Crips gang - criminal maniacs. Gangs of America: Crips and Bloods And this young patriot even wears a badge with the name of the gang
If in 1975 there were hardly 13 thousand gangsters in the city, then by 2000 there were already 80 thousand of them, and the number of gangs had increased to 700. The primacy of gangs took shape at this time and, starting from the 80s, the most powerful groups remain: Crips, Bloods, Pirus, as well as Latin American gangs Mara Salvatrucha and 18th Street gang.
Each of them has tens of thousands of participants, which is why their structure turns out to be rather “loose”. The same Crips are made up of groups that are often at odds with each other, and the Bloods alliance is created as a fragile confederation of African American gangs to fight the Crips and the Mexicans.
The so-called "Young Helpers" (Affiliates) gang Grape Street Crips. We would call these "sixes"
Members of the Grape Street Crips mimic the shooting of a junior high school student
But they don’t sit behind video games - they have fun outdoors and with friends from the area
Grape Street Crips mobster wearing the gang's signature purple hoodie
Here, apparently, two members of the warring gangs from different branches of the Crips are depicted at the time of the 1992 truce (at that time, during the city riot, gangsters united against the police)
Detained members of the Mexican street gang 18th Street Gang
Gangsters from Grape Street Crips again
Grape Street Crips posing with Gs and Ws, 1988
The most important role in the formation of gangster culture is given to the Los Angeles district of Watts, in particular the Jordan Downs complex. It was here that the famous Crips gang was born, whose branches spread throughout LA. Now in the city there are about 200 groups that have left the Crips, which does not prevent them from actively feuding with each other.
Still the same Jordan Downs, Watts. In the area
The leader of the Sons of Samoa (sons of Samoa) - a warring gang of Polynesian origin with the Crips. Here he is shown paralyzed after being attacked with a gunshot.
Gangsters are clearly not reproached for forgetting their bros who are in a wheelchair
Another photo of the paralyzed leader of the Sons of Samoa
Here you can see another attribute of a gangster: a bandana and different variations of wearing it.
Stereotypical gangster trait: showing the letters of your gang and generally identifying with these signs. This one, for example, from Crips:
And this one is from the warring gang community, the Bloods:
And this young patriot generally wears a badge with the name of the gang:
Dodge City Crips Second Street Mob graffiti, San Pedro. The group is clearly not racist.
Taking pictures against the backdrop of a wall with the names of their bros was generally fashionable
Gangster from Grape Street Watts Crips posing with a shotgun
East Coast Baby Dolls - Affiliated, all-female branch of the Samoan gang Sons of Samoa, Long Beach
Again Coast Baby Dolls
Coast Baby Dolls girls in a fight
Members of the Mexican gang East Side Longos, which is part of the Sureños conglomerate. The most famous gang from Long Beach. For some reason, Asians are not particularly favored.
The Malditos - minor branch of the East Side Longos gang
Most of these shots were taken by German-born photographer Axel Koster. As an immigrant, he himself experienced the difficulties of socialization in Los Angeles, one of the most criminal cities in the world. It is surprising with what simplicity this visiting German managed to gain confidence in different, moreover, opposing gangs. He could take a picture of the paralyzed leader of the Sons of Samoa and immediately go to the area to the Crips, who just shot him.
There are many illegal groups in the world that control industry, smuggling, drug trafficking, killing and robbing. The idealization and romanticization of the image of a bandit flourishes on both sides of the ocean, but who are these guys? Where did they come from, and why are they still at large? In our selection, only the most famous organized crime groups, repeatedly sung by prison folklore and Hollywood films.
16. Nazi Rebels (Nazi Low Riders)
The Nazi Rebels or NB is a white supremacist prison gang operating in Southern California. They are closely associated with larger and more well-known gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood and the Ku Klux Klan. Feuds with the Nuestra Familia, Bloods, Crips, Norte?os, Mara Salvatrucha and the Los Angeles Crime Family. The Nazi name does not refer to anti-Semitism, but rather to racism as such, and the term "rebels" is borrowed from Latin American gangs.
The NB was founded back in the 70s, and by 1996 they only had 28 members. They have grown since then, and currently the gang consists of about 5,000 people, including those in the wild and in prison. NBs frequently commit acts of racist violence in prisons in order to move up the prison hierarchy. NB members may have tattoos depicting the swastika and SS insignia. The tattoo with the letters NLR is most often applied to the stomach, back or neck, and although it means Nazi Lowriders (Nazi Rebels), its wearer can easily decipher the tattoo as No Longer Racist (No Longer Racist). Sometimes Nazi Low Riders is written in old English script or runes. The group is active against blacks, Hispanics, other minorities, and "race traitors". There is a famous case of William Ritchie, who in prison stole the keys to the handcuffs and cut them on the face and neck of a black prisoner.
Gang members often hang out near high schools, fast foods, and bars in an attempt to recruit new potential gang members. They earn money through various types of illegal activities, but, above all, it is the trade and production of methamphetamine.
15. Mara Salvatrucha
The international criminal organization Mara Salvatrucha was created by Salvadorans in the early 1980s in Los Angeles to counter street gangs. Slang for "Salvadorian roaming ant brigade" and is often shortened to MS-13. They are found in Los Angeles, although there are in other parts of North America and Mexico. According to various estimates, the number of this criminal syndicate is approximately 70,000 thousand people.
Mara Salvatrucha practices many types of criminal business, including drug trafficking, arms and human trafficking, robbery, racketeering, contract killings, kidnapping for ransom, car theft, money laundering and fraud.
A distinctive feature of the members of the group are tattoos all over the body, including on the face and inside. Tattoos not only show belonging to a gang, but also talk about a criminal biography and status. Today it is one of the most influential gangs in North and South America, Mara Salvatrucha works closely with Los Zetas.
14. Barrio Azteca
The Barrio Azteca gang appeared in the El Paso prison in Texas in 1986. They quickly went from a street gang to a heavily armed paramilitary cartel that was able to seriously compete with the Sinaloa cartel. Their main principles are ruthlessness, violence and terror, and their “business” specializes in drugs, murders and kidnappings.
The Barrio Azteca prison gang has received armed support from the Juarez cartel, in return the gang helps control drug trafficking in Juarez. The gang is reported to have approximately 5,000 members, including those in prisons in Mexico, as well as more than 3,000 prisoners in the United States. These guys are known for prison riots. The official color of this gang is turquoise. In recent years, gang members have referred to themselves as the "Omnipotent Aztec Nation". There is no central leadership in this gang, but despite this, the gang operates in more than thirty countries.
13. Hell's Angels
An organized crime group from the United States began as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, one of the largest motorcycle clubs in the world, with its chapters (branches) around the world. According to the legend posted on the official website of the motorcycle club, during the Second World War, the US Air Force had the 303rd heavy bomber squadron with the name "Hell's Angels". After the end of the war and the disbandment of the unit, the pilots were left without work. They had no choice but to go against their "cruel country, sit on, unite in motorcycle clubs and rebel."
This is probably one of the most famous bands on this list. The Hells Angels have grown significantly since their inception in 1948. Many members of this organized criminal group claim that they joined the club solely for peaceful purposes - to help organize fundraising, Bashkir parties and other social events. But along with legal activities (salons for sale, workshops for their repair, sale of goods with symbols), the Hells Angels are known for illegal activities. Law enforcement agencies in a number of countries call the club a “gang of motorcyclists” and are accused of drug trafficking, racketeering, trafficking in stolen goods, violence, murders, etc.
Violent crime, drug and human trafficking, extortion, and other illegal activities have been associated with the gang throughout their long history. The head of the Australian chapter was even convicted of contract killing. But, again, this does not change the fact that they also own many legitimate businesses, such as gyms and tattoo studios.
When police raided 30 properties in Spain belonging to gang members, they found military-grade weapons and ammunition, kilos of cocaine, neo-Nazi literature, body armor and $200,000 in cash. And according to a report from Sweden, the 12 chapters of this organized crime group (which include approximately 170 members) are responsible for 2,800 crimes in this country.
12. United Bamboo or Bamboo Union
The Taiwanese group United Bamboo, also known as Zhu Lien Bang, is part of the structure of the Chinese triad. They specialize in drugs, weapons, kidnapping and illegal movement of people across the border. Unlike most other gangs, they have been able to develop good relations with large foreign criminal organizations, which allows United Bamboo to be very successful in doing business abroad.
The Bamboo Gang has around 100,000 members, making it one of the largest gangs on this list. While most gangs do not have clear leaders, Yao Yao Huang Shao-Cen has been the gang's official boss/ruler since 2007. Gang was not afraid to get his hands dirty on politics, including political assassinations (for example, journalist Henry Liu in 1984, he opposed the Kuomintang ruling Taiwan at the time). The assassins, both members of the Bamboo Union, were sent by Taiwan's military intelligence bureau.
In 2013, the gang also gained public attention when Chinese hitman Bai Xiao Ye was arrested and convicted of murder, kidnapping, extortion and conspiracy to commit murder. Bai was sent by the Bamboo Union to force a certain Lee Wen Joon to repay a debt of $10,000, when he refused, Bai stabbed him 32 times. Prosecutors later concluded that Bai made his living by contract killings for the Bamboo Union.
11. Mungiki
This is one of the most aggressive sects in Kenya, which arose in 1985 in the settlements of the Kikuyu people in the central part of the country. The Kikuyu gathered their own militia in order to protect the Masai lands from government militants who wanted to crush the resistance of the recalcitrant tribe. The sect, in essence, was a street gang. Later, large detachments were formed in Nairobi, which engaged in racketeering of local transport companies that transport passengers around the city (taxi firms, car parks). Then they switched to garbage collection and disposal. Each slum dweller was also required to pay the representatives of the sect a certain amount in exchange for a quiet life in their own shack.
10 Aryan Brotherhood
The Aryan Brotherhood appeared in the San Quentin prison in California in 1964, immediately earning a reputation as the most dangerous gang in the United States. Members of the Aryan brotherhood are easily recognizable by tattoos with Nazi and satanic symbols. This is not an ordinary gang in the classical sense, it is rather a prison community that is not dangerous for people on the loose. Members of this criminal organization kill just a huge number of people in prisons. Only 0.1% of prisoners are in the Aryan brotherhood, which at the same time account for about 20% of all murders in US correctional institutions.
Initially, the gang was created in the 1960s to fight against the Black Guerrilla Family - a gang of blacks. Outside of prison, gang members waste no time: extortion, drug trafficking, and murder-for-hire.
In 1974, Charles Manson was denied membership because, among his other victims, he killed a pregnant woman (Sharon Tate, Roman Polanski's wife). The high-profile trial of AB leaders in 2002, which was presented as a rout of the group, nevertheless ended with the fact that the leaders of the group, Barry Mills and Tyler Bingham, accused of 32 murders, are still alive.
The "spin-off" of the gang, the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, was formed in the 1980s and has about 30,000 members.
9. Almighty Vice Lord Nation
Wow title! The AVLN started in Chicago in 1958 and has about 35,000 members.
Early on, the AVLN (then known as the Vice Lords) committed robbery, theft, robbery, intimidation, extortion, and violent assault. They then tried to change their image in society by instead renaming themselves Conservative Vice Lords.
While they were doing something socially useful (creating recreation areas for children, for example), of course, their criminal activities continued. Smaller gangs started to join them, and eventually things got bigger. For example, business owners who did not pay for roofing began to die en masse.
Willie Lloyd (pictured above), who at one point was the leader of the AVLN, quit drugs in 2001 after several arrests. Perhaps you will not be shocked that he was assassinated three times, and in 2003 successfully - since then he has been paralyzed from the neck to the bottom.
Traditionally, the ALVN are allied with the Bloods gang (against the Crips).
8. Crips
The African-American Crips gang appeared on the streets of Los Angeles in 1969, compared to the other thugs on our list, they look pretty calm and nice guys. However, their numbers, stupid activity and excellent weapons make them one of the most dangerous gangs in the United States. Crips are mainly involved in drugs, robbery, extortion and murder.
The gang was founded by 15-year-old Raymond Washington and his friend Stanley "Tookie" Williams. Crips is predominantly made up of African Americans. As of 2007, the Crips membership is estimated to be around 40,000. Known for confronting the Bloods alliance, which is outnumbered by the Crips. A distinctive sign of gang members is wearing bandanas and blue clothes, sometimes wearing canes. In order to join a gang, a man needs to commit a crime in front of witnesses, and a girl needs to get in touch with a senior member of the gang.
In 1971, gang members attacked elderly Japanese women, who then described the perpetrators as lame (cripple), since all the participants in the attack were with canes. Local newspapers wrote about this incident, and a new name was assigned to the gang - Crips. In 1979, Washington was shot to death at the age of 26. The co-creator of the gang, Stanley "Tookie" Williams, was arrested for the murder of four people and sentenced to death. While imprisoned for about 25 years, Williams was engaged in literary activities, in his works he urged teenagers not to participate in criminal groups. Williams was nominated for the Nobel Prize nine times (five for peace and four for his literary works), was awarded the US President's Prize, and a film about his life was made in Hollywood. Despite a few public protests, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to grant his pardon request, and on December 13, 2005, Williams was executed.
Currently, the Crips gang is considered one of the largest in the United States. The gang at different times included rappers Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, MC Ren and others.
7. Bloods
The gang color is red. The Blood Alliance is an alliance of African-American street gangs in South Central (Compton, Inglewood), as well as the suburbs of Los Angeles, which was created to oppose the Crips gang. In existence since 1972, this alliance was formed as a result of a meeting of gang leaders who were unhappy with the attacks by the Crips. All the dissatisfied were gathered into a single "Family" by members of the Piru Street Boys gang - Sylvester Scott and Benson Owens. More violence was taking place between the gangs, and the Pirus were able to convince the others to band together and form the Bloods.
Separate groupings of a confederation of 3 or more members are called sets (sets) or trays (trays). Although the coalition only includes African-American gangs, separate sets are made up of Hispanics, Asians, and whites. Whites can also be found in the main part of the gang.
While the Crips outnumbered them 3:1, the Bloods also became known for their extreme brutality; and by 1978 there were already 15 sets.
The Reds vs. Blues rivalry has become very famous and has been featured in many movies and comics. The plot of the South Park episode called "Crazy Cripples" (2nd episode of the 7th season) is based on the conflict of the Crips and Bloods gangs.
9. Latin Kings
The Latin Kings are considered one of the largest gangs in the world, consisting of immigrants from Latin America. The group was born in the mid-60s in New York, Chicago and Detroit.
In the United States, "kings" were usually young people from poor families who came from Puerto Rico and Mexico. The group has its own "Constitution" and "flag", which depicts the flags of these two states and the symbols of the gang.
In recent years, more and more immigrants from other Latin American countries have joined the ranks of the Latin Kings, and the members of the gang themselves have begun to call themselves the “Almighty Nation of Latin Kings”, or simply “The Nation”. Traditional colors - yellow and black, as well as a wreath of five arrows and a crown are already familiar to millions of people in different countries.
Books and films are devoted to the activities of the Latin Kings. Despite the lack of a central leadership, the gang operates in 34 countries around the world, and the total number of its members reaches 100,000 people. There are 25,000 "kings" in the US alone.
5. Sinaloa Cartel / Sinaloa Cartel
The Sinaloa cartel is the largest drug cartel in the world, whose leader Joaquín Guzmán Loera, also known as El Chapo (El Chapo), has been declared public enemy number one. Moreover, at the same time, he is considered one of the most influential people on the planet according to Forbes magazine, finding himself between the editor-in-chief of The New York Times, Jill Abramson, and the speaker of the US House of Representatives, John Beiner.
Although Loera is now in prison, his cartel continues to successfully conduct its business, engaging in drug trafficking, as well as not disdaining murders, kidnappings, extortion and pimping.
The Sinaloa Cartel has been in operation since 1989 with 500,000 members and large land and property ownership in Mexico and around the world, including 11 countries in Latin America (e.g. Brazil, Argentina, Colombia) as well as countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Philippines and West Africa.
When they kill (and believe me, they often do), they like to post videos online as a warning to rival gangs. Rumor has it that for permission to smuggle drugs into the United States for a huge amount, the Sinaloa cartel leaked information about competitors to law enforcement agencies.
Recently, Jorge Martin Torres, one of the main money launderers for the cartel, was sentenced to 44 months in prison. Torres is allegedly responsible for helping El Chapo buy planes, he also received $300,000 in drug proceeds and bought another for $890,000. In addition, Torres purchased Maserati, Mercedes, BMW, Lamborghini and other exotic cars for El Chapo and his brother Alfredo.
4. Los Setas
At the origins of the creation of Los Zetas in the 90s were former fighters of the Mexican special forces, who were originally a mercenary army of the Golfo Cartel. In the early 2000s, they formed a separate criminal group, and in a very short time it became the most equipped and dangerous gang in Mexico. Their specialization is kidnapping, extortion, murder and drug trafficking. In August 2011, a gang burned down a casino in Mexico, where 52 people died from the fire.
The gang has over 3,000 members in 22 Mexican states, as well as in Guatemala and the United States.
Los Setas don't just get killed, they often post their videos online. In 2011, the Mexican authorities recorded 193 cases of people being brutally tortured and killed by the Los Setas gang. The women were sexually abused while the men were tortured.
In 2011, they carried out a massacre in Ellendale, in Coahuila, where more than 300 civilians were killed. The gang is also involved in a prison riot in 2012: then 44 members of the 44 Gulf cartel (Gulf) - a rival gang - were killed, and 37 members of Seta escaped from prison.
3. Triad 14K
14K (??K) is one of the most numerous and influential triads in Hong Kong. According to one version, the name comes from the 14 members who stood at the origins of the organization; on the other, from the address of the headquarters in Canton; on the third - from 14-carat gold. The triad was founded in 1945 in Guangzhou as an anti-communist organization. After the civil war and the flight of the Kuomintang from China, the headquarters was moved from Guangzhou to China in 1949, and the union included many military and civilians who had nothing to do with secret societies proper. Therefore, the name of the union had to be changed to "Association 14" (later reduced to "14K").
In March 1975, in Amsterdam, three hitmen shot and killed the leader of the Dutch offshoot of the 14K, Chun Mon, nicknamed "The Unicorn." Chun Mon became the first Chinese crime boss in Europe and controlled major heroin supply chains.
In the 90s, 14K was considered the largest triad in the world. Fleeing from police pressure, 14K expanded beyond Hong Kong and gained a strong foothold in southeast China, America and Europe, while at the same time going further into the shadows. In 2008, members of 14K were involved in the kidnapping of a Chinese family for ransom in New Zealand.
As of 2010, "14K" had more than 20 thousand members in its ranks, united in thirty subgroups. The triad is most active in Hong Kong, Macau, China (Guangdong and Fujian), Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, USA (Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago), Canada (Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary), Australia (Sydney) , New Zealand, Great Britain (London) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam). Compared to other triads, 14K is considered one of the most violent crime gangs in Hong Kong.
14K controls the wholesale distribution of heroin and opium from Southeast Asia to China, North America and Europe. The triad also engages in gambling, loansharking, money laundering, arms and counterfeiting, pimping, human trafficking (illegal immigration), racketeering, robbery, arson, contract killings, kidnapping for ransom, and fraud.
2. Solntsevskaya Bratva (Solntesvkaya Bratva)
When it comes to crime syndicate families from Russia, Solntesvkaya BRATVA is the most influential. Founded back in the 1970s, they are currently not that many, around 5,000 members, but they certainly make their presence known all over the world.
They have unpronounceable names, and by the time you finish the sentence, you might already be dead. They are capable of any crime imaginable. But they make most of their profits from selling heroin and human trafficking. They are also known to be collaborating with Colombian drug cartels to transport cocaine. Their income may also be related to gambling in the stock market, as well as credit card fraud.
Links have been established between Semyon Mogilevich and the mafia. Mogilevich is known to the FBI as the most dangerous bandit in the world, involved in contract killings, extortion, arms trafficking, and international drug trafficking.
In 2014, the Solntsevskaya organized criminal group was noted as the gang with the highest income in the world - according to Forbes, their income is $ 8.5 billion.
1 Yakuza
The Yakuza are organized crime syndicates in Japan, similar to the triad in other Asian countries. The social organization and features of the work of the yakuza are very different from other criminal gangs: they even have their own office buildings, and their actions are often and quite openly reported in the press. One of the iconic images of the Yakuza is their intricate colored tattoos all over their bodies. The Yakuza use a traditional method of manually injecting ink under the skin, known as irezumi, a tattoo that serves as a kind of proof of courage, since this method is very painful.
Of course, this list would not be complete without them. The Yakuza originated in the 17th century and currently has over 100,000 members. There are 3 major yakuza syndicates, the largest being the Yamaguchi-gumi family with 55,000 members. Back in 2014, Forbes reported that their income is $6.6 billion.
Yakuza is based on the values of the patriarchal family, the principles of unquestioning obedience to the boss and strict adherence to a set of rules (mafia code), for the violation of which there is an inevitable punishment. The stability and longevity of the yakuza clans is ensured both by specific connections between the boss and his subordinates, as well as by the preservation of horizontal ("brotherly") relations between ordinary members of the group.
The yakuza is closely woven into the economic and political life of Japan and has a number of distinctive features that are unique to it. Unlike other criminal entities in the world, the yakuza does not have clearly defined territorial zones of influence, it does not rely on family ties as the structural basis of its organization and does not seek to keep its internal hierarchy, size or composition of leadership secret (most yakuza groups have their own official emblems, do not hide the location of the headquarters and the names of the bosses, in addition, many of the groups are registered under the "roof" of various patriotic or ultra-right associations and associations).
In the 1950s, there were three main types of yakuza - bakuto, tekiya and gurentai. Bakuto traditionally earned money in the field of gambling and bookmaking, as well as pimping, fraud in trade, construction and the service sector. Tekiya engaged in speculation, traded in markets and fairs with defective and counterfeit products, and also extorted money from the owners of shops, nightclubs and restaurants. The gurentai operated primarily in places where entertainment venues were congested, where they controlled prostitution, sold stimulants and pornography, while not disdaining petty theft, knocking out debts and blackmailing wealthy brothel clients (also gurentai, despite a strict ban on firearms in occupied Japan, were the first to withdraw from traditional swords and began to use pistols to resolve conflicts). In addition, all categories of the yakuza were actively involved by the authorities to contain and suppress the left movement, trade unions, anti-war and anti-American demonstrations.
In March 2011, representatives of various yakuza syndicates (especially members of the Sumiyoshi-kai and Inagawa-kai) provided significant assistance to the victims of a devastating earthquake that hit the east coast of the island of Honshu.
While flower children basked on sunny California beaches, something as important as a sexual and psychedelic "revolution" was taking place in the gloomy metropolises of this state. Black youth also yearned for a taste of freedom.
Gangs of Los Angeles: Crips vs. Bloods
1969 is not just a date on a calendar. Not just a dash on the vector of history - a deep notch, a furrow, testifying to the big changes that took place in the late sixties. A turning point in the history of America, the history of subculture, the history of society. For the first time, an entire generation seemed to have gone mad. Those eighteen-year-olds who were born after the Second World War did not see its hardships, and did not want to solve problems; did not want to survive, but wanted to live to the fullest, easily and carefree. Everything related to the late sixties is still successfully replicated by the media as ageless symbols of freedom: California, hippies, LSD, free love, rock and roll by Jim Morisson and Janis Joplin. Meanwhile, while flower children basked on the sunny Californian beaches, something no less important than the sexual and psychedelic revolution was taking place in the gloomy metropolises of this state. Another young generation, only dark-skinned, driven into the ghetto and deprived of the charms of a secure and carefree life, but no less willing to taste freedom; a generation whose fathers and older brothers were in the ranks of the semi-revolutionary, semi-terrorist Black Panthers, this generation saw the future in its own way.
Lame enemies of aging Japanese women
In 1969, a Los Angeles resident named Raymond Washington formed a group of neighborhood black teenagers into a gang called the Baby Avenues. Ray and his friend Stanley "Tookie" Williams were impressed by the fame of the Black Panthers. Youngsters (the leaders were 15 years old, presumably the rest of the gang were about the same age) sought to turn Baby Avenues into a serious force. The gang members called themselves Avenues Cribs, (crib - shack, "hut") because they lived in the Central Avenue area. But unlike their predecessors, the new generation "did not hawala politics." They misunderstood the ideas of the Panthers about public control over the streets, and their activities were reduced to a banal crime.
Cribs failed to spread the revolutionary ideas of the 60s, but they succeeded in matters of fashion. Military style and black leather jackets are all they borrowed from the Black Panthers. As an identification mark, Cribs wore blue scarves (then they were not called bandannas), tying them around their heads or necks. The blue color becomes their hallmark, their trademark. Individual dandies walked the streets of Los Angeles with canes, which brought them the name known to the whole world today.
In 1971, several Cribs members attacked a group of elderly Japanese women. The victims of the robbery, being ignorant of the fashion of the poor quarters, described the attackers as disabled (cripple - cripple, disabled, especially often - lame), because they were all with canes. The local press wrote about the incident, changing the name of the gang to Crips, and it took root in this form. There is also a version about the origin of the word Crips from the local slang term crippin (steal, rob). But one way or another, the group earned fame and began to involve more and more teenagers in its ranks. The number of crimes committed by guys in black leather jackets (apparently there is something in black leather, if the Soviet racket of the late 80s unconsciously copied the image of overseas punks) grew exponentially, the newspapers were full of criminal reports. The press even coined the term "Cripmania" to refer to an epidemic of fights and shootings between black schoolchildren from south Los Angeles. Appearing in the vicinity of 78th Street in the east of the metropolis, over the three years of its existence, the Crips have extended their influence to the western and southern districts of Los Angeles, as well as to its suburbs of Compton and Inglewood. In 1972, 29 murders were linked to crips in Los Angeles, 17 in its suburbs, and 9 more in Compton alone.
And blood was shed
Between 1973 and 1975, the Crips' aggressive expansion into more and more areas of Los Angeles begins to provoke opposition from other criminal groups. To counter the overwhelming force, the Crips' opponents form a coalition, which is called the Bloods. Their symbol is blood, the red color of handkerchiefs; they say that already in the 90s in the houses of the most authoritative members of the Bloods (such as Suge Knight, for example), even the walls were painted scarlet.
It is believed that the creation of the Bloods occurred after a small gang from Compton, the Piru Street Boys (known for raising the rapper Game) did not find understanding with the vastly superior Compton Crips and entered into open conflict with them. In an effort to gain support from other gangs, the leaders of the Piru Street Boys gathered all the hardcore from other non-Crips LA street gangs such as L.A. Brims, whose members were guilty of killing several Blues. At this meeting in Compton, on Piru Street, the decision was made to form the Bloods alliance.
To make it easier to understand the fundamental difference between Crips and Bloods, it is necessary to recall the brilliant Soviet film "Kin-Dza-Dza". The characters in the film are clearly divided into two groups - patsaks and chetlanes. The difference between them was the reaction to a special black box with two light bulbs. When the box was brought to the patsak, it turned red, to the chetlanin it was green. And when the meticulous earthling demanded details, he received an answer, I can't vouch for the accuracy of the quote, "Are you stupid? Can't you tell red from green?" Exactly the same situation with Crips and Bloods. Some are blue, although not alcoholics, others are red, although not communists. They sell drugs, engage in petty racketeering, kill enemies and cops, and hate each other to death.
Both groups quickly acquired a whole system of symbols and rituals. Among them, initiation into gang members, which consisted in committing a crime in the presence of witnesses from among the gang. Girls became gang members after having sexual intercourse with several older members. Special gangster graffiti appeared, both simply "marking" the territory, and having a purely applied meaning: special signs and symbols for the insiders, transmitting information in encrypted form for gang members, a kind of warning device. There were also special gangster tattoos.
Let's go to the East!
In the 1980s, Crips and Bloods were actively involved in the trade in a new drug for the United States - crack. Gangs in Los Angeles forge links with Central and South American criminal gangs involved in drug trafficking. Crips and Bloods reach the opposite coast of America - their "blue" and "red" appear in New York.
The Eastern Crips were mostly made up of immigrants who came to the US from Central America. Since the mid-80s, units of the "blue" have been actively operating there. Moving to the USA, they settled on the entire right bank from New Jersey to Florida. In New York, they created the Harlem Mafia Crips, 92 Hoover Crips, Rollin 30's Crips and several other groups. The New York Bloods formed in the early 90s in the C-73 prison on Rikers Island (rapper Shyne is serving his sentence there now). This penitentiary housed what we would call "Deniers" in our country. From other prisons on Rikers Island, the most unbridled prisoners were brought. At that time, most of the C-73 prisoners were members of the Latin American gang Latin Kings. Latinos were numerous and well organized , they humiliated African-American prisoners, forced them to do the most dirty work.Around the most tough and strong-willed African-Americans who were related to the Bloods, a group called itself the United Blood Nation rallied, designed to repel the Latin Kings.The United Blood Nation prison gang copied the rules and customs of the Californian Bloods - Subsequently, UBN leaders formed about a dozen "red" groups in New York and its suburbs, such as Mad Stone Villains (MSV), Valentine Bloods (VB), Gangster Killer Bloods (GKB), Hit Squad Brims (HSB), Sex , Money and Murder (SMM). From New York, they spread throughout the East Coast of the United States.
Only Fuck you
Bloods often refer to themselves as Damu ("blood" in African Swahili) or Dawg (DOGS). Members of the Bloods adorn themselves with dog tattoos, usually a bulldog. The Bloods also use the acronym M.O.B. (Member of Blood or Money Over Bitches).
In 1972, there were 11 gangster groups in Los Angeles. Another 4 operated in Compton, one each in Athens and Inglewood. After 25 years, there were 138 in Los Angeles, 36 in Compton, 14 in Inglewood, 10 in Long Beach. In total, there are over 300 gangs in Los Angeles and its environs.
Most Californian Crips and Bloods are African American. The exceptions are Long Beach-based Samoan Crip, Samoan Blood from Carson City, which includes Samoans, and Inglewood Crip, which consists of natives of the Pacific island nation of Tonga.
The main rivals of the Reds and Blues in California are the Latin Kings, Hispanic gangs made up of descendants of Mexican and South American immigrants. Latin Kings are approximately equal in number and degree of influence to both Bloods and Crips, they also operate throughout the country, although the southern and western states, and primarily California, are considered their traditional territory. Recently, there has been an increase in Asian criminal groups.
The most famous members of the Bloods: Suge Knight, Game, B-Real (Cypress Hill). Suge used his criminal connections with might and main to eliminate competitors. Game grew up in a family of Crips members, but following his older brother Big Fase, an authoritative member of the Bloods, he entered the ranks of the reds. B-Real quit gangbanging after he nearly died in a gunfight. Snoop Dogg was a member of the Crips, but that didn't stop him from working for Death Row, Suge Knight's label. Sen Dog, another member of Cypress Hill, appeared in front of the audience wearing a "Latin King" T-shirt.
Ray Washington, founder of the first Crips gang, was killed in 1979 at the age of 26. His companion Tookie Williams is still alive - for now. He is in one of the correctional facilities in California, on death row. A black vinyl salesman in the English film "Human Traffic" told buyers that "when a rapper goes to jail, his records go up by 10 pounds, and if he is put in the electric chair, prices generally soar into the stratosphere." If so, then the value of the book "Original Gangster" by Stanley "Tookie" Williams is already in the sky.
Crips(from English "Cripps") - a street gang, a criminal community in the United States, consisting mainly of African Americans. As of 2007, the number of Crips members is estimated at up to 40 thousand people.
A distinctive sign of gang members is wearing bandanas (and clothes in general) in blue shades, sometimes wearing canes. In order to join a gang, a guy needs to commit a crime in front of witnesses. The famous C-walk dance also originated among the gang. Developed its own slang and alphabet.
Bloods often refer to themselves as Damu ("blood" in African Swahili) or Dawg (DOGS). Members of the Bloods adorn themselves with dog tattoos, usually a bulldog. The Bloods also use the acronym M.O.B. (Member of Blood or Money Over Bitches).
In 1971, gang members attacked elderly Japanese women, who then described the perpetrators as lame (cripple), since all the participants in the attack were with canes. Local newspapers wrote about this incident, and the name stuck to the gang - Crips
Currently, the Crips gang is considered one of the largest in the United States. Its members are charged with murder, robbery, drug trafficking and other crimes. Most Crips in California, where it began to develop
Rappers Snoop Dogg and Xzibit left the Crips
Xzibit
Bloods(English bloods - Bloody) - one of the US street gangs, founded in 1970 in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California. The Bloods are known for their "war" with the Crips street gang. The creation of the Bloods occurred after a small gang from Compton, the Piru Street Boys, did not find understanding with the vastly superior Compton Crips and entered into open conflict with it. In an effort to enlist the support of other groups, the leaders of the Piru Street Boys gathered all the other non-Crips street gangs in Los Angeles, and the decision was made to form Alliance Bloods. Since the Crips wore a blue bandana as an identification mark and dressed mainly in blue, red was adopted as the Alliance color, a red bandana as an identification mark, and Bloods (English blood - Blood) as a name, that is, "Reds" .
Like any gang, Bloods has its own slang and its own alphabet (English alphabet with modified characters). Using these symbols, gang members "mark" their territory with spray paint, leaving tags. In Bloods slang, members of the Crips gang are called crabs (Crabs).
The B-walk dance (Blood Walk) also appeared among the gang, which is an analogue of the C-walk (Crip-Walk), created in the Crips gang as a way of transmitting signals between gang members and recognizing each other
Tupac Shakur producer Marion Suge Knight, Jr. was Bloods.
The main rivals of the Reds and Blues in California are the Latin Kings, Hispanic gangs made up of descendants of Mexican and South American immigrants. Latin Kings are approximately equal in number and degree of influence to both Bloods and Crips, they also operate throughout the country, although the southern and western states, and primarily California, are considered their traditional territory. Recently, there has been an increase in Asian criminal groups.
Territory: Los Angeles Just as Arkady Gaidar commanded a division at the age of 16, the American Raymond Washington gathered his gang at the same age. Youth itself is extreme, and if it is accompanied by external stimuli, then it becomes militant. A truly young era came after the Second World War. The world breathed a sigh of relief after remaining alive after this all-human meat grinder, and the young felt themselves the masters of a new life. The spark in youth culture was the Beatles, Elvis Presley, then Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin. Further more: mass hippie movement, free love, LSD. In 1968, there were colossal student unrest in France, after which the resignation of President Charles de Gaulle took place. Even in China cut off from the rest of the world, young Red Guards become the main force of the "Cultural Revolution". Students and schoolchildren beat up elderly officials, lead them through the streets in jester's outfits. The peak of the young rise is 1969. In the USA, it is felt especially sharply, because not everyone can enjoy the heavenly beaches of California. None of the new conquests could afford the dark-skinned generation. All they saw was their ghettos, poor living conditions and no better prospects. Then comes the hour of Raymond Washington. In one of the districts of Los Angeles, he gathers strong young blacks who are ready for much more than wealthy peers. The gang makes its first capital on the robbery of elderly Japanese women. It is important to note that Raymond immediately showed himself to be a talented organizer. As Adolf Hitler once dressed the Nazis in brown shirts to rally people at the subconscious level, so Raymond introduced a single style of appearance for his gang: blue scarves, black leather jackets and canes. It was thanks to the canes that the gang got the name Crips, that is, lame-legged cripples. The injured Japanese women used this word to describe the robbers, and the detectives could not understand for a long time who needed to be caught. Competitors and forensics branded the Crips gang as "flawed". They say that the fifteen-year-old “founding fathers” did not have the intelligence to organize a single control center. However, if such a center really were, then there would be a chance to easily deal with the gang. Eliminate him and the Crips will disappear. Another thing is spontaneity. She is invincible. But let's get back to the roots. After the elderly Japanese women, the Crips turn their attention to more affluent citizens. For three years, the scourge of robbery attacks overwhelmed the western and southern districts of Los Angeles, as well as its suburbs of Compton and Inglewood. Simultaneously with the extraction of capital, young bandits have to fight with adult thugs who do not want to give their piece of the pie at all. Fights and shootings happen almost every day. And time after time youth wins. By 1972, the Crips accounted for 55 murders of seasoned competitors. By the 1980s, Crips is mastering the science of the drug trade. Their traffic covers Central and South America. A new drug, crack, becomes the gang's signature drug. New York also falls under the influence of the Crips. Newspapers and television explode with reports of the victorious march of a gang of young people. The police are powerless to stop this terrible force.
Criminal activity: drug trafficking, robbery, murder, extortion, forgery
Number of members: 50,000
The American gang Crips (from the English. "Cripps") today has about 50,000 members. She has her own style of clothing, her own slang and alphabet. His five-time Nobel Prize nominee, who never got a pardon from Arnold Schwarzenegger, was executed by lethal injection. The gang was founded by an ordinary fifteen-year-old guy. 
Raymond was assisted by his friend Stanley "Tookie" Williams, the same fifteen-year-old maniac from crime. Both of them dreamed of raising the banner of the Black Panthers, building an organization that would rule the American streets as some kind of social or even political force. Looking ahead, I must say that they failed to realize this dream. Crips to this day lives exclusively on crime. And, perhaps, this is its strength and vitality.
In addition to gaining experience in street fighting, the gang develops its culture. There is a specific slang, understandable only to the initiated. Appear their own direction in music and dance C-walk. The art of graffiti is developing greatly. It serves as a secret script for the Crips. Wall paintings convey some strategic information to the gang members with every stroke, and neither the police nor the competitors are able to decipher it. Finally, almost Masonic initiation rituals are born. To join a gang, a guy undertakes to commit several murders in front of a "commission" from the Crips, and a girl voluntarily surrenders herself to several authoritative bandits at once.
It is during this triumphal period that both founders leave. In 1979, at the age of 26, Raymond Washington was shot, and Stanley "Tookie" Williams went to prison for the murder of four people. He is sentenced to death.
Williams faces 25 years of execution. In prison, he discovers the remarkable talent of a writer. His works have been nominated for the Nobel Prize five times. He is awarded the President's Award. The public asks to pardon him, to abolish the death penalty. However, the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had to decide on the pardon, turned out to be inexorable. On December 13, 2005, Williams was given a lethal injection.
But life goes on. The "old men" are being replaced by new bloodthirsty and greedy black bandits. They lead the Crips down the beaten path of murder, rape, drugs.
