the golden age of gang graffiti

When these photographs of Chicano "placas" (wall writing) were made in the early 1970s gangs and their graffiti were a mysterious presence that few understood -- if they were aware of them at all. In the thirty plus years since the popular media and entertainment industry have repeatedly spotlighted the subject to the point that the gangsta culture has become a pervasive part of our society.

The original gangster graffiti of this period was of a purer form than that seen today, with much emphasis on artistic flourishes. These pieces could last for years in the days before municipalities instituted aggressive graffiti removal programs that quickly remove them from view -- often overnight.

This is, of course, still vandalism but from an earlier and more innocent time

picture number 2: This is a field guide to the street gangs of Los Angeles. It was distributed to law enforcement officers about 25 years ago but most of the information is applicable to the photographs in this set, which date from the early 1970s. The author and publisher is Mike Poirier and it is compiled from information gathered for a Master's project.

One of L.A.'s oldest gangs, "Clanton 14" takes its name from the former Clanton Street, now renamed 14th Place. Several variations on the "C 14" theme are seen here. It should be noted that the number 14, as used here, has nothing to do with Northern California. Probably sometime in the mid 1970s inmates of the state prison system from Northern California adopted the number 14 to differentiate themselves from their bitter rivals from Southern California, who were generally associated with the number 13.

Although the old Clanton 14 neighborhood has been fractured by freeway construction and urban renewal the gang still exists.

Text written by Kid Deuce

Photos by Kid Deuce