But over the years what distinguished 18th Street was its inclusiveness. Other Chicano gangs active in Southern California tended to reject anyone who wasn’t Mexican American, including would-be members born in Mexico. The gangsters from 18th Street welcomed immigrants and cultivated a more ecumenical Latino identity. This wasn’t exactly a matter of altruism: 18th Street grew faster, and more fearsome, than most of its rivals; its members went on to call it La Grandota—the big one.
