Bloods and Crips

The Bloods and the Crips The United States has had problems with gangs dated back as early as the 1800s. In today’s society when people hear about gangs the first two gangs that they think of are the Bloods and the Crips. Both of these gangs originated about forty years ago but are still going strong today. Although, at first these gangs were formed as a sort of territorial war the activities of the gang members has grown increasingly more dangerous. The Bloods and the Crips are mortal enemies and are extremely feared throughout the country. Each of the gangs has a certain way of doing things, such as dressing, speaking, etc. The Crips chose the color blue in all different shades to represent themselves. . They sported the color with handkerchiefs and rags that they could choose wear however they wanted to. They would also wear jogging suits, overalls; L.A. sports team hats, Nike shoes, and Adidas shoes. They referred to each other as “cuzz” which was short for cousin. They would spray graffiti wherever they could find a place to show off their symbols and make themselves known. The Crips also make a gang sign which is forming a C with their hand. Bloods members identify themselves through various gang indicators such as colors, clothing, symbols, tattoos, jewelry, graffiti, language, and hand signs. The Blood’s gang color is red. They like to wear sports clothing such as Starter jackets that include the color red. Some of their favorite teams include the San Francisco Forty Niners, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Chicago Bulls. They are also known to wear Dallas Cowboys clothing, whose logo contains a five-pointed star. Symbols that are associated with the bloods are the number 5, stars, and 5 pointe crowns. This symbolizes the alliance they have to protect the members that are in jail. These symbols are very popular on jewelry and as tattoos. They graffiti a lot and it can have many meanings. Sometimes they’ll put a rival gangs symbol upside down or write Piru because that was the street the founder of the Bloods lived on. Their hand signal is the spelling of blood with their hands. The groups, in our opinion, started as something respectful and slowly lost its true meaning. The groups became obsessed with control and power over people because their power grew quickly and they were very intimidating. They are still groups that people fear and always will be. As a whole society’s fear gangs and associate them purely with violence and drugs. Although, in the beginning the intentions of the gangs were not what they are today people’s stereotypes are for the most part correct. Gangs are from urban areas in big cities but all races are involved in them. They are big in drugs and drug dealing, and are associated with many acts of violence. Street gangs are active in 94 percent of this country's major cities. Although not really knowing about gangs we found that people’s generalizations where pretty unfair. However, after further research we have come to believe that people are for the most part correct about what they think about gangs. These gangs would never mess with you unless you messed with them so people who have no association with gangs have no need to be worried. Nevertheless, if someone is to cross paths and upset a gang they better watch out. We feel as though the gangs are expressing themselves very well as minorities in a dominant culture where conformity dictates tastes and culture. Not only have these gangs been around and thrived for almost forty years, they are as well-known as ever now. Blue and red will always be associated with the Crips and the Bloods. People have tried to stop these gangs but we feel as though they thrive off of that. The more ciaos and violence they cause the better well known they are. They really have not changed their customs or their ways. They have only added on to them. They have not conformed to today’s culture, and are just as strong as they ever were. Overall, society fears the Bloods and Crips. Although when it first began this stereotype seemed unfair I believe it is fair now. They purposely try to scare away and intimidate people by showing aggressiveness. They have murdered people and broken the law so the perspective that people have on them is not unfair or judgmental. Although the way they handle situations is terrifying it is affective for them. It doesn’t make it right, but it does work for them and to them that’s all that matters. The Bloods and Crips have spent decades making sure they will always be remembered.