The Southern California 80s hardcore scene was many things, and part of it was rooted in gang culture. Being from Venice, claiming Suicidal Punx was a natural thing, but I always thought of it as more of a family than a gang. The hardcore scene was mainly a white middle-class world, but for the Westside Punx, many of us did not have the money that Hollywood, Valley, or Beverly Hills Punx did. So dressing like a cholo was not something we did as a fashion statement, it’s what we wore because that’s all we could afford. Out of any punk gang, I would say the LADS, aka Los Angeles Death Squad, was our nemesis. I won’t front, the two crews would fight, but the fact that we were all punks unified us in a weird way. The LADS also like to dress like cholos, as you can see from the photos below.
All photos via LADS
