The Concept of Gangs

The Concept of Gangs

On December 13th 2005 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time, a 51 year old man was executed in the State of California by means of lethal injection. The inmate, an awarded author, Nobel Peace Prize-nominated humanitarian and reformed advocate for peace, was better known however, as one of the infamous founding fathers of a violent movement, credited for being the number one killer of young African-American males in the United States over the last 30 years. This man, Stanley “Tookie” Williams was serving time on death row after being convicted for the brutal execution-style murders of four California men in the 1970’s. Although vehemently denied by Williams, the shootings were determined to be directly linked to gang violence. After months of heated deliberation and numerous futile requests for clemency, the original gangster, Tookie Williams, was pronounced dead at 12:34 a.m.

Murder, rape, robbery, and drug running are just a few of the many unfortunate crimes and consequences of gang activity in America. Since the creation of one of the first gangs, up until present day, gangs have continued to terrorize and destroy our society. Originally inspired by the Black Panther philosophy of neighborhood control, gangs were extremely successful at appealing to vulnerable street kids in some of America’s poorest neighborhoods. At the time of their original formation, gangs were structured more like families than they are today, providing safety and self-defense for gang members and their neighborhoods. Unfortunately this would change very soon with the inception of gang rivalries as more and more gangs began to arise. In more recent years, gangs have become completely infiltrated with crime and violence. There are currently hundreds of different gangs in America which are separated largely by ethnic groups. These gangs are all very different and have very secretive rituals, initiation practices and colors. African-Americans comprise the largest number of gang members followed by Hispanics and Asians. The two most popular gangs in the United States are the Crips and the Bloods, both of which are predominately African-American.

The Crips are the largest American street gang. Formed in Los Angeles California in the early 1970’s by the above mentioned “Tookie” Williams along with Raymond Washington, the Crips were the first gang to hit the Westside. Blue is the color of choice for Crips. Gang members commonly dress from head to toe in blue and travel in large groups. Within the Crips, there are many different sets dispersed all across the nation. For over a decade, the Crips were the only force on the Westside, holding complete control over most of L.A.’s neighborhoods and drug trade. However, in 1984 this would change.

The next gang to hit the West Coast was the “Bloods.” The Bloods were founded