G A N G S
Crip History 1970
Crip History 1980
Lynwood Gang Unit circa 1980's
  Wes McBride on   Street Gangs '80's
  Holidays in the Hood
  Florencia  13
  Mara Salvatrucha
Gangs and the Courts
What Really Happened during the 1992 Riots
      LASD OSS vs LAPD CRASH
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• Photo of various "Florencia 13" gang members was taken sometime in early 1970's at the bank building at Florence Ave & Holmes Ave. This photo was used in a number of trials and sentencing hearings to prove that the suspect or subject was an active gang member.

• 2nd Row: Michael Contreras, aka Oso, is shown with his arm around his longtime homeboy, Tommie Lozano, aka Smiley. Oso later murdered Smiley executionstyle by shooting him in the face with a rifle. The FPK Gang Unit convinced the only eyeball witness, Oso's ex-girlfriend, to testify in the Prelim and tried to get her to move away, but she refused. Oso's new girlfriend (Terry Estrada) and her brother killed the witness before the trial started and Oso walked on that one.

• Somebody told Speedy that he better watch out because he was apparently next on the list, because Oso had his other arm around him. He didn't like our gallows humor.

• We knew that Oso was good for a number of211/187's of mostly illegal alien victims in the North End, but could not find any witnesses that would testify. We figured he was good for at least 12 gang-related and 211-related homicides in the Florence district and other locations. A very bad dude, who was feared by his fellow gang members because of his lust for killing. At one point, he told the exgirlfriend that he knew the personal vehicles, and habits, of the Gang Unit dep's and was going to take action against them. Oso was one of the few people that we took seriously, re: death threats.) He is presently in Pelican Bay for the 187 of a Cudahy apt house manager, which was committed in front of the viet's wife and child.

• Oso was a close friend of Trinidad Iglesias, who murdered Dep. Gary Saunders, and according to his letters, admired Trini for what he did. Oso stated many times, both verbally and in writing, that he wanted to kill cops and judges.
Michael "OSO" Contreras