The Crips is a street gang which originated in Los Angeles, California in the late 1960s. During the early 1970s, the gang grew and branched out to other parts of Los Angeles County. These new subsidiary or realigned existing gangs were known as sets, and they used the term Crips in their individual gang name.
Originally, most Crips activity took place on or around school campuses, and these gangs created a reputation for violence and extortion. Although a predominately Black gangs in most areas across the nation, many other ethnic groups have adopted the Crip name because of the on-going notoriety of the Crips and their rivals, the Bloods.
Crips usually identify with the color blue in several different shades and usually wear a blue rag or handkerchief as an identity item. They often wear jogging suits and tennis shoes, professional sports team jackets and caps bearing the names of Los Angeles teams, and sometimes Adidas sweatshirts. They also may wear Dickey brand cotton work pants or bib-style overalls. Nike and British Knights shoes are also popular.
Crips refer to each other as "Cuzz" and use the letter C to replace the letter B in their conversations and writings. They have an intricate communication system which involves not only graffiti on walls which mark their particular territorial boundaries, but also the use of hand signals (flashing), displaying their colors, and wearing selected athletic clothing. The initials BK represent their status as "Blood Killers."
Crips gangs are found in nearly every city in the United States and have been identified in several foreign countries.The most prominent traits of Crips are individualism and maintaining a commitment to foster violence upon other gangs. The Crips rivalry with the Bloods gang presents a likelihood of violent encounters between members. Crip Anthem

Originating in Los Angeles, California in 1969, The Crips are one of the oldest, largest and most notorious gangs in the United States. The Crips were founded by 15 year old Raymond Washington along with Stanley "Tookie" Williams and Avalon Gardens resident Jimel Barnes. Initially the gang were called the Baby Avenues (named after the older local gang members at the time called the Avenues). 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).