Dr. Thomas Beal
History 394: Special Topic
Class and Culture in Urban American
State University of New York
at Oneonta
April 20, 2001
A gang is a loosely organized group of individual people who join forces for social reasons. Or anti-social reasons depending on how one looks at it. A person may join a gang for numerous reasons. These reasons include the need for “identity, discipline, recognition, love, money, and belonging.” 5 “Today there are approximately 274 Blood and Crip gangs in Los Angeles County alone.” 1 The gangs that are often in the news are usually made up of African-Americans. “African-Americans first formed street gangs in the late 1920s and early 1930s on the east side of Los Angeles near Central and Vernon Avenues. They were also forming in the downtown area of Los Angeles around the same time.” 4
Los Angeles is not the only area where gangs are visible, but it is often the area that will be associated with the topic of gang violence. “During the years to follow the early 1930s, African-Americans began to move south from downtown Los Angeles, down Central Ave towards Slauson Avenue.” 4 Whites primarily occupied this area during the 1920s, but African-Americans started moving in when the 1930s began. As the years went on and the time became closer to the present, these old gangs faded away, and new gangs surfaced. These new gangs were a more violent, dangerous type of group. Confrontations that would have led to fistfights in the 1930s progressed into fights that included chains, knives, and guns during the 1970s and 1980s.
The two main names that will be associated with gang crime and activity these days are the Bloods and the Crips. These two names raise fear in most members of the community in the United States. The Bloods and the Crips are names that are synonymous with bloody violent crimes. People fear gangs for the crimes they commit. These crimes include drive-by shootings, heavy drug dealings, and random acts of violence. I will look into how the Bloods and Crips started, why gang violence is on the rise, violence in our nations schools, women in gangs, how sports teams and their logos are used for a gang and their identities, and finally, I will look into two specific instances where gang violence occurred and the lives of many innocent victims were lost.
The Bloods and the Crips had rather inauspicious beginnings. The gangs started much like any other group or club. They had to establish a name for themselves. The gangs had to do impressive things, and seem tough or intimidating if they wanted respect. In the early 1970s they were not many Crips gangs. “The word Crip is a derivative of the word Crib.” 1 The word crib is slang for where one lives, or a person house. Soon Crips gangs began springing up all over. “Near Freemont High School there were Eastside Crips, across the Harbor Freeway is where the Westside Crips were, and in Compton there were the Compton Crips.” 1 The man that gets most of the credit for starting these Crip gangs is Raymond Washington. He did not start the Crips for any reason, except that he looked up to a group of older boys, who had been rolling together, in a small gang called the Avenue Boys. Raymond Washington liked what he saw and he started his own gang at the age of fifteen. Two of Raymond’s friends from his younger days at Freemont High also get some credit for helping to get the gang on its feet. The friends were “Stanley “Tookie” Williams, and Jamiel Barnes.” 4 The gang these three collaborated together to start was initially called the Baby Avenues. Soon the Baby Avenues became the Crips. “By late in 1971 the Avalon Garden Crips and the Inglewood Crips joined forces with many other Crips sets.” 1 This was the beginning of the end, as more and more Crips sets began joining forces, or just taking the name of Crips.
The Bloods basically started after the gang The Pirus had a conflict with some gangs of Crips. The Pirus actually had some friendly ties with the Crips at first. But after a conflict, the Pirus wanted their own new identity. The Pirus turned to another powerful Street gang, known as the L. A. Brims. The Brims had a problem with Crips, because a “Crip had murdered a Brim in cold blood earlier in 1972.” 1 The Pirus “called a meeting on Piru Street.” 1 The Brims were asked to attend and they happily did. This was the start of the gang now known as the Bloods. Some other smaller gangs that joined forces with the Brims, and the Pirus, were called the “Denver Lanes, the Bishops, the Athens Park Boys, and the Pueblos.” 1 Now that the beginnings of these gangs are known, I will look forward to 1980. “By 1980 there were 30,000 gang members in Los Angeles County, and by 1982 gang members started dealing heavily in narcotics.” 1 So even though these gangs started out small, and it may have taken time to gain respect and size, the gangs succeeded in what they wanted to do. And by the 1980s both the Bloods and the Crips were super powers on the streets of Los Angeles.
Although the authorities made huge strives in the fight against gang violence, there has been “an ominous upturn in L. A. gang violence.” 12 The question that can now be asked is why? Why has gang violence picked up? There are many answers to this question, none of which are good enough answers to constitute this violence. One statistic that proves that gang violence is up is this: Gang related homicides are up twenty-four percent. There are many theories on why the gang related violence is up. One theory is that most gang member’s resort to violence to get a rival gang member back for something that rival gang member did. Another theory is that the millennium got gang bangers excited, and made them want to leave their mark on a new century. Another theory is that gang members today are younger and crazier, and are willing to resort to violence faster than older gang members. Another theory that seems to make some sense is that “the recent increase in shootings reflects the cyclical pattern of gang violence. Gang activity had decreased for so long that it was just a matter of time before it shot up again.” 12 Out of all these theories, I think the last theory makes the most sense. Gang members got bored with the lull in crime activity, and decided to make a point of showing L. A. that they still existed, and should still be feared.
A perfect example that
proves gang violence is on the rise is “five incidents in one deadly night.” 12 On one fateful night in July of 2000,
there were five random acts of gang violence. The crimes themselves are
shocking, but five random acts of violence in one night is even more shocking.
“The first shooting occurred about 9:45 p. m. A twenty-year-old and a friend
were walking through a tree-lined neighborhood near Crenshaw High School and
spotted a Chevy Monte Carlo approaching from behind, according to police.” 12 “The unidentified men were shot at, and
one was hit in the heel.” 12 This crime
was committed with absolutely no known motive.
Less than two hours after
this shooting, another shooting happened, less than one mile away. “Two men,
ages 21 and 29, described by police as likely gang members, were standing on
the sidewalk near 73rd Street and 10th Avenue in Hyde
Park in L. A., when gunmen in a passing dark Toyota opened fire.” 12 These men were not hurt badly in the hail
of gunfire, but bullets pierced a house where three young children were
sleeping. Innocent children are at risk in their own beds at night in South
Central Los Angeles.
The third incident that
happened on this night was an actual murder. “Shortly after midnight, police
were called to the corner of Gage and Western Avenues. They found Grover
Tinner, 48, an ex-felon with an extensive criminal history, shot to death in an
alley adjacent to the a stucco duplex that neighbors say had been used for drug
sales.” 12 The man arrested for this
crime was a man who had already served time, for his part in the famous beating
of Reginald Denny, the truck driver.
The fourth random act of
violence that occurred on this night was obviously gang related. A young man
named Ernest Young was hanging out near a liquor store, when several young
black males approached him. Young was asked, “where are you from.”12 Young replied with, “eight-tray.” 12
Minutes later Young was approached again and asked, “what set did you
say you was from again, cuz?”12 Young
could not answer; he was shot in the “left leg, the left arm, and three times
in the hip.” 12 This attack “was
another brutal example of how gang payback shootings go down.” 12
The fifth random act that
happened on this night in July of 2000 was another murder. Only three blocks
from where Ernest Young was shot, a woman named Barbara Bullock was at a
convenient store getting a snack. She sat in the back of a car that also held
her friends Sylvester Watson, Teresa Daniels, and Haason Baker. As Bullock’s
car left the convenient mart parking lot, Daniels became aware that a Buick was
following their car with its lights out. “The Buick pulled alongside and two
men flashed gang hand signs.” 12 Then a barrage of gunfire came out of the
Buick. “Police say the gunmen fired a nine-millimeter semiautomatic pistol
about six times, striking Baker in the back and the left arm, and Watson in the
right leg.” 12 Soon after this initial
gunfire, Baker lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a storefront
church. “Daniels suffered a gash to her head and a cracked spine. Bullock, who
was not wearing a seatbelt, was rushed to the hospital with a broken
collarbone, pelvis, left arm and several cracked ribs.” 12 “Five days later, Bullocks kidneys
failed, and later her heart stopped.” 12
The reason Bullock’s family members think this random act of violence occurred
was because one of the passengers of the car was wearing a Georgetown hat. The
gang members “got mistaken thinking the hat was from the Eight-tray Crips.”12 And the Georgetown “G” that ultimately
led to the shooting was thought to stand for Gangster.
After examining those five
random acts of violence it is obvious that gang violence, and crime, is on the
rise. Now one question can be asked. Are there any ways to stop this trend?
“Many Elected officials have convened community meetings, and emergency
summits,”12 in South Central L. A.
Two solutions that the officials have come up with are to give more teens jobs
during the summer months. The incentive of making money is an idea to keep
teens away from gangs, and working. One other idea is allocating large sums of
money for gang violence prevention and intervention programs. These are both
good ideas, but only time will tell if they are part of the solution.
One other problem that seems
to be on the rise is violence in our nations schools. "Most teachers
believe that violence occurs in hallways or under staircases, in the lunchroom
or cafeteria, or in unattended classrooms."9
But the truth is that violence can erupt anywhere in our nations schools.
Fights can happen in gym class, and the locker rooms, and many other places.
Violence will happen where adult supervision is at a minimum. "Students,
especially those who have been victims, learn quickly which areas to
avoid." 9 There are many factors
that contribute to school violence. Lack of parental supervision is one, lack
of family involvement in school is another, and in most inner cities, gangs
contribute to violence in schools. Today in our schools, there is a much better
chance that a disagreement between students will be settled with a fight,
rather than a non-violent solution. Many things could be done to stop this
problem in our children's schools. If parents would try to have a better role
in their children's lives, it would give the child a higher self-esteem. Then
that child would not feel the need to lash out during the school day. If a
parent puts more effort into caring about the students day, or the child's
activities, a child would be less likely to feel the need to join a gang. If a
child got the attention at home, the child would not need the attention from
his fellow gang members. Another thing that could be done to curve violence in
our nations schools, would be to have more after school programs. Something
similar to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America would work. This would keep
children out of trouble until dinnertime. Then after dinnertime, it would be
the parent's responsibility to watch after the child. One more thing that could
be done to keep violence out of schools is to have more programs, or assemblies
about the evils of drugs and alcohol. Illegal substances are a huge factor in
violence, and if schools would concentrate more on programs that show how bad drugs
and alcohol are, then we would have fewer problems. One last thing that would
help shut down the problem of violence in our schools, would be if the nations
media would stop glorifying every terrible thing that happens. The Columbine
situation was a tragedy, but sometimes it seems if the media wanted it to
happen - so they could have something to write about. If some of these
suggestions to cut down on violence in our schools would be realized, our
nations learning institutions would be safer places for our children.
One part of gangs that is
often forgotten about is the high number of women that participate in gang
activities. Although women do not get the recognition men do for being in
gangs, women deserve a mention. Women that participate in gangs do often resort
to the same sorts of violence men do. They join because they are "caught
in a socially non-existent place in terms of the dominant culture."7 What this means is that the girls have
trouble identifying themselves in a male dominated culture. They begin to
search for their own identity, so they stray towards gangs. Girls use the gang
as “a reference guide by which they can begin to identify themselves.”7 The girls join for the identity, but
their activity in the gang violence, and crime, does not differ much from the
male activity. The girls fight, and they are included in much of the other
things the male members are involved in. But at times, the girls are left back.
They are not allowed to fight in certain instances. An example of when the girl
gang members would not be included would be when the rival gang was not
bringing their female members. If the women would not be able to handle the
fight, and they would be mostly fighting men, they would be left behind. But
other than that, the women are always involved in whatever their male
counterparts are involved in. One drawback for women who join gangs is the
sexual activity within the gangs. Once a girl joins her gang, she often becomes
the sexual partner of many of the male members. “Most of the girls act like
tramps.”7 The women are always
with different men. Although the women are included in most activities, and are
accepted, they often end up pregnant or with disease. Women who join gangs are
often involved in heavy drug use. They see the male gang members doing drugs
and they want to do the same. Women who join gangs are doing nothing to help
their lives, although they might feel differently about it. The best thing for
women in cities would be to stay clear of joining gangs.
Something that is very
prevalent in the lives of gang members is the wearing of gang signs. It is well
known that certain colors are sometimes associated with certain gangs. Bloods
will wear red, and Crips will wear Darks. But what is not really known is the
amount of sports team logos that are used to identify certain gangs. There are
many different Crip sets around the United States. They all have different
sports teams logos to show off their supposed toughness. One example of this
type of utilization of sports teams is the University of Illinois symbol. The
symbol is the “initials U and I together which appears to be a pitchfork.”10 Another example of this type of gang
wear is the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association, and their
logo. A Crip gang in Chicago says that Magic stands for “maniacs and gangsters
in Chicago.”10 Another Crip set says
that they where their Raiders hats because Raiders stands for “ruthless ass
insane disciples everywhere running shit.”10
One more example of gangs, and their traditions for having their own
distinctive gang signs, is the University of North Carolina. One Crip set says
that North Carolina stands for “neighborhood Crips.” 10 Although this all seems stupid to me, gang members take this sort of
stuff very seriously. As I stated earlier in this paper, one can be shot at,
simply if they have on the wrong team hat at the wrong time. Some other
traditional gang habits, used to show affiliation, are how a member wears the
pant leg of his jeans, where a bandana is worn, which way the brim of a hat is
pointed, and how jewelry is worn.
The first gang banger I will examine is Hung Thanh Mai. He was a gang leader, who murdered a rookie highway patrolman for no reason. “Mai shot patrolman Don Burt Jr. in a Fullerton parking lot after a routine traffic stop.” 11 “The officer had found counterfeit traveler’s checks in the trunk of Mai’s car. Before he had a chance to confront Mai, the slightly built gang member got out of the car firing a nine-millimeter semiautomatic weapon. As Burt lay wounded, Mai delivered a final shot to his head, authorities said.” 11 This is the type of thing that gang bangers are known for, and hideous crimes like this, are exactly why gang violence is something authorities want to put a stop to. Mai was caught and he received the death penalty in June of 2000. During his time in court, Mai acted like an animal. He “shocked the courtroom with violent outbursts.” 11 He also “threatened a prosecution witness and once had to be restrained by several deputies as he tried to topple the defense table.” 11 Mai was a danger to society and he will fry for his crime. However, he is just one of thousands. There are many more gang bangers out on the streets of Los Angeles, that have yet to be arrested, that have the same potential for a similar violent crime.
Another example of specific gang members, and their activity comes from New York City. Although this will not be as specific as one gang member and his trial, it will show gang activity that happens just a few short hours away from Oneonta, NY. Although the “Crips and the Bloods gangs are synonymous with bloody violence on the west coast, they have been steadily migrating eastward, but they have run into a rude welcome in NY.”3 “In a recent three-day sweep, New York City police arrested one-hundred and sixty seven alleged members of the gangs. Most of them are reported to be Bloods, but at least one unit of Crips was collared. The alleged gang members have been charged with crimes ranging from assault and drug sales, to attempted murder.” 3 The Bloods and Crips have been making their way east for a while now. They have “entrenched themselves in Boston, Nashville, Tennessee, Louisville, and Kentucky, but police say that they have never gotten a solid toehold in the Big Apple until recently.” 3 As gang activity began to pick up in New York City, authorities began to track the gang members by their previous records. When a gang member changed residence the police would know about it. One thing that gave authorities the idea that gangs were moving into the city was the large amount of new gang graffiti on the city walls. But the main thing that made police believe gang activity was on the rise in New York was the amount of random slashings. “Two men would approach a stranger on the street or subway, pull out a box-cutter and slash their victims face. Police now attribute 135 of these slashings to gang initiation rituals.” 3 Police stand by their claim that they will continue to fight gang activity in New York City. But it is a daunting challenge when you consider what they are up against. Even with the arrest of one hundred and sixty seven, there are so many other gang members out there. It is estimated that there are still around eight hundred members of both the Bloods and the Crips still out there, and these gangs are growing by the day. Police have been utilizing special units to concentrate on one thing only - gang crime prevention.
There are many different types of gangs out there, and many different aspects of these gangs. Some gangs are harmless, however, some are deadly. The Bloods and the Crips, along with many other gangs are out there, and they are striking fear in our nations cities. The police are doing what they can, with their special units, and the large amounts of money pumped into fighting gangs, but schools and parents need to help more with the problem. Schools need to have more forums, or assemblies that preach about the ills of joining a gang. Parents need to show more attention to their kids. Parents need to show that they do love, and care, for their children. If this would happen, fewer and fewer young kids would migrate towards the gang scene. The police are doing what they can, now it is time for schools, and parents to do their part. Together maybe we can put a halt to gang activity all together.
4www.streetgangs.com/history/history.html
5www.gangwar.com/dynamics.html
1James Haskins, Street Gangs: Yesterday and Today. (Hastings House, Publishers of New York, 1984).
1James Haskins, Street Gangs: Yesterday and Today.
(Hastings House, Publishers of New York, 1984).
4www.streetgangs.com/history/history.html
4www.streetgangs.com/history/history.html
1James Haskins, Street Gangs: Yesterday and Today.
(Hastings House, Publishers of New York, 1984).
12 www.streetgangs.com/topics/2000/081400upturn.html
12 www.streetgangs.com/topics/2000/081400upturn.html
9http://web.tc.Columbia.edu/monographs/uds107/preventing_location.html
7Mary G. Harris, Ed. D., Girls and Gangs. (AMS Press, of New York, 1988).
10www.expage.com/page/cripinfo
10www.expage.com/page/cripinfo
11www.streetgangs.com/topics/2000/062300deathsen.html
3www.cnn.com/US/9708/27/crips.bloods/
3www.cnn.com/US/9708/27/crips.bloods/ Bibliography
1James Haskins, Street Gangs: Yesterday and Today. (Hastings House, Publishers of New York, 1984).
2www.th-record.com/1999/09/14/hygangs.htm
3www.cnn.com/US/9708/27/crips.bloods/
4www.streetgangs.com/history/history.html
5www.gangwar.com/dynamics.html
6G. Larry Mays, Gangs and Gang Behavior. (Nelson-Hall, Publishers of Chicago, 1997).
7Mary G. Harris, Ed. D., Girls and Gangs. (AMS Press, of New York, 1988).
8Susan A. Phillips, Wallbangin: Graffiti and Gangs in L. A.. (The University of Chicago Press, 1999).
9http://web.tc.Columbia.edu/monographs/uds107/preventing_location.html
10www.expage.com/page/cripinfo
11www.streetgangs.com/topics/2000/062300deathsen.html
12www.streetgangs.com/topics/2000/081400upturn.html