California Crip gangs: research and analysis

California Crip Gang

Crips in California

From Watts to Compton [...] to South Central [...] to the Avalon Franklin Fushed Town and Front Street Atlantic Drive, Kelly Park, we still serve heats [...] and we got beef till we die, Crips don't die, we multiply," (Crips, 1995); as seen in the lyrics of the most infamous Crip rappers, the California street gang has invaded the streets of Los Angeles. For various reason, including economic and familial hardships, these young Angelinos turn to a world of crime, for them the gang represents not only a surrogate family but also a way of life. Despite the violence and crime associated with such a life, it is still a life none the less. The various denominations of the inner city-based Crips are continuing to spread, and will forever leave their mark on the cold streets of Los Angeles.

California street gangs have a long and checkered past which has been both demonized and romanticized. The Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence labels the definition of a gang as "a group of young people whose members recognize themselves as a distinct entity and are recognized as such by their community," (Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence, 2008). These groups of individuals band together for various reasons; in California the main reason being financial and emotional support for one another. Due to the incredibly poor neighborhoods of inner-city Los Angeles, there are a myriad of gangs which have sprung up all over the city to provide protection and financial support to their members based on profits from illicit activities. In 1991, a study done by the University of California, USC, in the heart of gang territory, estimated an astounding 130,000 active gang members currently living in Los Angeles, (Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence, 2008).

Street gangs are formed for a number of reasons, offering both benefits and consequences for its members. Gang life in California becomes a sort of surrogate family life. Living in an area where many parents are either on drugs, in jail, or far away from their own children, young kids turn to the next best thing, "The gang is a surrogate family when the nuclear family has been broken," (Hukill, 2005). Therefore, the bonds within the gang are incredibly strong, just like familial relationships. Every member of the gang owes loyalty to every other member. The reason for many gang related deaths is retaliation based on an earlier assault or murder.

The Los Angeles-based Crips have long standing intimate and violent ties to the streets of Los Angeles. Initially formed in 1969, the notorious gang has grown to thousands of members and far past the inner streets of L.A. Today there are Crips in over twenty-four cities in Los Angeles County, (Alonso, 2008). This notorious and violent criminal enterprise was originally formed by a fifteen-year-old high school student named Raymond Washington, (Alonso, 2008). He and the infamous Stanley "Tookie" Williams were the founders of the gang which know boasts over 30,000 members.

Washington had been fascinated with the lifestyle of the Black Panthers in Los Angeles. Although too young to take part in the protests and other activities of the Black Panthers during a crucial era of their fame in the tumultuous 1960's, Washington decided to create his own organization modeled after the Panthers, (Alonso, 2008).

After this initial group gained more and more support from its surrounding communities, the members of the original Crip gang forced other neighboring gangs to join together in order to protect their own interests. Rival gangs such as the Bishops and the violent Pirus came together to form the Bloods, (Davis, 1992).

The original founders of the Crips had at one point intended the gang to be a source of community leadership. The heavy influence of the Black Panthers on Washington inspired him to follow in their footsteps of community activism and the avocation of fundamental Civil Rights principles. Therefore, the organization Washington had initially created was intended to provide that same sense of leadership and guidance in an area of Los Angeles which was relatively ignored by other social advocate groups at the time, (Alonso, 2008).

Eventually, however, the Crips turned from their original roots as community leaders and became much too caught up in neighborhood disputes with other rival gangs in the Los Angeles area, (Rawls, 2003).

The individuals who choose to join with gangs such as the Crips are those who are in need of protection and guidance within communities notorious for violence and crime. Many naturally turn to gangs, such as the Crips, due to previous exposure to such organizations. According to the Marriage and Family Encyclopedia, "the long history of multigenerational gangs, coupled with parents' former involvement with the same neighborhood gangs, brings a sense of tradition to the gangs," ("Gangs Family and the Gang as Family," 2008). Therefore, individuals who would otherwise be threatened with violence from opposing communities naturally turn to their neighborhood gangs as protection as well as a source of potential income.

Within the gang hierarchy, there are several different tiers of individuals who have relative positions and authority within their allocated neighborhood. These are based not only on age, but also on length of time spent involved within the gang. The top organizers are known as the O.G.s, or "original gangster," (Gang Out, 2008). These are the members who have proven their loyalty and beyond, being a part of the gang until their last breath. Next on the list on the typical hierarchy are the hardcore members, also known as generals, who basically run all gang operations. These members are responsible for delegating daily tasks as well as allocating funds to other lower members based on performance on sales. Young members, normally around seventeen years of age, are regarded as associates, or soldiers. This position is centered strictly around making the gang revenue and following any orders delivered to them from above. Robbery, drug sales, basically any method for making necessary cash flow needed to support all the other members of the gang. Younger kids, who are not yet old enough to officially join Crips, are still recruited and used as look outs and small time drug sales. Once these youngsters earn respect, they can officially be accepted and rise in the ranks.

The Crips operate accordingly in order to make a profit, much like other organizations, however with more violence and criminal activities. The biggest profit seen in gang activities comes from drug sales. Many of those who are forced to turn to gang life have no other options available to them based on location and social class. Therefore, "the crack cocaine trade may be one of the biggest job programs for inner city youth in the United States," (Rogers, 1991). This money is quick and relatively easy, however it comes with a heavy price. With this much money at stake, violence is inevitable. According to various police reports, in 1988, the heyday of the crack epidemic, Los Angeles gang members were bringing in over $1,000,000 a week in drug sales, (Rogers, 1991). It was reported that each individual gang member would have taken home an astounding $5,000 a week, (Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence, 2008). With this money, gang members ensure themselves the money they were denied in every other facet available to them, "Gangs are never goin' to die out. You all goin' to get us jobs?" (Davis, 1992). The Crips actively recruit younger members into their ranks, and do so using specialized tactics proven to usher in a new generation of gang members. In the economical uncertainty of the 1980s in the inner cities, the unemployment rate for African-American youths raised to an insane 45%, (Davis 1992). More than forty-five major cities in the United States show increasing numbers of child gang members, (Rogers, 1991). In Los Angeles, a reported 50,000 minors are involved in gang activity; with an even greater number in California as a whole, (Rogers, 1991).

Despite the lure of fortune and protection, the consequences of claiming Crip membership can be devastating. Along with constant threat of violence from rival gangs, Crips face the constant battle with the infamous Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). After the explosion of crack onto the streets of Los Angeles, gang activity raised to new astounding heights. Gang related murders sky rocketed in the mid to late 1980s. In response to the unchecked violence stemmed from gang activity in the drug trade, the LAPD launched "Operation HAMMER," (Davis, 1992). This controversial operation suspended the constitutional rights of suspicious persons, or basically young black males in certain areas. South Central Los Angeles, from Exposition Park all the way to the borders of North Long Beach were invaded by LAPD in mobile arrest units who were allowed free reign on who to stop and search based on these new regulations. In the first implementation of the new system, there were over 1,453 arrests of teens suspected of being part of gangs, (Davis, 1992). The HAMMER program eventually fell to civil rights advocates protesting its violations against the constitutional rights of certain targeted individuals. After receiving such pressure, a huge scandal broke within the ranks of the LAPD based on charges of corruption and misconduct. Although the LAPD still maintains a heavy presence within these streets, they are not as vehement as seen in the case of the HAMMER era.