Civil war raged in El Salvador between 1980 and 1992. Many victims of the war fled as refugees to the United States, particularly Los Angeles. Young Salvadorean men from peasant backgrounds were often pushed around and humiliated on
Civil war raged in El Salvador between 1980 and 1992. Many victims of the war fled as refugees to the United States, particularly Los Angeles. Young Salvadorean men from peasant backgrounds were often pushed around and humiliated on the streets of Los Angeles by Mexican gangs who ridiculed the way they spoke Spanish, for example. Salvadorean youth organized and hit back, taking over some prominent formerly Mexican gangs and their rackets.
After the war, successive US administrations pushed young refugees with criminal records back to El Salvador. They then grafted onto street life in El Salvador violent elements of gang culture in Los Angeles. These gangs brought a level of violence to El Salvador that it had never experienced before. More people were being killed by homicide in many o