A Florencia 13 gang member sprays graffiti on a garage in Florence-Firestone, an unincorporated neighborhood north of Watts. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
Shortly after a graffiti removal painter has covered graffiti on the garage door a Florencia 13 member sprays more on a wall. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
Martin Magdaleno, who works for a graffiti removal company, prepares to paint over graffiti on the side of the garage. Florencia 13 has battled the East Coast Crips, a black gang, for years. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
Magdaleno paints out graffiti. What many residents call a race war comes as Florence-Firestone is beginning to rebound from a prolonged economic depression that began with the Watts riots in 1965. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
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A Florencia 13 member takes a can of spray paint from Magdaleno’s truck. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
As Magdaleno finishes covering Florencia 13 graffiti on the wall, fresh graffiti has already appeared on the garage door he had painted moments before. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
