bloods.com

All Blood Gangs in Los Angeles County

There are 88 incorporated cities and dozens of other unincorporated places in Los Angeles County (LAC). In doing this research on the proliferation of gangs within Los Angeles, each of these places were visited in an attempt to not just identify gangs active in Los Angeles, but to determine their territories too. Through several weeks of field work and research there were a total of 274 Black gangs in 17 cities and five unincorporated areas in Los Angeles County. In this research, both the cities and unincorporated areas are identified as "places," a term that the U.S. Census uses.

Bloods is what they call themselves, they identify with the color red. The Bloods street gang originated at the Centennial High School from the Piru gang, which took its name from Piru Street in Compton, California.  The Bloods formed to protect members from the Crips, and soon after, other street gangs, with the same motive, started using the names Piru and Bloods to signify their alignment with the main gang.  Although the Bloods street gangs, or sets, are a smaller group than the Crips, they are potentially dangerous, particularly when present in any numbers.

You've spotted the graffiti. You've seen their tattoos. And you've read the shocking headlines documenting their brutality. But what is driving the rapid spread of the ultra-violent gang "Bloods, which has infected big cities and small towns across the country?

"Bloods" In 1993, a group on the East Coast created a gang known as the United Blood Nation. Born in the Rikers Island New York jail, African American inmates created the group as a way to protect themselves from the Latin Kings, which was the most prevalent group in the jail system at that time. Although the United Blood Nation (UBN) was born in the prison system, as members were paroled to the streets, they formed street gangs on the East Coast under the same name, while emulating the Los Angeles Blood lifestyle.

Although the majority of Blood gangs identify with the color red, members may not always wear gang identifiers when engaging in criminal activity. On the West Coast members are more likely to use a bandana for identification, while some Blood sets on the East Coast will use a colored beaded necklace.

Although Blood gangs share the same name, there is no formal leadership structure that controls all Blood gangs. A Blood gang member in Springville, Utah may be very active in the gangster lifestyle, yet will have no connection to Blood gangs in the West or East Coast.

Bloods will align themselves with other gangs to engage in criminal activity, including their rivals the Crips, although most alliances quickly fade away. The Bloods are known to be involved in all forms of criminal activity, but are mostly known for drug sales.

Bloods can be found in many places around the world, check out this photo of a group of members seen in Japan .Traditionally, the Bloods street gangs have always worn red colors, using red bandannas or red rags; similar graffiti and graphic styles, emphasizing disrespect for Crips and Crips symbols. Recently, a new trend appears to have arisen.  Bloods in some eastern states have reportedly been known to wear brown, tan and rust or burnt orange colors to represent "dried" blood.  They have also been known to wear pink, a variation of the color red.
 

As the Crips grew in South Central Los Angeles in the early 1970s they began targeting other gangs. It was during this time of conflict that several gangs joined forces to combat the growing Crip threat. The most well known gang within this group was the Piru Street Boys. They lead the revolt against the Crips and were instrumental in creating the Bloods gang in 1972. During the next 10-years the Bloods continued to operate and grow in a fragmented manner. Conflict with the Crips continued and the Bloods found themselves heavily outnumbered.