Rise of the Bloods and Crips Street Gang
Gangs are described as groups of friends with a defined internal leadership. Gangs take control of territories in communities and engage in illegal and violent behaviors. Whereas some gangs engage in petty crimes and misdemeanors, some gangs engage in serious crimes such as drug trafficking, robbery, and, most times, murder. Bloods and Crips street gangs are two independent street gangs that run the streets of Los Angeles and other cities across America. Both gangs started in the mid-90s intending to protect their neighborhoods from violent gangs. However, as time went on, the gangs engaged in criminal activities as well. Ever since the rise of the two rival street gangs, murder and violence have increased, and society has faced adverse effects as a result.
Crips gang was started to protect gang members from other gangs that committed crimes. The two high school students who began the Crips gang were worried that non-gang members got constantly harassed by the numerous gangs in the South Central Los Angeles neighborhood (Dunn). Initially, the Crips gang was non-violent, and it only served as a means of protection. The Crips street gang not only protected its gang members from other gangs but also safeguarded gang members from police harassment.
Blood Street gang was formed to retaliate against the infamous Crips gang. By the time Blood gang was getting created, Crips gang had evolved to a criminal gang, and the numerous Crips gang sets were terrorizing neighborhoods. Therefore, the Bloods established themselves to protect themselves for the notorious Crips gangs (Dunn). Although the Bloods were successful in rebelling against the Crips, the gang was yet to be established and widespread. Thus, the Bloods used ruthless methods to recruit members and grow the gang.
Initially, the Crips were known as “cribs.” As mentioned earlier, the gang was meant to protect people against harassment from violent gangs as well as prevent harassment from the police. The cribs referred to themselves as Baby Avenues, after the Avenue gang. Later, the name evolved to cribs. However, the name changed to Crips as a short form for cripples since the original gang members used to walk with canes (National Crime Syndicate). Therefore, Crips was just another youth organization meant to protect and serve a community. However, poverty and unemployment took its toll, and the gang transformed from a community resource group to a violent street gang. The name Bloods originated from the close connection shared by blood ties. The Blood gang members refer to each other as close family members, thus the name Bloods. The Blood gang needed a name that would unite the gang members and propel them towards achieving a common course.
Crips street gang was created in the late 1960s. The late 1960s were witnesses the rise and development of a harmless gang called the Crips that would however become the most violent and unlawful gangs in the history of Los Angeles (Dunn). Two high school students started the Crips to protect people from the various criminal gangs that harassed people. The gang began as an affiliation of small gangs and later grew into a full gang called “cribs.” “The cribs” soon changed into Crips, the name that still represents the infamous gang. As the gang grew, the members felt the need to choose a primary color that would identify the gang members. According to the Crime National Syndicate, Crips adopted the color blue as their color code after the founding member, Buddha, was shot and killed. Buddha was always donned in a blue bandana, and so, the Crips adopted a blue color code in honor of their founder.
The Bloods was started in South Central Los Angeles in the early 70s. The gang was created at the time when street violence had consumed the city of Los Angeles. However, the Bloods was not designed to facilitate criminal activities, but to retaliate against the Crips gang, a gang that had taken over Los Angeles. Most scholars believe that the Bloods were initially founded as a confederation of smaller gangs in opposition to the more massive and domineering Crips gang (Gann). The Crips gang was increasing in number and power, and non-Crips members needed protection from all the violence and assault. The Bloods began as a collaboration of small gangs, but after several non-Crips members were killed in cold blood by members of the Crips gang, The Bloods recruited numerous gang members. The Bloods were bitter and full of vengeance, and they attacked members of Crips gang brutally. Just like the Crips, the Bloods also adapted a color code. The Bloods adapted the color red, in rebellion to the color blue of Crips gang members. Also, red represented the gang name blood.
The Crips and Bloods gangs have affected society adversely. The gangs facilitate not only drug trafficking but also violence and robberies. The rivalry between the two gangs has served to increase the rate of violence in their “territories.” The Bloods gang was initially meant to provide protection against the Crips gang. However, as more youths got recruited to the Bloods gang, the more the Crips felt threatened and felt the need to attack Bloods gang members to instill fear.
The gangs increased the rate of violence in their neighborhoods. Both gangs recruited members forcefully to increase the members of their gangs. The Bloods and the Crips were adamant to protect their territories from invasion from rival gangs that they resorted to violence to protect their neighborhoods (Dunn). However, although the gangs defended their neighborhoods from attack, they harassed and robbed from the same people they claimed to protect. If any person wished to join any of the gangs, they had to prove themselves worthy by committing a crime such as a robbery or attacking a member of a rival group. The Bloods was also famous for the brutal and ruthless methods they used to recruit more gang members forcefully.
The loose leadership in the Bloods and Crips gangs also increased violence. The gangs were made up of independent gang sets with independent command. The gang sets within the significant gangs rivaled as they struggled to claim and protect territories. The lack of concrete leadership in the gangs contributed to violence as different gang members assumed leadership positions as self-proclaimed leaders. Such scuffles within the gangs increased the rate of violence.
The gangs affected society by facilitating drug trafficking. As gang members increased, there was a need to generate more income to enable gang activities. Therefore, the Bloods and the Crips buying and selling crack cocaine as a means of boosting their income. Drug trafficking was an easy way to make money since most gang members were poor and unemployed. According to Dunn, “Gangsters could make anywhere from three hundred to five hundred dollars per day selling crack cocaine and, the money involved was a central component that drew gangsters to this particular line of work.” The cash generated from drug trafficking was used to facilitate criminal activities. Successful drug dealers bought expensive cars, clothing, and lived in luxurious mansions outside the traditional gang territory. Such extravagant and luxurious living attracted non-members to join gangs and make a living. Drug trafficking facilitated the expansion of the gangs as young men sought to affiliate with either the Bloods or the Crips.
As the gang members scrambled to supply crack cocaine in Los Angeles, other gang members began to scout other cities where they could provide narcotics. A routine was formed where members of the gangs would move to other cities, scout the city to ascertain the narcotics demand and supply chain then establish a way to operate drug trafficking in the new cities. (Dunn). The combination of drug trafficking and violence has worsened the state of many cities across the country. Also, the gangs continue to expand into different cities as gang members migrate to other cities in search of the market for narcotics.
Murder cases also increased due to the rivalry between the Blood gang and Crips gang. When the Crips gang was formed, it was meant to protect people. However, a decade after the gang became active; the gang was responsible for twenty-nine murders (Brown). As the gang expanded, more gang-related deaths were reported. The number of murders increased as the rivalry between the Bloods and the Crips increased. As mentioned earlier, when non-members requested to join the gangs, they were required to engage in criminal activity or assault a member of the rival gang. Most of the attacks ended up in murder. Whenever members of rival gangs met, they engaged in fights, and since most gangs used guns for protection, such disputes always lead to death. Society at large was not safe when armed gang members roamed the streets.
In conclusion, the Blood gang and the Crips gang continue to expand and recruit more members. The two gangs continue to engage in drug trafficking and violence. Although the gangs no longer recruit people forcefully, they still facilitate illicit businesses and violence. With the murder of Nipsey Hussle, the two rival gangs promised to end the rivalry in honor of Nipsey, a gang member and an activist who campaigned for peace among the gangs. Hopefully, a truce among the two rival gangs will reduce violence on the streets of many cities across the country.
Works Cited
Brown, Gary. Los Angeles Gangs: The Bloods and the Crips. 2019. 7 December 2019 <https://www.socialistalternative.org/panther-black-rebellion/los-angeles-gangs-bloods-crips/ >
Dunn, Julia. Los Angeles Crips and Bloods: Past and Present. 26 July 1999. 7 December 2019 https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/gangcolor/lacrips.htm
Gann, Brian. The Bloods (1972 –). 9 June 2011. 7 December 2019 <https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/bloods-1972/>
National Crime Syndicate. Who are the Bloods & Crips: What They Stand for & How They Started? 4 December 2019. 7 December 2019 https://www.nationalcrimesyndicate.com/who-are-the-bloods-and-crips/