedicated to one street gang as opposed to holding members of both gangs. With the forming of the Maras in Latin America, other gangs began coming out of the woodwork. These Maras included the Mao Mao, an organisation that had been around since the Salvadoran civil war and evolved into a street gang that was mainly involved in money making. Also formed was the La Maquina (The Machine) gang in Apopa, which became vicious rivals of both the 18th Street and Mara Salvatrucha despite the gang's much smaller size. Other imported gangs from Los Angeles soon began popping up throughout Latin America aswell. Sureno gangs such as La Florencia, Playboy Surenos, Crazy Riders, Harpys and Ghetto Boyz are said to be present in Mexico and some parts of Central America. Maras in Central American countries run their neighbourhoods like mini dictatorships. Those who are unknown are usually assumed to rival gang members and are killed or disappeared, women are generally treated poorly in gang territories throughout Central America. Femicide and rape culture are extremely common problems throughout the slums of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and especially amongst the gangs. Some of the more brutal MS and 18 cliques throughout Central America are also known to treat women associated with the gang as drug mules and sex objects. Some gang members are even known to abduct women from their communities and force them to either become prostitutes for the gang, or they claim them as their personal sex objects. In the early 2010's all Maras and other gangs in Central America were labelled criminal organisations. The Mara Salvatrucha as of 2020 is also labelled as a criminal organisation in the United States, with many MS-13 leaders from both the United States and Central America as of 2020 and 2021 being charged with terrorism offenses by the United States Government. 18th Street (Mara 18) in Central America is split into two seperate categories, the 18 Revolutionaries and the 18 Surenos. The Revolutionaries are much more ruthless, they have barely any rules and a lot of cliques require their members to perform a murder and/or a sexual assault in order to become part of their groups. Revolutionaries within 18st have also popped up in Los Angeles, where some 18th Street cliques such as a few smaller ones located in Westlake are rebelling against the Mexican-Mafia and against the other local Sureno gangs, aswell as being involved in a vicious war with MS-13 that involves sex crimes and the brutal murders of random civilians. El Salvador's MS-13 is also split into two separate factions, known within the gang as cars. La Ranfla Historica is the dominant faction in Central-America. For years they ran the gang from the confines of extremely crowded Salvadoran prisons. Despite this, some MS13 members felt that the leaders in these prisons were only making moves that benefited them, and not their homeboys or the gang at large. They were complying with the government, they were allowing their younger, craziest members to go around killing random women and raping women and children. Something that didn't sit well with this particular group of MS affiliates, some of which had come from Los Angeles after being deported. As a result, the '503' branch was formed within MS-13. Like the 18 Revo's in Los Angeles, 503 Mara Salvatrucha affiliates can also be found in Los Angeles. In addition to the gangs, other groups exist in El Salvador and also throughout Central Ameirca. In El Salvador, an organisation called 'La Sombra Negra' or The Black Shadow is known to hunt down and kill gang members. Locals attribute the black shadow to being mainly comprised of current and former law enforcement along with vigilantes. The general population of El Salvador supports groups like La Sombra Negra and they also support the government's extreme approach towrds containing the gangs. This is due to the vast majority of the Salvadoran population having family members who've fallen victim to the crimes of the local gangs. Many of them have brothers who were killed, sisters who were raped and/or forced to be prostitutes, family members who've been disappeared by the gangs. They want blood, not just justice. Some residents of other Central American countries also share similar views when it comes to the Maras. Often times when MS or 18 members identify themselves in countries throughout Central America, they're murdered by either the police, rivals or just vigilante civilians. The actions of vigilantes and also the actions of the governments of many Central American countries has forced the Maras somewhat underground. They still excersize the same iron fist like control over many regions of Central America, but have been forced much more into the shadows than before. Members of MS-13 and 18th Street in El Salvador and some parts of the United States have either dramatically lowered their use of tattoos, or no longer use tattoos at all as a result of these factors. Maras in the US (Present Day) Mara Salvatrucha and 18th Street in the United States are also split into various factions (Usually referred to as 'Programs'). These Programs are generally cells of the gang itself that generally consist of a leading council and a cluster of MS-13 cliques that are loyal to them. In the United States the Mara Salvatrucha's operations differ from state to state. Members of MS-13 in the mid-west are much more low-key with their crimes and are alleged to be involved in various financial crimes such as money laundering and fraud. MS-13 cliques in the Southern states (Apart from California) and also on the East-Coast generally operate similarly to their counterparts in Central America. MS-13 offshoots under the East Coast Program (A Mara Salvatrucha program which is led from Central America) have particularly strong presences in New York State, Virginia, Maryland and various other neighboring localities. Mara Salvatrucha operates very similarly to their East-Coast counterparts in southern states such as Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Florida and Louisiana. On the West Coast in states such as California (San Andreas) Oregon and Washington the Mara Salvatrucha operates in a much less violent manner, being much more focused on money than extreme violence. Though this is not to say that the Mara Salvatrucha in Los Angeles is in any way tame. In 2018/2019 members of the Mara Salvatrucha's Fulton Locos clique in North Hollywood were indicted for a killing spree that its members committed, in which it was found out that the culprits to the various brutal, medieval style murders were members of the MS-13's 503 Branch and were absorbed into the street gang's ranks in Los Angeles. The 503 Branch in Los Angeles is worlds different to the traditional Mara cliques you'll find in East Hollywood and Little Seoul. 503 Mareros believe in more violence and shocking brutality, while they for the most part don't condone rape, some of them do. Other MS-13 cliques in LA that aren't part of the 503 Branch are part of what's called the Los Angeles program, which is the governing body for MS-13 cliques in California. It's led via a coalition of MS veterans who call the shots for their respective cliques and by a Ranflero who commands them all. MS-13 in California don't pay dues to MS-13 in Central-America as it is commonly believed either. The Mara clicks on the Westcoast of the US don't see eye to eye with their counterparts in El Salvador, and instead hate and despise them. As far back as 2006 MS-13 had already stopped sending money to El Salvador. MS cliques in California are also distinct in that they're generally the most respected and organized cliques of the MS-13 gang. Members of MS-13 cliques based in Los Angeles who end up in Central America usually end up being absorbed MS-13 into cliques in their home countries that are named after Los Angeles streets. Additionally, many MS-13 cliques from LA have become so organized that they basically operate as gangs within the gang. This is seen in the Normandie Locos Salvatruchas clique, which has members all over the United States and in Latin America. Many members of the Normandie Locos communicate with members from neighbouring states and countries and this is generally seen with most other LA based MS-13 cliques. Along with this, many Los Angeles based Mara Salvatrucha cliques operate worlds differently from their counterparts in Central America and even in other states. This is mainly seen in how the gang in California has very strict rules about the way its members are to conduct themselves. Members of the MS-13 in California are required to pay a monetary fee to their clique's leadership simply for their membership in the gang, rape isn't tolerated, drive-by's are disallowed, disrespect towards members of the gang and their family members/loved ones aren't tolerated and additionally members are also barred from using drugs or alcohol on any day that isn't part of a weekend or holiday among other rules. Some rules are less enforced and will only end in a punishment that usually consists of a beating. However, if more rules are broken or a more serious rule is broken, harsher penalties are imposed on the offending gang member. These penalties can include additional monetary fees given to the clique's leadership, removal from the clique, beatings that sometimes include weapons such as bats and bladed weapons and in the worst cases, death. Additionally the Mara Salvatrucha in California is much more Americanized in that many of their Los Angeles based cliques accept females into their gangs as fully affiliated members. Mareras in Los Angeles are very rarely sexed in and are generally jumped in members. They're usually more vicious, cold and calculating than their male counterparts. This is due to the cold hearted nature of the street gang, females within the gang are expected to take up male roles that include murders, kidnappings, extortions and other violent crimes. Additionally, females within various MS-13 cliques take up support roles aswell, usually serving as a clique member's girlfriend or wife, sometimes even assisting with monetary issues for the clique, such as keeping track of which member owes which sum of money to the clique's higher leadership. Although, some Los Angeles cliques seldom accept women and prefer to operate much more like their El Salvadoran counterparts. This is especially seen with cliques that recruit a higher percentage of 'paisa' type individuals. One clique that operates like a Salvadoran MS-13 gang in Los Angeles is the Fulton Locos, who are are said to be the most vicious MS-13 clique in the San Fernando Valley area. The Mara Salvatrucha in Los Angeles (Los Santos) and some other West Coast states are also much more prone to the extreme use of tattoos than their Eastcoast and Central American counterparts. The gang in Los Angeles doesn't experience the same need to hide their tattoos as the gang does in other parts of the state. This is mainly because many MS-13 members on the West Coast are the American-Born children of people from Central America, as opposed to being illegal immigrants and thus, can't be sent back to Central America where their tattoos would put them in grave danger. However, gang bylaws in Los Angeles dictate that the usage of tattoos amongst the gang has to be earned. For an MS-13 member, every single tattoo they get is supposed to have a meaning, usually consisting of an act committed for the benefit of the MS-13 gang. Tattoos above the neck however, are rare for MS-13 members in Los Angeles. Face tattoos are also still commonplace amongst some MS-13 cliques such as the Normandie Avenue Locos. INSET; V.SUR13 (Varrio Surenos 13) crossed out by MS-13 NLS (Mara Salvatrucha Normandie Locos) (Image taken in Koreatown, Los Angeles) Relations between Chicano Barrios (Surenos) and Salvadoran Barrios (Maras) The relations between Central Americans and Mexicans has for the most part been shaky for years. Some Chicano gangs to this day will refuse to accept those with Central American roots into their street gangs and most of the time also refuse to accept those born in Mexico. In these gangs' most prominent eras, they were known for discriminatory actions against the Central American population, thus causing criminal elements throughout the Salvadoran community such as the Mara Salvatrucha Stoners to viciously fight back against them, usually employing much more violent and heartless tactics than their Mexican counterparts. This rivalry became worse tenfold when a Salvadoran woman was sexually assaulted by a Chicano street gang. This caused the Mara Salvatrucha to become even more violent and even to start engaging in sex crimes against the rival gang's members. As a result of these factors, most members of Sureno gangs either fear or deeply despise the Mara Salvatrucha, they see them as nothing but abominations. Many Sureno gangs would much prefer a Norteno street gang to pop up in their community, than an MS-13 or 18th Street offshoot. While 18th Street is a lot less disliked than MS-13 in terms of their relationship with Sureno street gangs, they're also the universal enemies of just about all Mexican-American barrios throughout the United States. On the other side of the coin, to the Maras, especially to MS-13, the Surenos are looked at as puppets and hypocrites. This has caused some MS-13 cliques to go out of their way to specifically target Mexican-Americans for their crimes. This is despite the fact that in Southern California the Mara Salvatrucha and 18th Street are formally labelled as Surenos. The Mexican Mafia's relationship with the Maras is different to their relationship with the Surenos, despite the Mexican Mafia's ranks mainly being comprised of Surenos. In Los Angeles, the Mara Salvatrucha and 18 gangs are beholden to the Mexican Mafia, where they pay extortionate fees for their protection in state prisons and also for permission to sell drugs and commit crimes in their territories. It is likely that without the Mexican Mafia's influence, MS-13 wouldn't exist in Southern California. It's a symbiotic relationship which is based upon an uneasy alliance of convenience which was formed in the 1990's as a result of the Mexican Mafia's attempts to stop the Salvadorans vs Chicanos conflict in the streets. In order to fully understand the conflict between traditional Surenos & The Maras, one must look into the lore of the Salvadoran barrios of Los Angeles. Both sides believe that they're in the right, both sides believed that one side is better than the other, both sides harbor intense ammounts of hatred towards eachother. This is shown by how most Mexican gang members dislike MS-13 and even claim to be 'MSK' (Mara Salvatrucha Killers), even those in the most southern parts of Los Angeles and even in San Diego where there's close to no MS-13 presence. MS-13 are universally hated and despised by close to 90% of Sureno gangs, along with distrusted and labelled as nothing more than rapists who seek to target Mexican-American women and drag them away to be violently raped. MS-13 do indeed target Mexican-American and Mexican women at times. 18th Street does the same thing. Exactly like how some Surenos like to target Salvadoran, Honduran and Guatemalan women. While MS-13 are formerly classified as Surenos and some even proudly admit to being part of the Sureno program, others despise Surenos and see MS-13 as something more. An organization that's not UNDER the Mexican-Mafia, but instead on their level. MS-13 sees their alliance with the Mexican-Mafia as one of convenience, not one that's entirely needed. MS-13 feeds the Mexican Mafia with drug money and kills for them when they ask, all in exchange for protection while locked up in San Andreas state prisons. A similar fate to what the 18th Street Gang experienced to a lesser extent. How to roleplay as a resident living in a Mara's territory & Joining a Mara If you intend to create a character that lives in a Mara territory, Decide early what kind of person you want your character to be along with how old he/she is going to be. (If you wish for your character to eventually be inducted into a Mara, he/she MUST be a teenager in most cases, there's usually no exceptions. If not? You can pick whatever age you'd like). First off decide what nationality you want your character to be from. A gang like Ms-13 or 18th Street is more likely to accept almost any central american nationality, aswell as Mexicans and in some cases, Blacks, Whites and Asians, but that'd require much more development on the joining member's part. Decide aswell on your background story and your character's personality traits. If he/she's Latino, Are your character's parents illegal? Is your character himself or herself illegal? Does he or she speak English? Or just Spanish? As for why your character would want to join a gang? Well here are the main reasons teenagers anywhere join street gangs, among other reasons. Kids that want to be or feel tough Kids that want to be respected Kids that want to feel loved or needed Kids that want to be apart of something bigger than them Kids with broken families or mental issues Kids that want to be feared by other people They love feeling like they're powerful Kids and Teenagers with these personality traits and similar personality traits are more likely to join a street gang or a Mara than a sheltered boy who knows nothing about street gangs or the way they operate. Most of these teenagers come from broken homes and have had some sort of traumatic event happen to them or somebody they know at some point in their lives. They often have little to no actual parent figures at home and thus turn to the streets and to the Maras searching for some sort of surrogate family. Moving on, your character should 60% of the time be from the same neighbourhood as the Mara that you wish to have your character become apart of, the only real exception to this is if your character came from Central America or Mexico years beforehand as a young child. Nobody is gonna go through a move from Chicago or Miami to the slums of Los Santos just to get affiliated to a street gang when he/she arrives, that's senseless and a shitty, lazy way of portraying a character. They'd most likely attend local schools with gang members. As a teenager from the ghetto, your character (Even non affiliated) would most likely very vividly understand the street gang culture that goes on within the neighbourhood, he'd hear shots and sirens at night, he'd see drunken cholos hanging out in alleyways and at the park. He'd know which gang is which, what their graffiti looks like aswell as who they don't get along with, where their territory is located and he'd most likely know exactly how the area he lives in is carved up when it comes to street gangs. It's not meant to be HARD for people to become affiliated to a Mara, but it's best you dont approach leading members with face tattoos straight like that, you're not gonna get any respect that way. Instead, befriend the members that are more around your character's age range. They're your character's key into the gang. If he or she plays their cards right, your character should very easily become a full blown gang member. A good idea and something great to roleplay would for your character to be a tagger, basically a member of a local tagger crew, a young cholo or chola. (You could either form a tagger crew IC with a couple of friends, or roleplay that your character is simply a lone tagger/graffiti artist.) He or she would most likely come into contact with the gang eventually and over time be jumped in, leaving his or her crew (If he/she is in one ofc) behind to become a member of whatever gang resides in his neighbourhood. Just know that your character doesn't actually have to kill anybody to become a valuable part of a Mara. MS-13 for example is heavily focused around money and they thrive through their drug sales. Yes, Maras are an extremely violent type of street gang, but that doesn't mean every single person that hangs out with or is affiliated with the gang is a murderous psychopath, which is why people need to consider WHAT they're gonna RP before they come IG and roleplay with the faction. 90% of young MS-13 and 18st members in LA haven't actually killed anybody yet, shot at them maybe. But not killed. Lastly, please don't try to carry your character as a hardened gangbanger right off the bat. It's okay to be a rowdy teenager that's extremely down for his or her gang, but keep it realistic. Your character isn't a killer yet, he/she's a teenager from the slums of LS who most likely hangs out with a local street gang. Your goal at this point should be to befriend members of a gang of your choice and over time work your way into the gang. This process could take days, weeks or even months. Depending on a variety of factors. Your ultimate goal is to show interest in the gang when possible and to work your way towards a jump in. The General Environment The type of areas and environments that spawn street gangs are usually riddled with broken homes, low income families and drug abuse. As mentioned before, your character has most likely experienced or is currently experiencing at least one, if not all of these issues. Most people in these neighbourhoods are generally very distrustful of the police and some may even fear calling the police or fear the police in general. Maybe out of fear of being deported or fear of retaliation from the local street gangs. It's highly recommended that you do some sort of research on neighbourhoods such as these, take Westlake/Macarthur Park, Mid City, Southern Koreatown (Pico Union / Rampart) and pretty much all of South Central Los Angeles as inspiration. You can find countless articles and stories about life in these neighbourhoods through a simple google search and it's highly recommended that you do. Not only are these neighbourhoods plagued with fear, drugs and crime but they're also heavily populated by undesirable people (Such as robbers, kidnappers, rapists and child molesters) who prey on people within said communities. Roleplay proper precautions when RPing in the ghetto, basically remember that your character is legit from one of the most violent neighbourhoods in Los Santos. He/she's not walking through Vinewood or Rockford Hills. Salvadoran/Central American slang: Chucho - Word that means 'dog'. Used amongst friends often. Maje - Means 'dude'. Used very often. Vergiada - A beating. Generally a rather intense one. Chivo – 'ok, fantastic, nice, amazing' Ba firme - Similar to the phrase 'yeah, aight'. It's what you'd say if you don't particularly believe what you're being told, or if you don't particularly have anything to say about what you're being told. Ba simon - Pretty much the same as the above. Pretty much what you say when you don't have anything to say, but you're letting the person know that you hear what they're saying. Abaya - 'Go away' Vaya pues - Literally tanslates to 'Go, then' Literally, “go then,” the expression is used in place of “okay.” Ahora - 'Now' Vicho or Vicha – 'Kid'. The word 'vicha' is used a lot amonst female Salvadorans. Cipote or Cipota – teenager or young person Puya – 'wow'. Pretty much expresses suprise. Casaca - 'Bullshit' Chero - A slang term referring to a close friend or ally. Desmadre - This is also used in Mexico, it means “chaos” or “disorder”, usually accompanied by the verb “armar” which means “to assemble”. So if you hear “armar un desmadre”, you're likely about to witness a complete shit-show. Dundo - Similar to “dumb” Seco - Translates as “dry” but is Salvadoran slang for someone skinny, and is said in a light hearted manner. Cubreme - Cover me Marero - A gangster. In LA the word Marero refers to an MS-13 member, in Central-America and Mexico the word Marero refers to a gang member in general. Morra - A woman. Generally a dumb one Que haces / Que haciendo - 'What's going on' or 'What are you doing?' Q'vo - A greeting. It's like saying 'Hello' or 'Sup' Cabal - 'Exactly!' Vos - 'You' Que pedo - What's up (Example: Que pedo con vos? = What's up with you?' Pedo - Despite being used in the phrase 'que pedo', the word pedo has several meanings in Spanish. Most use the word to refer to an issue, a problem. (Example1: I've got pedo with that fool over there = I've got a problem that guy over there, I wanna do something about it) or an ongoing beef (Example2: North Rancho? Nah, that's Aztecas hood. We've got pedo wit them = North Rancho? No, That's a rival territory, we're involved in a beef with them) Tunco - pig; usually refers to a part of a butchered pig. Turco - derrogative term used to call Palestinians who migrated to El Salvador. This term comes from Turkish (person who comes from Turkey), since they had a Turkish passport which they had to use to enter the country. Culero - Offensive and derogative term for a homosexual man (equivalent to f*g). Culío - Afraid Vá?! -Interjection meaning approximately, 'do you agree’ or simply stressing the affirmative statement to which it serves as an ending. Vergón - positive exclamation, an equivalent of the slang 'cool’. Puyar - To injure someone with a pointed and sharp object. Also, to speed up a vehicle or to urge someone to quicken its pace on doing something. Cuetear - The act of shooting someone; usually entails an official government agent (police, military) shooting, not usually used for gang shootings. Also popularly used by the pre-war generations as a threat: -te voy a cuetear- = “I’m going to shoot (cuetear) you.” Chota - Police, usually plural, as in 'la chota’ (the police). Aguacatero - Said of a dog. A stray dog or one considered inferior or of mixed breed; a mutt.

Hey I'm Safe & Sound, I've been playing this server over a span of a few months now and I'd just like to spark up the topic on gang factions on the server. I've noticed a lot of MCs and mafia factions on the forums, and they're doing what they do. They're all awesome at what they're doing, honestly, in the most genuine form. I noticed that a lot of those factions that are centralized around motorcycle clubs and crime organizations get accepted more than gang factions. I asked on discord why is that and I was told that faction management really analyzes the gang apps that are sent to them thoroughly. And looking at the faction forums now, I don't doubt that, but I do have questions. Recently, I've had a handful of friends who wanted to gather together and make a faction and it got denied because of the name "Rollin 100s" and there's no 100-199th Street in game. My leader replied to you guys and asked why was there a 20s, 60s and 40s to which Ethanol replied that it was a continuity error that's getting "fixed." Another friend of mine went on to try and make the Normandie clique for the Mara Salvatrucha 13 gang on here and the idea got denied because there isn't a place called "Normandie" in the game. The faction then went on to make their thread after something else "Tiny Winos." Again, this isn't a rant thread, but an assembly of questions with very intricate arguments. All I ask is that you hear me out. Due to administrative replies, we talked over it and decided to settle for something else. I just want my questions and ideals to be addressed before we go ahead and make something and get denied again. I understand that you guys want gangs to be centralized and based on real life LA gangs on here, I get that but what I don't get is why do the names always have to cater to in-game street names. There are countless gangs in real life that are named what they are named based on the gang's historical make up. For example, the Bounty Hunter Bloods are named that not because the Nickerson Garden Projects are named Bounty Hunters, but because the OGs that created liked old western cowboy movies and went on to name their gang "Bounty Hunters" which later went under the Blood identity in the 70s and early 80s. There are numerous Rollin 60s Crip gangs across the US in different cities and states that are located nowhere near a 60th Street, same with Grape Street Watts Crips and so on. The point of me writing all of that down is because I'm not arguing with your take on gangs and how they should be structured on your streets, but I don't believe they should be turned down either. I believe the story behind the gang is most important rather than the name. The street names in game simply don't identify with what some players on the server are trying to create, which is why we take names from real life gangs and use them for our factions. Referring back to what I said about my friend and the "Normandie clique for MS-13," I believe it could've been acceptable if their Normandie clique had a reasonable background as to why it would be called that. Another gang that was propose to your faction management team was 18th Street, it got denied because their is no 18th Street in game, yet in real life the "18" is spread out across different states and cities like the aforementioned gangs. And again, I don't believe it's a matter of location but a matter of thorough research and realistic exhibition of gang roleplay. For instance, the Rollin 100s Crip gang on here could've been could've been called Rollin 100s based on a different reason than that of the real life LA street gang. It'd be spin-off and a recreation at the same time. Not every two things has to match every time, just look at Grand Theft Auto V itself. It's based after LA obviously and parts of the map were manipulated by Rockstar Games to physically identify as LA, but was named something fictional to sell the idea of realism to the player. So why not do the same with the gangs as well? Make it look like the real life gang but with a different reasoning as to why the hood was created in a seemingly realistic faction story. I mean, we already have a Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crip and in the past we've had R20s Bloods and R40s Crips as well. The people I surround myself with actually enjoy playing GTA World, and would like to create an appealing gang roleplay community here. All I ask is for there to be a way for faction apps to be a bit more lenient to those who try to provide effort into creating their own gang on here? Especially if they've created their own story and did their own research on the gang, again referring to my MS-13 friend who has done tons of research on the MS-13 itself because of his intense interest in MS-13, 18th Street and Sureno gangs. It demotivates the likes of those with their own ideas of what they want to create. I mean, if faction management sees no reason to let us create these things, could there at least be some type of trial and error system in faction applications? Like sending the faction thread with a RP screenshot or some type of media to be sent with it to let the faction handlers see what point of view the faction's leader is coming from?