Initiation
Mara Salvatrucha has members from all different ages from 11 to 40 years old. Many members join the gang at a young age because they think it will help them look tougher and get protect them from bullies. Most people who join gang are often live in poverty areas that are surrounded by other gangs in the neighborhood. They often join a clique to for protection and to no someone has their back, and with MS-13 being known as one of the most dangerous gangs in the world so they choose to join this gang so others are afraid. Recruitment of younger initiates is encouraged from within the gang as well, as the younger a person is, the harder it is to punish them traditionally in the judicial system. To get into the gang, you have to first know someone or have a family member who will talk you up to the current gang members so that they think you are the craziest and toughest person around. Once the gang agrees to give you a shot to let you prove you are as crazy as you say, you have to go through initiation. The first step to the process is being jumped in, which is where they endure a 13 second beating by one of the current gang members. If a girl wants to join she must be gang raped by six of the members. A reporter in Washington DC saw an 11-year old boy being jumped into MS-13, the reason he joined the gang way because he thought it would protect him from bullies in the rough neighborhood that he lived in. The jumped in process was 5 of the strongest members. They all stepped in a circle and beat the little boy until he was unconscious, while the other member counted to 13 very slowly.
While some gangs are a little meeker with the initiation and just do the jump-in process, some cliques are more intense. Since the gang is known to be one of the most violent gangs in the world, many go to more extreme levels at proving you can be a member of the gang. The gang loves to kill and perform violent acts on people. If you survive that brutal beating, you then have to prove you are crazy enough to do the most extreme violent acts. This means you have to kill, rape, or beat someone else in a brutal way to show you have no heart and will do anything for the gang. In Texas there was an incident where a MS-13 gang member told authorities that he had led the gang rape 24-year old women and then kicked her in the neck so hard that it killed her. This was the main process he had to go through to prove the gang he was crazy enough to be a member of MS-13.
Once a member is part of the gang, they have to be in it for life. They cannot do anything without the leader’s permission which is what they call the “boss”. They cannot kill without a reason, talk to the police, and skip meetings. The gang won’t allow you to drop out for any reason and will kill you if you try to escape. There was a 16-year old boy from Guatemala who was joined the gang when he was 14. He wanted out of the gang but the only way he thought he could be out was to travel to the United States to live with his aunt in Georgia. He begged to not be deported because he knew what would happen. Unmoved, authorities deported him regardless. Once he arrived in Guatemala, he hid in his grandma’s house for 10 days. After being locked up in his house he thought it would be safe to go out of the house, he didn’t even make is 5 blocks down the street before being killed by the gang. The only way to really escape MS-13 is by being killed by the gang.
While some gangs are a little meeker with the initiation and just do the jump-in process, some cliques are more intense. Since the gang is known to be one of the most violent gangs in the world, many go to more extreme levels at proving you can be a member of the gang. The gang loves to kill and perform violent acts on people. If you survive that brutal beating, you then have to prove you are crazy enough to do the most extreme violent acts. This means you have to kill, rape, or beat someone else in a brutal way to show you have no heart and will do anything for the gang. In Texas there was an incident where a MS-13 gang member told authorities that he had led the gang rape 24-year old women and then kicked her in the neck so hard that it killed her. This was the main process he had to go through to prove the gang he was crazy enough to be a member of MS-13.
Once a member is part of the gang, they have to be in it for life. They cannot do anything without the leader’s permission which is what they call the “boss”. They cannot kill without a reason, talk to the police, and skip meetings. The gang won’t allow you to drop out for any reason and will kill you if you try to escape. There was a 16-year old boy from Guatemala who was joined the gang when he was 14. He wanted out of the gang but the only way he thought he could be out was to travel to the United States to live with his aunt in Georgia. He begged to not be deported because he knew what would happen. Unmoved, authorities deported him regardless. Once he arrived in Guatemala, he hid in his grandma’s house for 10 days. After being locked up in his house he thought it would be safe to go out of the house, he didn’t even make is 5 blocks down the street before being killed by the gang. The only way to really escape MS-13 is by being killed by the gang.