38th Street Gang - History

History

Founded in the 1920s, the 38th Street gang dates back to the pachucos and zoot suits and was formed in the borderline between South Central and the city of Vernon. 38th Street gang became well known in the 1940s in the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial. Sleepy Lagoon was a popular swimming hole in what is now East Los Angeles. A Mexican juvenile named Jose Diaz was killed there in 1942, and members of the 38th Street Mexican gang were arrested and charged with murder by the Los Angeles Police Department.

All five of the gang members were convicted and sentenced to prison. These convictions ultimately united the Mexican community and changed Mexican gangs. The jail sentences also acted as a glue to unite the Mexican community in a common cause, a fight against class distinction based on prejudice and racism, a fight against the establishment. The 38th Street gang members cause continued in prison. They maintained their dignity and demonstrated a type of gang pride and resolve never seen before. The street gang members especially held them in high esteem. On October 4, 1943, the convictions of the gang members were overturned and the gang members were allegedly welcomed back to their communities as heroes.

Shortly after "Sleepy Lagoon", the newspapers were said to have exaggerated the headlines about the gang that wore zoot suits and created war-time hysteria and prejudice against the Mexican-American community. Many Mexican-Americans from the segregated parts of town were attacked by sailors and members of other branches of the United States military. The military personnel felt Zoot Suiters were not contributing to the war effort and were wasting valuable resources by dressing so flamboyantly. Sailors also attacked innocent Hispanic civilians. After the riots and because of international criticism, the city council adopted a resolution that banned the wearing of zoot suits on Los Angeles streets. It also banned sailors from going to Los Angeles on leave. 38th street is often credited for starting a new style of dress: during the time the Sleepy Lagoon defendants were incarcerated, their prison-issue clothes were deliberately oversized, with the intention of drawing ridicule from Anglo inmates and prison staff. However, the Sleepy Lagoon defendants maintained their clothing well, cleaning and ironing it.