Full Name: Clanton 14th Street
Also Known As: Clanton Street, Eastside Clanton 14, Westside Clanton 14
Founded: Early 1920s
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Affiliation: Sureño
Numbers & Symbols: 14, C14, CX14
Colors: Blue
Historic Areas: East Side Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles, Mid-City, Pico-Union/Westlake, Hollywood, North Hollywood
Rappers: Bugsy 100
Clanton 14, also known as Clanton Street or Barrio Clanton 14, is one of the oldest Mexican-American street gangs in Los Angeles. The gang traces its origins to Clanton Street, located between San Pedro Street and Central Avenue. When the city renamed the street 14th Place during the 1950s, the Clanton name remained attached to the neighborhood, and members adopted the number 14 as part of the gang’s name.
Clanton 14 formed during the early era of Los Angeles barrio gangs and later became connected to two major developments in Southern California gang history: the Mexican Mafia (La Eme) and the formation of the 18th Street Gang.
The gang became part of the broader Sureño structure while maintaining the number 14, which originated on its original street rather than in the Norteño movement of Northern California.
While 18th Street expanded into one of the largest Los Angeles-born street gangs, Clanton 14 remained concentrated in a smaller number of neighborhoods connected to its original Eastside foundation and later chapters throughout Los Angeles.
Origins on Clanton Street
Clanton 14 traces its origins to the early 1920s around Clanton Street in Los Angeles.
The gang formed during a period when Mexican-American neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles were developing their own street groups tied to local streets and communities. These early varrios became part of the foundation of Los Angeles barrio culture.
Clanton Street, located between San Pedro Street and Central Avenue, became the source of the gang’s name. Unlike many later gangs that adopted names based on housing projects, symbols, or numbers, Clanton’s name came directly from the street where it began.
The original Clanton territory extended through portions of Los Angeles, stretching from Olympic Boulevard in the north to Santa Barbara Avenue (later renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) in the south. The neighborhood centered around San Pedro Street and Central Avenue and existed alongside other early Los Angeles gangs, including Primera Flats 23rd Street.
Over time, the original Clanton area changed as residential blocks were replaced by commercial and industrial development. Despite those changes, the neighborhood remained the foundation of the Clanton name.
The Pachuco Era and Early Los Angeles Gang Culture
Clanton 14 developed during the rise of pachuco culture among Mexican-American youth in Los Angeles during the 1940s. The decade brought increased attention toward Mexican-American communities from law enforcement and the media. Clanton existed during the same period as the Sleepy Lagoon case in 1942 and the Zoot Suit Riots in 1943.
The Sleepy Lagoon case involved the death of José Díaz and the prosecution of Mexican-American youths accused in connection with the killing. The case became a major civil rights controversy because of concerns regarding discrimination, evidence, and the treatment of Mexican-American defendants.
The following year, the Zoot Suit Riots highlighted tensions between Mexican-American youth, military personnel, and law enforcement in Los Angeles. The violence reflected broader conflicts involving race, wartime attitudes, and public perceptions of pachucos. These events occurred during the same era that early Mexican-American street gangs were forming throughout Los Angeles.
The Creation of the Number 14 Identity
During the 1950s, the City of Los Angeles renamed Clanton Street as 14th Place. The street name changed, but the Clanton name remained, and members adopted the number 14. The number refers to Clanton’s original street and neighborhood. It does not originate from the Norteño movement in Northern California, even though Norteño gangs later adopted the number 14.
Clanton’s use of 14 predates the modern Norteño-Sureño division. The number developed from Clanton Street and 14th Place rather than Northern California gang politics. Although Clanton 14 later became associated with the Sureño structure, it continued using 14 instead of adopting the number 13 used by many other Southern California gangs.
Relationship With the Mexican Mafia (La Eme)
Clanton 14 has one of the earliest connections to the Mexican Mafia (La Eme) among Los Angeles street gangs.
Several Clanton members were among the Los Angeles street figures involved in the formation of the Mexican Mafia in 1957 at the Deuel Vocational Institution. The creation of La Eme changed the relationship between California prison gangs and street gangs, eventually influencing the development of the broader Sureño structure.
Because of this early connection, Clanton 14 became one of the historic Los Angeles gangs associated with La Eme. The gang’s use of the number 14 remained tied to Clanton Street and 14th Place rather than changing to the number 13 used by many other Southern California gangs connected to the Mexican Mafia.
Clanton’s early connection to La Eme placed the gang among the original Los Angeles varrios linked to the prison-based structure that later influenced Southern California gang politics.
The Formation of 18th Street
The creation of the 18th Street Gang is the most important turning point in Clanton 14’s history.
During the 1960s, a faction connected to Clanton 14 in the Pico-Union and Westlake area attempted to create a new clique known as Clanton 18th Street.
The split occurred during a period of demographic change in Los Angeles. New immigrant communities were settling in areas where older Mexican-American street gangs had already established neighborhood traditions. Members associated with the new clique sought a broader membership base than the traditional Clanton structure allowed.
After separating from Clanton 14, the faction became known as the 18th Street Gang.
The split created two gangs with shared origins but different paths. Clanton 14 remained centered around its established neighborhoods, while 18th Street expanded through independent cliques throughout Los Angeles and later across the United States and Central America.
The rivalry between the two gangs became one of the longest-running conflicts in Los Angeles gang history. Their connection remains unique because 18th Street developed from a faction within Clanton’s own history.
Expansion and Fragmentation
Following the split with 18th Street, Clanton 14 continued operating from its original Eastside base while establishing additional chapters throughout Los Angeles.
During the second half of the 20th century, many older Los Angeles gangs were affected by changes to the city’s neighborhoods. Freeway construction, redevelopment, industrial growth, and demographic shifts altered many communities where early varrios developed.
The original Clanton neighborhood around Clanton Street and 14th Place was among the areas affected by these changes. Parts of the original residential area became increasingly commercial and industrial, reducing the size of the traditional neighborhood.
Clanton later established chapters in areas including South Central, Mid-City, Pico-Union/Westlake, Hollywood, and North Hollywood. Each chapter developed its own rivalries and neighborhood relationships while remaining connected to the Clanton name.
Unlike 18th Street, which expanded through a large network of independent cliques, Clanton 14 remained concentrated in a smaller number of Los Angeles neighborhoods connected to its original Eastside foundation.
Territory & Neighborhoods
Clanton 14 developed from its original Eastside neighborhood into several chapters throughout Los Angeles. Some areas continued the original Clanton territory, while others developed later as members established Clanton neighborhoods in different parts of the city.
East Side Clanton 14
East Side Clanton is the original neighborhood where Clanton 14 was founded.
The gang began around Clanton Street, later renamed 14th Place, between San Pedro Street and Central Avenue. The area is now part of the Fashion District in Downtown Los Angeles. This neighborhood gave Clanton its name and remained the foundation of the gang’s history.
The original territory extended through the Eastside Los Angeles area, reaching from Olympic Boulevard in the north to Santa Barbara Avenue (later renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) in the south. The neighborhood centered around San Pedro Street and Central Avenue and existed alongside other early Los Angeles gangs, including Primera Flats 23rd Street.
Over time, the original Clanton neighborhood changed significantly. Residential blocks that once surrounded the area were replaced by commercial and industrial development, reducing the size of the traditional neighborhood. Despite those changes, Eastside Clanton remains the birthplace of the gang and the area that gave Clanton 14 its name.
South Central Clanton 14
South Central Clanton represents the continuation of the original Clanton territory after the historic neighborhood became divided over time.
The area lies east of the Harbor Freeway (I-110), extending from Maple Street to San Pedro Street between 30th Street and Jefferson Blvd. Unlike later Clanton chapters established in Mid-City, Hollywood, and the San Fernando Valley, South Central developed from the original Clanton foundation.
The construction of the Harbor Freeway (I-110) during the 1950s changed the geography of South Central Los Angeles by creating a physical divide between neighborhoods east and west of the freeway. The freeway separated parts of Clanton 14’s traditional territory and contributed to the development of distinct neighborhood areas within the gang.
The separation reinforced the difference between the original Clanton area and later South Central sections, including the Low Bottoms area. South Central Clanton developed alongside several neighboring gangs, including Varrio 36th Street, with conflicts occurring around overlapping neighborhoods such as the 32nd Street and Maple Avenue corridor.
South Central Clanton became associated with several streets and cliques connected to the Clanton name, including Maple Street Locos, Pee Wees (PWS), and Jokers (JKS). The neighborhood developed alongside other established Los Angeles gangs, including Ghetto Boyz, Varrio 29th Street, and Varrio 36th Street.
As the original Clanton territory became divided, South Central remained one of the areas where the Clanton name continued and developed its own neighborhood history.
West Side Clanton 14 (Pico-Union/Westlake)
West Side Clanton formed in the Pico-Union and Westlake areas of Los Angeles. The area became the birthplace of the 18th Street Gang after a faction separated from Clanton 14 during the 1960s. The split created a rivalry between the two gangs as both maintained a presence in the same area.
West Side Clanton also developed conflicts with nearby gangs, including Rockwood Street Locos, Drifters, and Crazy Riders, in the Rampart and Westlake areas. Clanton 14 also had a longstanding rivalry with Varrio Temple Street, one of Los Angeles’ oldest street gangs with roots dating back to the 1920s.
Their proximity in the Rampart and Westlake area contributed to a long-running neighborhood rivalry. Over time, Pico-Union and Westlake became dominated by several gangs, while the historic West Side Clanton presence declined.
Mid-City Clanton 14
Mid-City became Clanton 14’s first major chapter beyond the original Eastside neighborhood.
The chapter developed around Western Avenue near Pico Boulevard and Wilton Place, placing Clanton in another established section of Central Los Angeles. Unlike South Central Clanton, which developed from the original Eastside territory, Mid-City represented a separate neighborhood where members established a Clanton presence.
The Mid-City chapter emerged as members relocated and established a presence in a different part of Los Angeles. The area placed Clanton near several established gangs and within a section of the city known for overlapping neighborhood boundaries.
Mid-City Clanton operated near territory associated with the Rollin 20s Neighborhood Bloods. Its primary conflicts developed with surrounding Latino street gangs, including Playboys 13 and Mid-City Stoners.
Over time, Clanton’s presence in Mid-City declined as neighborhood conditions changed and surrounding gangs became more established in the area. Although its influence faded compared with earlier decades, Mid-City remains an important chapter in Clanton 14’s history because it marked the gang’s first major expansion beyond its original Eastside neighborhood.
Hollywood Clanton 14
Hollywood Clanton 14 developed as one of Clanton 14’s later chapters in Los Angeles. The clique established a presence around Normandie Avenue and Melrose Avenue, placing Clanton in a densely populated area with a long history of neighborhood street gangs.
Hollywood Clanton maintained the Clanton name while developing local rivalries with surrounding gangs. The chapter operated in an area where multiple gangs claimed nearby neighborhoods, creating conflicts connected to territory and long-standing disputes.
Hollywood Clanton 14 has historically rivaled La Mirada Locos 13, Temple Street, 18th Street, and Rockwood Street Locos. The Hollywood chapter shows how Clanton 14 expanded beyond its original Eastside neighborhood while remaining connected to the name that originated on Clanton Street.
North Hollywood Clanton 14
North Hollywood became one of Clanton 14’s most established chapters outside the original Eastside neighborhood.
The chapter developed as Clanton members established a presence in the San Fernando Valley. Like other older Los Angeles gangs, Clanton expanded into new communities as members relocated and formed neighborhood-based groups.
North Hollywood Clanton operated within the Valley’s competitive gang environment and developed rivalries with nearby gangs, including North Hollywood Locos 13, Vineland Boys 13, Pico Nuevo 13, Radford Street 13, and Barrio Van Nuys.
The relationship between North Hollywood Clanton 14 and North Hollywood Boyz became one of the more notable local connections in the Valley. The two groups shared common interests in the area and were involved in conflicts with rival neighborhood gangs.
A 2010 shooting involving Clanton 14 member Tony Murillo brought attention to the North Hollywood chapter after a confrontation connected to a graffiti dispute. The case reflected the importance of neighborhood reputation and territorial conflicts among San Fernando Valley gangs.
North Hollywood remains one of Clanton 14’s longest-standing chapters outside the original Eastside neighborhood.
Pacoima Turf Conflict
Clanton 14’s expansion into the San Fernando Valley also contributed to conflicts with established Pacoima-area gangs.
A documented conflict involved members of Clanton 14 and rival Valley groups, including Pacoima Brownstone Locos and Paxton Street Locos. The disputes developed as Clanton established a presence in an area where existing gangs already maintained long-standing neighborhood identities.
The Pacoima conflicts demonstrated the challenges faced by older Los Angeles organizations when establishing new chapters in communities with established street organizations.
Allies & Rivals
The rivalry between Clanton 14 and 18th Street is one of the most significant conflicts in Clanton’s history. The two gangs share a direct historical connection, but their relationship became defined by decades of rivalry as 18th Street expanded throughout Los Angeles and Clanton maintained its own neighborhood chapters. Other historical rivals include Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), The Avenues, and Toonerville Rifa.
Local Chapter Allies & Rivalries
Individual Clanton 14 chapters developed their own rivalries based on local geography and surrounding gangs.
Mid-City Clanton 14 has historically rivaled Playboys 13 and Mid-City Stoners. Although the chapter operated near territory associated with the Rollin 20s Neighborhood Bloods, its primary conflicts are with surrounding Latino street gangs.
Hollywood Clanton 14 has historically rivaled La Mirada Locos 13, Temple Street, 18th Street, and Rockwood Street Locos.
North Hollywood Clanton 14 has a close alliance with the North Hollywood Boyz and is a rival of several San Fernando Valley gangs, including North Hollywood Locos 13, Vineland Boys 13, Pico Nuevo 13, Radford Street 13, and Barrio Van Nuys.