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Telling Apart Gang Tag from Non-Gang Tag I grew up near a public parking lot. Over time, I learned to decipher the meaning of characters used in tagging. The orthodoxies detailed in this article are mostly are those of Southern California Latino gangs. They are illustrated using a fictitious gang, the Lokal Kidz 13. ___ ___ ___ Note the arrow pointing downward, or "south." ___ ___ CLEANUP 1. Do it in broad daylight. 2. Do it quickly. 3. Have a buddy, if possible. 4. Pay attention to who is coming down your block in the process. 5. Use only the amount of equipment that you are able to pack up in a hurry-- in case you have to. If you want to get smart, go to your local tienda, buy some religious iconography (even a poster will do) and place them prominently upon your wall or other surfaces. SoCal bangers, in general, do not tag over religious iconography. It worked at my place growing up, and it could work for yours! Another note: gangs are very iconoclastic, in both senses of the word: they object to and destroy offensive iconography, and they do it due to a maniacal dedication to their beliefs. Even things that allude to or contain part of the rival gang's name are subject to defacement. For example, in the mid-2010s, the Frogtown Artwalk in Northeast LA was starting up, and it attempted to get its name out there by painting a mural under one of the bridges in Atwater, depicting frogs and other wildlife in their habitat. I didn't like that they did it on a historic concrete bridge, but utilitarian-wise it was nice-looking. Two local gangs, Toonerville Rifa, didn't think so. They defaced the mural because, to them, it was emblematic of--and an allusion to--the Frogtown gang, their common rival. Laaaaaame. Be eyeballs out there, folks. From our reader Steven:
Q: What happens if non-bangers tag in gang territory? A: They could be assaulted or killed on sight. Other more "forgiving" bangers may demand that you pay a tax or join the gang in order to tag in the barrio.
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June 2020
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