Template:Short description Template:Pp-pc Template:Use mdy dates Template:About Template:Infobox Criminal organization
Norteños ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}, Template:Literal translation; Norteñas for females) are the various affiliated gangs that pay tribute to Nuestra Familia while in California state and federal correctional facilities.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Norteños may refer to Northern California as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. Their biggest rivals are the Sureños from Southern California.<ref name="LA Times">Template:Cite news</ref> As of 2008, the statewide north–south dividing line between Norteños and Sureños was regarded as running through the southern end of the Central Valley.<ref name="LA Times" /> The gang's membership consists primarily of Mexican Americans.
HistoryEdit
In 1968,<ref name="isbn1-59884-125-4">Template:Cite book</ref> Mexican American inmates of the California state prison system separated into two rival groups, Norteños (northerners)<ref name="Press Democrat">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Sureños (southerners), according to the locations of their hometowns. Norteños, affiliated with Nuestra Familia, were prison enemies of the Southern Latinos, who are composed of members and affiliates of La eMè, better known as the Mexican Mafia. While La eMè had initially been created to protect Mexicans in prison, there was a perceived level of abuse by members of La eMe towards the imprisoned Latinos from rural farming areas of Northern California.<ref name="Herald">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The spark that led to the ongoing war between Norteños and members of the Mexican Mafia involved a situation in which a La eMe member allegedly stole a pair of shoes from a Northerner. This event put into motion the longest-running gang war in the state of California and the founding of Nuestra Familia.<ref name="Herald" />
CultureEdit
Norteños use the number 14, which represents the fourteenth letter of the English alphabet, the letter N, in order to pay allegiance to Nuestra Familia.<ref name="Chronicle"/><ref>Barkan, S. E., & Bryjak, G. J. (2011). Fundamentals of criminal justice: A sociological view (2nd ed., p. 115). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Barlett Learning.</ref> It is sometimes written in Roman numerals as XIV, or a hybrid of Roman and Arabic numerals, X4. Norteños use the color red to signify affiliation.<ref name="Chronicle">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some Norteños will tattoo themselves with four dots.<ref name="Modesto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Norteños commonly use a whistle chirp, which is derived from Mexican rancho calls. These are also used by other gangs such as Surenos, Crips, and other groups in intercity areas. They are most often used to warn others about police activity in the area, but for the Norteños, they are mostly used to show affiliation. A Norteño could shout "shaooo," which is a common way to show affiliation for Norteños. A Norteño derogatorily refers to a Sureño as a "scrap" (Hispanicized scrapa) or "Sur rat" (south rat). Norteños also use images of the Mexican American labor movement, such as the sombrero, machete, and the logo of the United Farm Workers, which is a stylized black Aztec eagle ("Huelga bird").<ref name="Modesto" />
Criminal activityEdit
On January 9, 2005, in Ceres, California, in Stanislaus County, Officer Sam Ryno was the first to respond to a call about a man with a gun in front of George's Liquors. Andres Raya, a U.S. Marine on leave after serving in Iraq, was armed with an SKS rifle and opened fire on officers, hitting Officer Ryno and killing Sergeant Stevenson. Raya was shot dead some time later after he opened fire on SWAT team members.<ref>Finz, Stacy; Stannard, Matthew B. "Police shoot Marine dead after local sergeant is slain / Liquor store's video surveillance camera recorded shootout". January 11, 2005. San Francisco Chronicle.</ref>
Law enforcement officials claimed Raya had been involved in gangs for years prior to his signing up for military service. Modesto authorities discovered information during the investigation into the shooting that shows Raya was a Norteño gang member who was not involved in combat during his tour of duty in Iraq. A cooperative effort between local law enforcement, federal, and military agencies revealed a large amount of information about Raya in a short amount of time.<ref>New Information About Andres Raya and His Gang Affiliation Template:Webarchive, press release from City of Ceres (January 14, 2005)</ref>
In August 2013, a shooting done by a documented Norteño killed three people and wounded four others at Taco Choice, a Mexican restaurant and bar in Salinas, California. The gunman, 21-year-old Giovanni Pacheco, was sentenced to life without parole.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Operation Black WidowEdit
Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate the group, began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s. In 2000 and 2001, 22 members were indicted on Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges, including several who were allegedly serving as high-ranking gang leaders while confined in Pelican Bay State Prison in northern California.<ref name="Press Democrat"/> Thirteen of the defendants pleaded guilty; the other cases are still ongoing. Two of the defendants face the death penalty for ordering murders related to the drug trafficking. The largest of the federal investigations was Operation Black Widow.<ref name="Press Democrat"/> In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest-ranking leaders of the Norteños were transferred to a federal supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.Template:Cn
Goshen murdersEdit
On February 3, 2023, two alleged Norteño gang members, Noah David Beard and Angel "Nanu" Uriarte, were arrested for the January 16, 2023, murders of six people in Goshen, California. Among the six victims were a 16-year-old mother, Alissa Parraz, and her 10-month-old baby, Nycholas Parraz, both reportedly shot in the head. Surveillance video released by authorities showed the teenage mother running outside, placing the infant on the other side of a fence, then jumping over it herself. Authorities alleged that it was Beard who killed them. Both mother and son were found dead in the street, shot in the back of the head.<ref name="nyt-goshen">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>