Hillside Rifa

Hillside Rifa is a Mexican American street gang mainly situated in East Las Colinas, Los Santos. It originates from the Las Colinas Rifas, one of the oldest gangs in Los Santos, formed in the early ‘60s within East Las Colinas.
== History ==
=== Las Colinas Rifas ===
The Las Colinas Rifas was formed by Jose Gutierrez' father, Jose Omar Gutierrez in the early ‘60s. The gang was founded by Omar and a multiple other people, who wanted to protect the Chicano community. They started off, looking to protect and earn money, as most businesses would not accept Mexican workers due to racial hate. Soon after their founding, they started conflicts with an African-American gang in Jefferson, that was looking to extend its turf. The groups brawled against eachother, eventually Omar’s group knocked all the African-American. 
A few years later, narcotics were introduced for trade, by an unknown source. People began selling and the authorities had began noticing, police began getting more tough, some even beating people up and stealing the drugs for themselves. The Chicano community of East Las Colinas had erupted at this time, and were all being treated badly by the police. After a while, the gang began getting hold of firearms, and used them for protection from the police, and nearby gangs. Since then, multiple riots in the area have broken out in which the army has been brought in to hold back. After that, riots just kept going, and not from just Mexican communities nearby, but also African-American communities. After the riots, the police realized they couldn't stop them and decided to instead back out and try different methods. By this time every person in each community had guns.
It was the early 1980s, Gangsta-funk music had become a hit in Chicano and African-American neighbourhoods. And the newly created rap/hip-hop was rising in popularity, drive-by shootings occurred all the time, guns being more popular than brawls. More deaths began happening and when it reached the late 80s, the police decided to take action by putting an helicopter to patrol the gang neighbourhoods, which never did anything. By January 1989 the Las Colinas Rifas disbanded after Jose Omar left the United States because of the police trouble.
=== Hillside Rifa ===
A small amount of time took to the trio to unite their friends into one gang, that they named "Hillside Rifa". They gained togheter individuals in their late teens and early twenties that didn't manage to get respect inside the old gang, Las Colinas Rifas, but they managed to do it in their new gang.
By the time the gang started its activity, their main activities included carjacking, arms dealing, drug dealing, kidnapping, robbery, burglary and vandalism. They later expanded their activities, starting a bloodshed with many rival gangs around their territory.
Shortly after its founding the Hillside Rifa started to gain notoriety around eastern Los Santos.
In the present day the gang is still notorious, though as with smaller amount of members, due to the riots that occurred in 1992.
== Identification ==
Hillside Rifa members identify themselves from others through various gang indicators such as colors, clothing, symbols, tattoos, graffiti, language, and hand signs. Black is the color the Hillside Rifa represents. The members oftenly tattoo themselves with the words "Hillside" and "La Rifa" and with the number 18. In their graffiti the number 18 gets used very often, as their representative number. 
== Hierarchy ==
The Hillside Rifa has a loose structure. The gang is controlled by the OGs, that consist out of a shotcaller and two lieutenans. The muscle of the gang are the footsoldiers, who are just regular members.
Category:Street gang
Category:Mexican American Street Gang
Category:Chicano Street Gang
Category:Illegal Faction