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The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. (March 2008) |
| Crips | |
| In | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Raymond Washington |
| Years active | 1969-present |
| Territory | Los Angeles, California; most big cities in the U.S. |
| Ethnicity | mostly African American |
| Membership | 30,000-40,000citation needed |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, robbery, extortion, murder |
| Allies | Folk Nation [1], Gangster Disciples [2] |
| Rivals | Bloods [3], Latin Kings [4], People Nation [5] |
The Crips are a primarily, but not exclusively, African-American gang founded in Los Angeles, California in 1969 mainly by 16-year-old Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams. What was once a single gang is now a loosely connected network of individual sets, often engaged in open warfare with one another.
Through the years the gang has grown to be one of the largest and most powerful gangs in the United States, currently with over 30,000 gang members. The gang is known to be involved in murders, robberies, drug dealing, among many other criminal pursuits. The gang is notorious for its gang members' flamboyant use of the color blue in their clothing. However, this practice has waned due to contentious police crackdowns on gang members.
The Crips are known to have an intense and bitter rivalry with the Bloods as well as with all Hispanic street gangs. They are also locked in an ongoing struggle over the drug trade with the Vice Lords in Memphis, Tennessee.citation needed
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History
Raymond Washington initially called the gang the Baby Avenues in an attempt to emulate older gangs and the activities carried out by the Black Panthers, a movement with which he was fascinated. The gang renamed itself the Avenue Cribs and then took on the nickname Cribs because of the young age of the members.[6] The name Crips was first introduced in the Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper in a description by crime victims of young men with canes, as if they were crippled (though there is some discussion that it may have initially been a simple spelling mistake). The name stuck.
Stanley Tookie Williams, generally acknowledged as co-founder of the Crips,[7] started his own gang called the Westside Crips. The Crips became popular throughout southern Los Angeles as more youth gangs joined; at one point they outnumbered non-Crip gangs by 3 to 1, sparking disputes with non-Crip gangs, including the L.A. Brims, Athens Park Boys, the Bishops and the Denver Lanes.
Along with friends, Williams and Washington created the initial intent of continuing the revolutionary ideology of the 1960s. These aspirations were unattainable because of a general lack of political leadership and guidance. Washington and Williams were never able to develop an agenda for social change within the community and instead became obsessed with protecting themselves from other gangs in the community.
By 1971 the gang's notoriety had spread across Los Angeles. The gang became increasingly violent as they attempted to expand their turf. By the early 1980s the gang was heavily involved with drug trade.[8]
Crip on Crip violence
In 1971, a Crip set on Piru Street, Compton known as the Piru Street Boys was formed. After two years of peace, a feud began between the Piru Street Boys and the other Crip sets. It would later turn violent as gang warfare ensued between former allies. This battle continued until the mid 1970s when the Piru Street Boys wanted to call an end to the violence and called a meeting with other gangs that were targeted by the Crips. After a long discussion, the Pirus broke off all connections to the Crips and started an organization that would later be called the Bloods, a street gang infamous for its rivalry with the Crips.[6]
Since then, other conflicts and feuds were started between many of the remaining sets of the Crips gang. It is a popular misconception that Crips sets feud only with Bloods. In reality, they fight each other — for example, the Rollin' 60s and 83rd Street Gangster Crips ("Eight-Tray") have been rivals since 1979. This conflict has resulted in the majority of "Gangster Crip" sets feuding with most "Neighborhood Crip" sets. In Watts, Los Angeles, the Grape Street Watts Crips and the P Jay Crips have feuded so much that the P Jay Crips even teamed up with the local Bloods set, the Bounty Hunter Bloods, to fight against the Grape Street Crips[9].
References
External links
- History of Crip Gangs in LA early formation of Los Angeles Crips
- Snopes Urban Legend – The origin of the name Crips
- L.A.-based gangs – An overview of LA-based gangs
