The number combination 23/16 is a numerical symbol used by White Supremacists, particularly common on the West Coast. It is associated with the well-known #Peckerwood gang.
Using number-to-letter substitution, 23/16 corresponds to the letters W and P (White Power). Occasionally, the number 23 appears on its own as a more condensed version. Sometimes the combination is written as 16/23, in which case it is generally intended to refer to the Peckerwood group discussed previously, whose initials are also represented by the letters P and W.
The term “peckerwood” has historically been used to describe the American South, particularly people from poorer and less-educated rural areas. The term gained popularity in the Deep South during the early twentieth century and was intended as a derogatory term for people from those regions.
“Peckerwood” is a reversal of the name of the “woodpecker,” specifically referencing the red-bellied woodpecker, which has a red crest extending over the back of its head and neck. The term therefore evokes the idea of a redneck or “red-necked bird.” Both of these terms, which have been used to describe similar groups of people, reflect forms of derogatory social division among White Americans, effectively creating distinctions between groups of Whites based on characteristics such as perceived intelligence, the perceived purity or legitimacy of their identity, and the authenticity of their ancestry. This has included labels such as “trailer trash” and “white trash,” although neither category appears historically to have a direct connection to the specific term “peckerwood.”
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