In East LA, a group of deputies named the Banditos stand accused of running the sheriff’s substation like a gang, institutionalizing a culture of fear and retaliation. And while they’re intimidating civilians and colleagues alike, they may be protected by the very top of the department. 

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The Compton Executioners allegedly control every aspect of life at the LASD Compton substation. Gang members have been accused of assaulting fellow deputies and even killing civilians, claiming, often without evidence, that they were acting in self-defense. And although they’ve faced several lawsuits, somehow, the Executioners have evaded prosecution — and any accountability.

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By the 1850s, Los Angeles was one of the most dangerous places to live in the West. Extrajudicial killings, unchecked racial violence, and vigilante groups like the Los Angeles Rangers prevailed. This “Wild West” culture seeped into and was propagated by the Sheriff’s Department — and it hasn't gone away.

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The community of Lennox in Los Angeles is just one square mile, but it has an enormous problem. Alongside violent gang activity, there’s a secret organization adding terror to the neighborhood. Their symbol? The Grim Reaper. Their ranks? Los Angeles sheriff's deputies. 

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Deputy gangs have been embedded in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department since 1971. In the first of our five-part collaboration with Parcast series Kingpins, we delve into the earliest of these violent gangs that shaped the current culture within the LASD.

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The group staged a violent uprising in 1900, determined to rid Imperial China of foreign influence. It later became known as the Boxer Rebellion. Western diplomats and Chinese Christians were forced to defend themselves against the militants, while an international alliance moved to counter-attack… 

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In the late 1800s, groups of working-class Chinese citizens became frustrated by their dire economic straits and the rampant Western influence over their country. They formed a revolutionary secret society, and resolved to reclaim China for themselves.

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In 1919, the Thule Society led a revolt against the communist government that had taken control of Munich. In the shaky political aftermath, Thulists joined a new fascist political party, and influenced a burgeoning dictator: Adolph Hitler.

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Before there were the Nazis, the Thule Society sprang up as a secret order dedicated to Aryan superiority. Followers of Thule believed the future of Germany lay in returning to the past and practicing the magic of the old Norse gods.

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Since the dawn of the internet, the ONA and it's non-religious counterpart, the Dreccian Way, have exploded across the world. Dozens of white-supremacist groups have adopted the ONA's messages, with deadly results.

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First founded by a mysterious figure in the 1960s, the O.N.A. has made it their mission to use black magic to create their white supremacist dreamworld.

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