Street Gangs

This may be the wrong forum to discuss this, but I have always wondered about street gangs and their organization. We have all heard of "Bloodz" and "Crips" being the two large and dueling gangs throughout the country. My question is how does this gang start up somewhere and then pop up across the country. Also, is there any type of formal initiation, other than the alleged "rolling-in" of candidates? And are there any types of recogintions other than gang hand signs, like grips or passwords? I hope Im not giving these groups too much credit, but it seems strange how these two groups can pop up in every major metropolitian area with no connection to each other...or is this a strange occurance?


Steve

Blood and Crips are not a gang. It is largelly the two colors that many gangs use to represent themselfs. Blood = red, Crip = Blue. IE The two biggest gangs, or sets, were I grew up (Fresno, CA) were the "Bulldogs"(named after Fresno States mascot) and Pindale(which is really a small town in Fresno) both are Bloods, and both are enemies.

Gangs form by blocks, or a group of friends, yes sometimes there are "jump-ins", but mostly that was false info passed on to wannabe gangs that thought that was how the gangs out here did things(Cali). Gang signs aren't to show other members your one of them, they know their members, they are used to show other gangs who you represent, some probably have hand shakes, and most have tattoos.

These aren't like other orginizations where you go to the next town, show a tattoo or handshake and they let you sit in on their meetings. They were more likely to kill you.

No strange occurance, there are a few reasons why gangs copy each other, or seem to be the same. Its a fad. Just like lines in their hair, pegging your pant legs, rolling one leg up. Its cool, to them, movies like Colors and music groups like "Bloods & Crips" fueled the fire.

You are giving them to much credit. The aren't that orginized, and if they do sell drugs it's usually as the pushers(pushers are the street hustlers), in the 90's, the Mexican Mafia controlled most of the drug trafficing, and I've heard that Russian gangs(not street gangs but Mafia crime sydicates) started to move in. I've distanced myself from these people a long time ago, but I use to run in those circles.

I saw a lot of gang stuff in my teens, and it was part of the reason I went into the Marine Corps to get away from it. They are nothing more then punks, that have the need to flex their 'muscles' to feel big.

hehe most are poser gangs, like here in johnson county. Bunch of *SNIP*really. Unless you're in NYC, southcentral LA, chicago, or some major city, the gangs are pretty much posers. Either way, gangs are stupid.



[edit on 19-5-2008 by NGC2736]

I used to be an 'associate' member of a gang here in Chicago.

In Chicago, we have alliances of various gangs, split into two groups, called People and Folks.

People (represented by a 5-pointed star) include:

Vice Lords
Latin Kings
12th Street Players
Noble Knights
Latin Counts
and much more

Folks(represented by a 6-pointed star) include:
Black Gangster Disciples
Imperial Gangsters
22 Boys
26(Two-Sixers)
Satans Disciples
Simon City Royals
Ambrose
and much more.

Pretty cool when you are a teenager. Kinda lame and stupid as you get older. Most of those I knew ended up dead or in jail. That's just how it goes.

Really, an interesting topic... and as an anthropology student, I'd love hearing more about this. Nathraq -- was it geography or race or something else that defined which population (people or folk) that a gang fell into?

I looked it up and I think there is some sort of organized gang for the Bloods. Heres the site

The interesting thing with Street gangs is that the original ones, ALKN, BGDN, BPSN, etc. arose during the 60's in response to the oppression and injustices that minority communities were facing at the hands of the city, police and government. Initially they protected the community, ran after school and community programs, helped in the upkeep of the community and even instructed members in some of the ancient knowledge and teachings that had made its way to america via Nobel Drew Ali and the Moorish Science Temple of America.

Originally posted by JustAnIllusion
I looked it up and I think there is some sort of organized gang for the Bloods. Heres the site

That reads like a user hand book to a video game. Trust me, the real gangs aren't worried about bi-laws are even have names. Gangs in jail, for which most of that is about, are a bit different but none of my friends ever said anything like that. I'll ask some of them to take a look at that link, my guess they'll have the same reaction I did, and laugh.

I was born and raised in L.A. the primary black gangs are the Bloods and Crips which also started here back in the 60's. The primary hispanic gangs are to many to say so i will tell you if it ends in 13 like Venice 13 it means they are a Southern California gang and if it ends in 14 they are a northern California gang.

We had a neighbor down the street that was jumped into a gang called Toonerville back in the 20's just to give you an idea how old some of the hispanic gangs are. As far as asian gangs go there are also quite a few with Waching and V.C. being a couple of the better known ones.

People who tell you that gangs are childish or are for kids dont understand that real gangs have structure and are in it for drugs and money and power. For the hardcore gang member it is a generational lifestyle not some teenage boredom thing. They runs the streets and the prisons.

I have to agree with Antonio on several points.

L.A. Gangs Very Old. And they are still around. Mention is often made, in the local papers, about two long established rival hispanic gangs (i.e. WF, Maravilla).

www.sleepylagoon.com...
www.sleepylagoon.com...
www.angelfire.com...

Because of their long existence, these organizations have become notorious institutions. And in some families, it is an expected lifestyle. Sort of like your parents expecting you to enter the family business.

Additionally, L.A. Gangs are stuctured enterprises. These organizations have organizational cultures with established hierarchies, succession of power procedures, recruitment practices, initiation and expulsion rituals, norms of conduct, and personnel development (farm) system.

The goal of the gang is to generate money through sustained growth and market penetration, by developing and marketing products (drugs, prostitution, other peoples property, etc.), eliminating the competition, and looking for new markets (i.e. territories) or merger and aquisition opportunities.

The organization ensures its self perpetuation by romanticizing it history, providing its leadership with money, power, and control (however fleeting) and providing its lower echelons (i.e. the cannon fodder, posers, sycophants etc.) with the false sense of belonging to something greater than themselves.

It is that sense of belonging that keeps the new member pipeline full. Imagine believing you are alone and powerless against those who you percieve as TPTB (parents, school, authorities, other gangs). Imagine no one (including yourself) believing in you, your abilites, your potential, your future.

Now imagine an organization whose members not only validate who you are, but also empower you to fight TPTB. Add uniformed clothing to the aforementioned organizational culture, and you have a gang.

Add training, societal acceptance, and the sense of serving a greater purpose; then you have something entirely different.

Street gangs have very little organization outside their immediate geography. I can�t speak for LA, New York, or any other major metropolitan areas, but that is how it was in the area that I grew up in, with a population of about 400,000. They usually were usually kids in the poorer parts of town that would peddle reefer and get into fights with other gangs. Occasionally people got shot, but that was a rare occurrence. Crime syndicates better established and organized nationally.

LOL!

Or Theres Always The TRENCHCOAT MAFIA from columbine,
HEHE

Street gangs are rarly orginised, they are just usually people in groups using the safty in numbers technique to vandalise ect and are only funded by their own pocket.

Crime Sindicates like the Mafia, are the ones who are orginised and are spread throughout the world, theres the Sicilian Mafia, Italian Mafia, American Mafia, Russian Mafia, Manx Mafia... ect. Those are the ones that do drug pushing, pimping, racketeering, assasination and various other orginised crimes that bring in the money.

Street gangs as you can see are nothing like that, and are just... there.
Most street gangs arnt powerful... Those who are you dont hear of very long because the Crime Sindicate wipe them out. The ONLY one that is anything like a street gang is Diablo's... and they are still half street gang half crime sindicate.

If you have any other questions like this feel free to ask me i have a HUGE knowledge on Crime Sindicates and Street Gangs

Speaking of Mafia, the hispanic gangs in southern california are run by the Mafia ......the Mexican Mafia better known as LA EME. They are based out of Ca. prisons and call all the shots on the streets.

Gang members that are locked up can become part of LA EME if they are from southern Ca. By putting in work you can work your up the ladder it is set up like the military in structure, you have to work out, you cant use drugs , you have to have your prison clothes creased and shoes polished . While incarcerated if you are from La Eme your family is taken care of and is given immediate respect.

When and if you get out of prison you are considered a veterano in your gang. You are supposed to never talk about la Eme on the outside but you have to attend there meetings and are expected to put in work , contract hits , collect taxes, extortion whatever it might be.

Those things that people say are a different countries Mafia arnt really a Mafia unless it has the nationality of the country and then Mafia after (like the Manx Mafia or the Russian Mafia). However there are just other crime sindicates that are from different countries but are not a Mafia like the "Yardies", "Yakuza", "LA EME" and the "Triads" they are just crime sindicates from a different country... NOT a Mafia, for it to be a Mafia there has to be a person on top with some kind of Mafia link no matter how strong or weak.

the gangs here aint organised much ,but just thought id add this has any one noticed that many gangs have a ......animal style to them?

Street gangs... yes they just do whatever and vandilise everything.
Crime Sindicates.... no, they are very orginised and are very clever to be able to construct such a successful thing.

Gangs were not a big problem growing up here in Northern Virginia. Lately tho, a couple have popped their ugly little heads up. I've noticed it in the bar I work at too. They come in in groups of 7 or more usually looking for conflict. The scary thing where I work is, the majority of the people that go there are asian gangs that usually keep to them selves. The ones that cause problems are a group called MS-13. They are a latino gang. Here is a link to the story of one gang member and how he became involved. He even went to the same HighSchool I did, Only I went there 15 years ago. Wow, how things have changed. Here is the link to the Washington Post story.
Here is a link to the washington posts special on gangs in the area.

Apparently two gangs people tend to forget about still exist around here. Hell's Angels and Pagans (Bike Gangs) are still running out of Southern Maryland. These ones would have me more concerned than the punk gangs such as MS-13. Let us remember what the Hells Angels did at the 1969 concert Altamont:

The Hell's Angels were hired by the Rolling Stones as security for several reasons. The Grateful Dead had a long-standing relationship with the Angels and had used them for security on several occasion without incident. The Stones had used the Hell's Angels for security in London over the summer for one of their free concerts in Hyde Park. The Hell's Angels in London, however, were Jagger-type lookalikes, who were for the most part harmless, not like the American Angels, who were notorious for their violent nature and excessive drug use. At Altamont, the Angels acted just like they always did, drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and dropping acid. The Angels probably abused more drugs, in varying combinations, than anyone else. There were no other security forces except the Hell's Angels, so if they got out of line, there would be no stopping them.
www.echoes.com...

Hells Angels
www.philly.com...
abcnews.go.com...
Biker Gangs

Originally posted by Byrd
Really, an interesting topic... and as an anthropology student, I'd love hearing more about this. Nathraq -- was it geography or race or something else that defined which population (people or folk) that a gang fell into?

In Chicago, as in most citiers, gangs were primarily formed as a sort of 'protection' for their various ethnic groups. In Chicago, the Latin Kings, Latin Counts, Spanish Gangster Disciples, 22 Boyz, 26thSt( Two-Sixers), are primarily Latinos.

The Black Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, 4 Corner Hustlers are primarily Black.

The White gangs are Imperial Gangsters, Ambrose, Heads, Gaylords, and Simon City Royals.

This is by no means a complete list of gangs in Chicago. Just the larger ones.

Geography really doesn't play a role anymore; just in the smaller gangs. The 12th Street Players and Noble Knights( who were once predominately Italian, and are now a mix of White and Latino) are centered in Cicero. the Two-Sixers and 22nd Street Boyz originated in Latino neighborhoods, and are now so widespread and diverse, no-one can keep track anymore.

As for 'People or Folks', there is no set pattern, as both are equally mixed of different ethnic backgrounds.

Gangs




This is graffiti from the Spanish Lords, a gang in the People Alliance. Note the Pitchfork going down. The Spearhead, a sign of the Gang Ambrose., is also going down. This is a sign of disrespect. The pitchfork pointing up is the Symbol for Folks; pointed down, a symbol for People.

More to follow.........

I stated earlier that I was an associate member of a gang. An associate is a person who is not fully a gang member, but is under their protection. To be honest, I used to sell stuff for them: radios, cb's, radar detectors and so on. These were items that were stolen. I never got into drugs, either using or dealing. For selling these items, I would make a little money for myself. If I needed help with something or someone, they were there to help. No questions asked. I knew gangs were stupid, and even though I had a great GPA my freshman and sophmore year in high-school, I started screwing up. I hung around with the wrong people, and it showed. I knew it was wrong. But it was so attractive. In my freshman and sophmore years, I was picked on alot. Junior year, I met some guys in one of my classes who were gang-bangers. They treated my like I was cool. This went on for a while. Then I went to one of their parties. It was there that I was asked if I wanted to be an associate member. I accepted. After that, no-one messed with me in school.

That's how easy it is to be attracted to that way of life, even though it leads no-where. That's why I joined the army after High-School. That's why I had a top-secret clearance, and built nuclear warheads. For the attraction of it.

More Pictures:








If you have any questions Byrd, U2U me, and I'll help you out any way I can.