Insurgency Overview
The Bloods street gang is regarded as one of America’s most notorious and violent street gangs. It is described as a large alliance of a variety of different gangs. It was established in Los Angeles, California during the early 1970s. Like most street gangs, the Bloods engage in a variety of illegal activities to secure income and maintain control over territories. These activities include murder, robbery, drug trafficking, and extortion. Since its foundation, membership has flourished nationwide and has an estimated 15,000–20,000 members. (1)
History
The origins of the Bloods can be traced to their founding in Compton, California, in the early 1970s. While no official founder exists, Sylvester Scott and Vincent Owens are recognised as founding members. Following a power vacuum left behind by the dismantling of the Black Panther Party, gangs began forming to contest for power and protection over certain areas. The Crips gang would begin rising by absorbing the other local street gangs, however, not all gangs would allow themselves to be overrun. These gangs would form alliances to combat crips. Among these gangs were the Inglewood Family, the Denver Lanes, the Pueblo Bishops, the La Brims, and the Piru Street Boys. The Piru Street Boys are regarded as being the forerunners of the Bloods. All of these anti-crip gangs would ally, eventually forming the Bloods. (1)
The Piru’s (Piru Street Boys) were formed in 1971 after youth were targeted at their high school by Crips. After facing violence, Sylvester Scott, Vincent Owens, and others formed the Pirus. They then united with other anti-Crip gangs to establish the Bloods as a means of protecting against the Crips. The colour red was adopted as a strong contrast to the blue colour the Crips associate themselves with. The Piru faction operates within the Bloods alliance, with subsets like the Mob Pirus and Elm Street Pirus. While gangs within the Bloods operate independently, conflicts between them and even within subsets are common, blurring the lines between allies and adversaries. While Crips are the common enemy of the Bloods, certain Blood sets have negotiated truces with each other. An example would be the Watts Truce. In 1992, a peace treaty was declared by major Blood and Crip sets in the Watts neighbourhood of Los Angeles. This treaty was signed in a mosque, and the gangs involved agreed to keep the peace and, instead of targeting each other, to target police brutality. While violence still occurs, this agreement is credited as a notable victory in the decline of street violence in Los Angeles. (2)
Crack cocaine began to emerge in the 1980s. This period marked a significant era of expansion for the Bloods. With this new drug on the streets, the Bloods became a top player in the American drug trade. With this growth came membership growth as well. Ronald Reagan's strict enforcement of drugs would lead to a large increase in incarceration, establishing a blood presence in prison. Gang recruiting is a complicated issue and can be attributed to many different things. Many in urban and impoverished areas would turn to gangs as a means of survival. It is important to mention that not all blood members commit crimes. Since the membership varies so much, some neighbourhood Blood sets are small collectives of people who don’t participate in crime and are mainly involved for the sake of the community.
The United Blood Nation (East Coast Bloods) was founded in 1993 by Omar “OG Mack” Portee and Leonard “OG Dead Eye” Mckenzie. While in Rikers Island prison, the two would form a unified force combining blood sets within the prison to defend themselves from the other larger gang alliances, such as the Latin Kings and the Ńetas. The UBN acts as a separate entity with different sets and subsets, mainly operating in New York, and is loosely tied to California Blood sets. West Coast and East Coast Bloods while sharing the same Blood name do not necessarily get along. (3)
Objectives and Ideology
Initially focused on protection from the Crips, the Bloods evolved as their membership flourished, turning their attention to asserting dominance. Like typical criminal groups, they partake in various illicit activities such as murder, drug trafficking, and robbery. One of the most famous examples of a Blood member being involved in murder was the killing of Christopher Wallace (Biggie Smalls). A Blood member named Wardell Fouse, also known as “Poochie”, was implicated in Biggie's murder. The murder of Biggie is still unsolved and has led to many theories. One well-known theory is that Suge Knight, Mob Piru and co-founder of Death Row Records, was the shot-caller behind his death. This has not been confirmed but has raised a lot of speculation around the Blood's involvement.
While not all members subscribe to this lifestyle, some deeply entrenched in the gangs often perceive their sets as familial and integral to their existence. Loyalty and brotherhood are prized, yet internal violence challenges them. It is common that to join a gang you must be jumped in. Being jumped in means getting beat by several members of a gang to test the toughness of the incoming recruit. The beating lasts as long as each gang sees fit. Some hold certain significance with specific numbers so they will beat them for that amount of time. Each set has its own identity and culture. This results in a lot of confusion and difficulty analysing the Bloods as a whole.
Approach
The Bloods, like many other street gangs, are heavily armed. Weapons such as pistols, semi-automatic submachine guns, and shotguns are most common. Automatic rifles are uncommon, and most crimes have been committed using common pistols. (4) A well-known tactic utilized is drive-by shootings. It's a fairly easy and safe alternative to confronting someone one-on-one. Drive-by shootings are described as someone firing a gun from a vehicle at someone or something. Usually, these types of shootings are used to target multiple people but are not limited to that. (5)
Drug trafficking stands as a primary means to fuel and expand their influence and wealth. There are reports that they work with Mexican cartels specifically La Familia Michoacana. (6) Robberies and extortion add to their revenue stream, allowing for an illicit diversification of funds.
Additionally, prostitution is another stream of income that it utilizes. Acting as pimps, they control and organize women to work under them. In exchange for the money brought in by the prostitutes, these pimps will “protect” them from possible abusers; however, it is not uncommon for pimps to also abuse the prostitutes that work under them. (7)
Organisation and identification
While the Bloods are a vast network, some individual sets have established defined hierarchical structures. This hierarchy includes set dynamics and roles to ensure efficiency.
The following is an example of a structure of the Southside Brim’s which are a subset of the Bloods:
Southside Brim
Triple OG
OG
Baby OG
OYG
Young Gangster
OBG
Baby Gangster
This is only one of the many sets spanning across the U.S. It is important to note that not all sets are the same. Some sets are established hierarchically, and some are more informal and unorganized. (1)
Identification
Gang members often use outward indicators to identify themselves. Things such as colours, tattoos, and hand signs are the most common. Bloods are distinguished by the colours red and black; this is often showcased by their attire, such as bandanas. Tattoos serve as diverse markers of gang affiliation, with common tattoos like “MOB” (Member of Bloods). Hand signs act similarly as another form of identification and allegiance. The most well-known hand sign for Blood members is the word blood spelt out using both hands, making the letters CK (Crip-Killer) and the letter B. (1)
Works Cited
(1) - https://info.publicintelligence.net/BloodsStreetGangIntelligenceReport.pdf
(2) - Momodu, Samuel. “The Watts Truce (1992) •.” •, March 10, 2022. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/the-watts-truce-1992/.
(3) - "United Blood Nation (East Coast)" https://web.archive.org/web/20190812170637/http://www.sampsonsheriff.com/otherforms/20051011_united_blood_nation.pdf
(4) - Kkienerm. “Firearms Module 7 Key Issues: Criminal Gangs.” Firearms Module 7 Key Issues: Criminal Gangs. Accessed May 14, 2024. https://www.unodc.org/e4j/zh/firearms/module-7/key-issues/criminal-gangs.html#:~:text=Gang%20firearms%20are%20usually%20procured,guns%20but%20rarely%20assault%20rifles.
(5) - Dedel, Kelly. “Drive-by Shootings.” ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, August 9, 2022. https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/drive-shootings-0.
(6) - Cawley, Marguerite. “Mexico Cartel-US Gang Ties Deepening as Criminal Landscape Fragments.” InSight Crime, April 24, 2023. https://insightcrime.org/news/analysis/mexico-cartel-us-gang-ties-criminal-groups-fragments/
(7) - “2011 National Gang Threat Assessment.” FBI, June 25, 2010. https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/2011-national-gang-threat-assessment.
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