The following local photographs represent Santa

Cruz criminal street gangs: Brown Pride Santa

Cruz (BPSC), Beach Flats Surenos (BFS), Santa

East Side (SES), Villa San Carlos (VSC), Mara

Salvatrucha (MS)

SANTA CRUZ

SUREÑO GRAFFITI

WHY GANG GRAFFITI IS DANGEROUS

The purpose of gang graffiti is to

glorify the gang. Gang graffiti is meant to create a

sense of intimidation and may increase the

sense of fear within a neighborhood.

Gang members use graffiti

to mark their territory or turf,

declare their allegiance

to the gang, and to challenge rivals.

Brown Pride Santa Cruz

Brown Pride is a Sureño criminal street that is

known as Brown Pride Santa Cruz or BPSC.

“Surcali” stands for Southern California which

is the strong-hold of Sureño criminal street

gangs in the state of California.

“NK” stands for “Norteño killer” and the two

lines crossing out the “N” is a sign of

disrespect towards Norteños. “BPSC” stands

for Brown Pride Santa Cruz and the “X3”

stands for the number 13.

Brown Pride Santa Cruz

Brown Pride Santa Cruz This drawing depicts a heart with

“SC” in it and a banner with Brown

Pride which symbolizes Brown

Pride- a Sureño gang.

SETS OF THREE

Note what appears to be three tear

drops on the bottom portion of the

cross and what appears to be three

candles at the bottom of the

drawing. Sets of three items are

commonly used by the Sureño

gang.

Beach Flats Sureños

The blue notebook with “BFS SUR” stands for Beach Flats

Sureños and Southern United Raza. “Raza” is the Spanish

word for race. “Beach Flats” is written on the sombrero (hat)

that the woman is wearing.

Depicted in the drawing is a

man behind bars in the Santa

Cruz county jail as written at

the top of the drawing.

The individual has a “1” and “3”

on his shoulders (13) and “NK”

(Norteño killer) on his right arm.

He also has 3 dots on his left

wrist. Written on his chest is SES

(Santa East Side) and “Sureño” is

on the bottom portion of his upper

torso. A tear drop is drawn

beneath his left eye.

Santa East Side (SES)

Santa East Side (SES)

“SC SES” stands for

Santa Cruz Santa East

Side – a local Sureño

criminal street gang. The

number 13 is their

numerical symbol

(bottom left photograph).

Santa East Side and SUR

along with the 3 dots were

written on the box that

appeared to have been made

in a woodshop class. “ES” on

the white shoes stands for

Santa East Side.

Villa San Carlos (VSC)

“Villa San Carlos” is a Sureño criminal street gang that

claims an apartment complex on Soquel Avenue as their

territory. Note the “N” in the word “San” is written

backwards and crossed out which is meant to be a sign

of disrespect towards Norteños.

13 is the numerical symbol for the Mexican Mafia which derives from

the 13th letter of the alphabet being the letter M. The Mexican Mafia is

the prison gang that controls the vast majority of the Sureño criminal

street gangs. The 3 dots is also a symbol for the Sureño criminal street

gang and can also mean “mi vida loca” or “my crazy life.” Sureños is

the Spanish word for southerner.

Typical Sureño Symbols

“Buster” is a derogatory term used towards Norteño criminal street

gang members/associates. The graffiti here says “Buster Free” meant

as both a threat to Norteños and as a claim to the area. 831 is the

area code for Santa Cruz.

Typical Sureño Symbols

“NK” stands for Norteño

killer. It is a saying

commonly used by Sureños.

The drawing depicting a broken,

falling star in conjunction with the

words “Stay Falling” is a sign of

disrespect towards Norteños. The

northern star is a symbol of the

norteño criminal street gang.

3 dots over two lines parallel

to one another in a horizontal

fashion represent the number

13 in the Mayan numerical

system. Each dot is equal to

one and each line is equal to

five.

“Sureño _13nk@” is an email address

used by an active participant of the

Sureño criminal street gang. Sureño is

the Spanish word for southerner, 13

being the numerical symbol for

Sureños and “NK” meaning “Norteño

killer.”

“Norteño killer” with the “n”

backwards and crossed out is a

sign of disrespect towards the

Norteño criminal street gang.

“I hate red it is so bad it is not cool” was written by an

active participant in the Sureño criminal street gang. It

should be noted that Sureños use the color blue and

Norteños use the color red.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU SEE THIS

KIND OF GRAFFITI IN YOUR CHILD/STUDENT’S

BELONGINGS?

• Talk to your child/student. Ask open-ended questions, listen with an open-mind.

Encourage an honest discussion.

• Ask questions to understand their level of involvement.

• Understand who is influencing them (friend, neighbor, relative) and set limits accordingly.

• Discuss the consequences and dangers of being in a gang .

Set clear expectations.

• Parents: talk to a teacher, school counselor or administrator at your child’s school and ask

them if they have noticed any changes. Make sure they are aware of your concerns.

Teachers: talk to the school counselor, administrator and to the student’s parents.

• Get your child/student involved in extra-curricular activities like sports, clubs, music,

volunteer work, etc. Make sure to have positive, fun family time.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU SEE THIS KIND

OF GRAFFITI IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? Within the City of Santa Cruz:

Call the Graffiti Hotline at 420-5303

24-hours a day, 7 days a week

Report graffiti tagging on public or private property within City limits

Call 911

If you see someone “tagging” or suspect vandalism is going to take place, do not hesitate to

call 911.

Adopt-A-Spot

Do you keep seeing the same pole on your street getting tagged? Get a free graffiti removal

kit as a volunteer for your home or work place. You can make a direct difference in your

community with the convenience of a no-hassle volunteer program. Call the hotline at 420-

5303 for more details about getting the free graffiti removal kit.

For more information:

www.basta.santacruz.k12.ca.us

Email: basta@santacruz.k12.ca.us