Bloods - wikipedia Bloods For other uses, see Blood and Blood ( disambiguation ). The Blood gangs are also not to be confused with the United Blood Nation. Bloods The distinctive Blood gang signal Founded Mid-1972 Founding location Los Angeles, California, U.S. Years active 1972 -- present Territory Primarily United States, but also Canada Ethnicity Primarily African American, but also many Latinos Membership ( est. ) 20,000 - 25,000 Criminal activities Drug trafficking, robbery, murder, burglary, prostitution, theft extortion Allies People Nation, Norteños ( certain sets ), Pirus, Latin Kings, United Blood Nation, Juggalos, Rivals Crips, Folk Nation The Bloods, also known as ( OBF ) Original Blood Family, are a primarily African - American street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. They are identified by the red color worn by their members and by particular gang symbols, including distinctive hand signs. The Bloods comprise various sub-groups known as `` sets '' between which significant differences exist such as colors, clothing, and operations, and political ideas which may be in open conflict with each other. Since their creation, the Bloods gangs have branched out throughout the United States. Contents 1 History 2 United Blood Nation 3 Membership 4 Identification 5 Sets 6 Notable Bloods 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links History The Bloods gang was formed initially to compete against the influence of the Crips in Los Angeles. The rivalry dates back to the 1960s when Raymond Washington and several other Crips confronted Sylvester Scott and Benson Owens, students at Centennial High School in Compton, California. In response to the attack, Scott, who lived in Compton, established the Piru street - gang, the first `` Bloods '' street gang. Owens established the West Piru street - gang. The Bloods street - gang was initially formed to provide members protection from the Crips. Many of the non-Crip street - gangs used to call one another `` blood ''. On March 21, 1972, shortly after a concert featuring Wilson Pickett and Curtis Mayfield, twenty youths belonging to the Crips attacked and robbed Robert Ballou Jr. outside of Hollywood Palladium. Ballou was beaten to death after he refused to give up his leather jacket. The sensational media coverage of the crime and the continued assaults by the Crips increased their notoriety. Several non-Crips gangs formed during this period were no match for the Crips and they became concerned with the escalating Crip attacks. The Pirus, Black P. Stones, Athens Park Boys and other gangs not aligned with the Crips often clashed with the Crips. On June 5, 1972, three months after Ballou 's murder, Fredrick `` Lil Country '' Garret was murdered by a Westside Crip. This marked the first Crips murder against another gang member and motivated non-Crip street - gangs to align with each other. The Brims struck back on August 4, 1972, by murdering Thomas Ellis, an original Westside Crip. By late 1972, the Pirus held a meeting in their neighborhood to discuss growing Crips pressure and intimidation. Several gangs that felt victimized by the Crips joined the Piru Street Boys to create a new federation of non-Crips neighborhoods. This alliance would transform into the `` Bloods ''. The Pirus are therefore considered to be the original founders of the Bloods. By 1978, there were 15 Bloods sets. Crips still outnumbered Bloods 3 to 1. In order to assert their power, the Bloods became increasingly violent. During the 1980s, Bloods began distributing crack cocaine in Los Angeles. Blood membership soon rose dramatically as did the number of states in which they were present. These increases were primarily driven by profits from crack cocaine distribution. The huge profits allowed members to relocate in other cities and states. United Blood Nation Main article : United Blood Nation `` Bloods '' is a universal term used to refer to West - Coast Bloods and United Blood Nation ( UBN ). While these groups are traditionally distinct entities both refer to themselves as `` Bloods ''. The profits of crack distribution allowed the Bloods to spread in other states. UBN started in 1993 in Rikers Island 's George Motchan Detention Center ( GMDC ) to form protection from Latin Kings and Ñetas who were targeting the African - American gang members. UBN is a loose confederation of street gangs that were once predominantly African - American. Once they were released from prison, the UBN leaders went back to their neighborhoods in New York where they retained the Bloods name and started recruiting members. UBN has between 7000 and 15000 members in the Eastern USA region. The gang makes its income through various criminal activities like distribution of crack cocaine, smuggling of drugs into prison, etc. and its gang members are involved in various criminal activities. Membership This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2010 ) Bloods refers to a loosely structured association of smaller street gangs, known as `` sets '', which has adopted a common gang culture. Each set has its own leader and generally operates independently from the others. Most Bloods members are African American males, although some sets have recruited female members as well as members from other races and ethnic backgrounds. Members range in age from early teens to mid-20s ; however, some hold leadership positions into their late twenties and occasionally thirties. There is no known national leader of the Bloods but individual Bloods sets have a hierarchical leadership structure with identifiable levels of membership. These levels of membership indicate status within a gang. A leader, typically an older member with a more extensive criminal background, runs each set. A set leader is not elected but rather asserts himself by developing and managing the gang 's criminal enterprises through his reputation for violence and ruthlessness and through his personal charisma. The majority of set members are called `` soldiers '', who are typically between the ages of 16 and 22. Soldiers have a strong sense of commitment to their set and are extremely dangerous because of their willingness to use violence both to obtain the respect of gang members and to respond to any person who `` disrespects '' the set. `` Associates '' are not full members, but they identify with the gang and take part in various criminal activities. To the extent that women belong to the gang, they are usually associate members and tend to be used by their male counterparts to carry weapons, hold drugs, or prostitute themselves to make money for their set. Recruitment is often influenced by a recruit 's environment. Bloods recruit heavily among school - age youth in predominantly poor African American communities. Gang membership offers youth a sense of belonging and protection. It also offers immediate gratification to economically disadvantaged youth who desire the trappings of gang life : gold jewelry, cash, expensive sports clothing. Bloods sets have a loose structure of ranks based on how long a person has been involved with a particular set. The ranks do not signify leadership or dominance over the set, they merely signify respect for those who have been in the set longer and have survived the longest. Those with a higher rank do not have a position of authority over Bloods of a lower rank. Bloods with higher rank are often referred to as `` Big Homies '' by Bloods with lower rank. They also refer to each other as `` relatives ''. Once a person has joined a Blood set, it is for life, one can not leave the set or flip ( switch ) to another set. Bloods members commonly refer to themselves as CKs ( an initialism of Crip - Killer ), MOBs ( an initialism of Member of Bloods ), dawgs, or ballers ( meaning drug dealers ). Bloods have been documented in the U.S. military, found in both U.S. and overseas bases. Identification The gang symbol of the Bloods, as the sign reads the word `` blood '' This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2010 ) Bloods members identify themselves through various gang indicators such as colors, clothing, symbols, tattoos, jewelry, graffiti, language, and hand signs. The Bloods gang color is red. They like to wear sports clothing, including team jackets that show their gang color. Some of their favorite teams include the San Francisco 49ers, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Chicago Bulls. They are also known to wear Dallas Cowboys clothing, whose logo contains a five - pointed star. The most commonly used Bloods symbols include the number `` 5 '', the five pointed star, and the five pointed crown. These symbols are meant to show the Bloods ' affiliation with the People Nation, a large coalition of affiliates created to protect alliance members within the federal and state prison systems. These symbols may be seen in the tattoos, jewelry, and clothing that gang members wear as well as in gang graffiti, which is used by the Bloods to mark their territory. Such graffiti can include gang names, nicknames, declaration of loyalty, threats against rival gangs, or a description of criminal acts in which the gang has been involved. Bloods graffiti might also include the word `` Piru '' which refers to the fact that the first known Bloods gang was formed by individuals from Piru Street in Compton, California. Finally, Bloods graffiti might include rival gang symbols ( particularly those of the Crips ) that are drawn upside down. This is meant as an insult to the rival group and its symbols. Bloods members also have a unique slang. Bloods greet each other using the word `` Blood '' and often avoid using words with the letter `` C ''. Finally, Bloods use hand signs to communicate with one another. Hand signs may be a singular movement, like the American Sign Language letter `` B '', or a series of movements using one or both hands for more complex phrases. United Blood Nation ( UBN ) or East Coast Bloods initiates often receive a dog paw mark, represented by three dots often burned with a cigarette, on their right shoulder. Other UBN symbols include a bulldog and a bull. Sets Chapters of the Bloods are called `` sets ''. Black P. Stone Bloods Bounty Hunter Bloods United Blood Nation Notable Bloods The Game DJ Quik Suge Knight Tupac Shakur Birdman Lil Wayne Tech N9ne YG RJMrLA Mack 10 21 Savage Cardi B Trippie Redd 6ix9ine Young Thug Jay Rock Ty Dolla Sign Shorty Rossi Mitchy Slick Big Fase 100 O.Y.G Redrum 781 See also Gangs portal Crime in Los Angeles Hood 2 Hood : The Blockumentary References Jump up ^ Netgraphe inc. ( 2006 - 09 - 30 ). `` Canoe -- Infos -- Dossiers Les gangs de rue se partagent Montréal ''. Fr.canoe.ca. Retrieved 2013 - 06 - 05. Jump up ^ `` NCGIA Gang Profiles : Bloods ''. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Bloods ''. Gangs In Maryland. University of Maryland. Archived from the original on 2008 - 12 - 06. Retrieved 2009 - 02 - 21. Jump up ^ `` Juggalos : Emerging Gang Trends and Criminal Activity Intelligence Report '' ( PDF ). Public Intelligence. Retrieved 2013 - 06 - 05. Jump up ^ `` Gangland ''. Retrieved 14 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` Black Los Angeles ''. Retrieved 14 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` Gangland ''. Retrieved 14 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` Drugs in Society ''. Retrieved 14 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` The Mammoth Book of Hard Bastards ''. Retrieved 14 January 2015. Jump up ^ Maxson, Cheryl L. ( October 1998 ). `` Gang Members on the Move '' ( PDF ). Juvenile Justice Bulletin, U.S. Dept. of Justice. Jump up ^ Riviello, Ralph ( 2009 - 07 - 01 ). Manual of Forensic Emergency Medicine : A Guide for Clinicians. Jones & Bartlett. p. 191. ISBN 0 - 7637 - 4462 - X. Jump up ^ McClatchy - Tribune Information Services. `` Gangs Increasing in Military, FBI Says ''. Military.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2009. Retrieved 2009 - 02 - 21. Further reading Yusuf Jah, Sister Shah'keyah, UPRISING : Crips and Bloods Tell the Story of America 's Youth In The Crossfire, ISBN 0 - 684 - 80460 - 3 Kriegel, Mark ( October 13, 1997 ). `` Gangstas launch blood feud crew 's superior warns wan na - bes ''. NY Daily News. Retrieved 14 January 2015. East Orange police raid apartment building as part of crackdown on Bloods set, authorities say. Nj.com. Accessed April 4, 2015. East Orange crime crackdown leads to nearly 60 arrests. Nj.com. Accessed April 4, 2015. External links PBS Independent Lens program on South Los Angeles gangs Original Blood Family - OBF gang Organized crime groups active in the Americas Argentina Ashkenazum Puccio family Zwi Migdal Brazil Amigos dos Amigos Comando Vermelho Primeiro Comando da Capital Terceiro Comando Terceiro Comando Puro Hells Angels Zwi Migdal Canada See : Organized crime groups in Canada Caribbean No Limit Soldiers ( Curaçao ) Yardies ( Jamaica ) Shower Posse ( Jamaican ) Zoe Pound ( Haiti ) Colombia Clan del Golfo Oficina de Envigado Mexico Gulf Cartel Juárez Cartel Knights Templar Cartel Los Zetas Sinaloa Cartel Tijuana Cartel U n i d s Various European Albanian Boys Albanian Mafia American Mafia ( Italian - American ) Dixie Mafia ( White Southerner ) ( State Line Mob ) Friends Stand United Greek mafia Philadelphia Greek Mob Velentzas crime family Irish Mob The Westies The Winter Hill Gang The K&A Gang Jewish Mob Polish Mob Odessa mafia ( Ukrainian Jewish ) Russian mafia Serbian Mafia Simon City Royals Chicago Gaylords Dead Man Incorporated Popes Juggalo Gangs Zwi Migdal Italian and Italian - American American Mafia Bufalino crime family ( Northeastern PA ; mostly defunct ) Buffalo crime family Chicago Outfit Cleveland crime family DeCavalcante crime family ( Northern New Jersey ) Detroit Partnership Five Families ( New York City ) Kansas City crime family Los Angeles crime family Milwaukee crime family New Orleans crime family ( possibly defunct ) Patriarca crime family ( New England ) Philadelphia crime family Pittsburgh crime family Trafficante crime family ( Florida ) St. Louis crime family Camorra ( Neapolitan / Campanian ) ' Ndrangheta ( Calabrian ) Sicilian Mafia South Brooklyn Boys The Tanglewood Boys African - American Black Disciples Black Guerrilla Family Black Mafia ( Muslim / Nation of Islam ) Junior Black Mafia Black P. Stones Jungles Black Spades Bloods Bounty Hunter Bloods Pirus Sex Money Murda United Blood Nation Nine Trey Gangsters Crips Du Roc Crips East Nashville Crips Grape Street Watts Crips Rollin ' 30s Harlem Crips Rollin 60 's Neighborhood Crips Venice Shoreline Crips D.C. Blacks Four Corner Hustlers Gangster Disciples OutLaw Gangster Disciples Hidden Valley Kings KUMI 415 Lucerne Street Doggz Mickey Cobras Savage Skulls Supreme Team Vice Lords Westmob Hispanic and Latin American The Corporation ( Cuban ) Dominicans Do n't Play Trinitarios ( Dominican ) Latin Eagles Spanish Gangster Disciples Latin Kings ( Mexican / Puerto Rican ) Maniac Latin Disciples Ñetas ( Puerto Rican ) Mara Salvatrucha ( Central American ) Marielitos ( Cuban 18th Street gang ( Mexican / Central American ) 38th Street gang ( primarily Mexican ) Barrio Azteca ( Mexican ) El Monte Flores 13 ( Mexican ) Florencia 13 ( Mexican ) Fresno Bulldogs ( Mexican ) Hermanos de Pistoleros Latinos ( primarily Mexican ) Mexican Mafia Los Mexicles Mexikanemi Norteños ( Mexican ) Nuestra Familia ( Mexican ) Puro Tango Blast ( Mexican ) La Raza Nation ( Mexican ) Almighty Saints ( primarily Hispanic, also European - American ) Savage Skulls Siete Viejo Sureños ( Mexican ) 38th Street gang The Avenues Barriox13 Culver City Boys 13 Eastside Bolen Parque 13 El Monte Flores 13 Logan Heights Gang Northside Bolen Parque 13 Playboys Pomona 12th Street Sharkies Puente 13 Santa Monica 13 Varrio Nuevo Estrada Venice 13 White Fence Toonerville Rifa 13 ( Mexican ) Texas Syndicate ( primarily Mexican ) Asian Asian Boyz ( Southeast Asian ) Bahala Na Gang ( Filipino ) Black Dragons ( Chinese ) Born To Kill ( Vietnamese ) Fullerton Boys ( Korean ) Flying Dragons ( primarily Chinese ) Ghost Shadows ( Chinese / Vietnamese ) Indian Mafia Jackson Street Boys ( Chinese ) Menace of Destruction ( Hmong ) Satanas ( Filipino ) Tiny Rascal Gang ( Cambodian ) Tongs ( Chinese ) On Leong Tong Hip Song Tong Four Brothers Triad ( Chinese ) 14K Triad Big Circle Gang Four Seas Gang Jackson Street Boys Snakehead VVT ( Tamil ) Wah Ching ( Chinese ) Yakuza ( Japanese ) Pacific Islander Sons of Samoa Tongan Crip Gang Uso Family, Samoan for Brother ( Samoan ) The Company ( Native Hawaiian ) Native American Aboriginal - based organized crime ( Native American ) Indian Posse ( Native American ) Native Mob ( Native American ) Middle Eastern / Western Asian Armenian Power Chaldean Mafia Israeli Mafia Turkish Mafia African Cape Verdean organized crime Organized crime in Nigeria Non-Hispanic Caribbean Yardies / Posses ( Jamaican ) Shower Posse ( Jamaican ) Zoe Pound ( Haitian ) Outlaw motorcycle clubs and One percenter gangs 69'ers Bandidos Motorcycle Club The Breed Motorcycle Club Brother Speed Devils Diciples Diablos Motorcycle Club El Forastero Motorcycle Club Free Souls Motorcycle Club Grim Reapers ( U.S. ) Gypsy Joker Motorcycle Club Hells Angels Highwaymen Motorcycle Club Iron Horsemen Mongols Motorcycle Club Outlaws Motorcycle Club Pagan 's Motorcycle Club Rock Machine Motorcycle Club Satan 's Soldiers Sin City Deciples Sons of Satan MC Sons of Silence Vagos Motorcycle Club Warlocks Motorcycle Club ( Florida ) Warlocks Motorcycle Club ( Philadelphia / Delaware Valley ) White supremacist gangs 211 Crew Aryan Brotherhood Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Aryan Circle Aryan Nation Aryan Republican Army Combat 18 European Kindred Hammerskins Nazi Lowriders Public Enemy No. 1 Keystone State Skinheads Mafia bibliography Rampart scandal Notable accused officers Nino Durden Kevin Gaines Brian Liddy David Mack Rafael Pérez Victims Frank Lyga Javier Ovando The Notorious B.I.G. Coverup and investigation Brian S. Bentley Bernard Parks Russell Poole Gang involvement 18th Street gang Bloods Death Row Records Suge Knight Other Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums Los Angeles Police Department LAPD Rampart Division Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bloods&oldid=840190276 '' Categories : Rampart scandal Bloods 1972 establishments in California History of Los Angeles Gangs in Los Angeles Gangs in Toronto Gangs in Arkansas Gangs in the United States Street gangs Organized crime groups in the United States Gangs in New Jersey Modern street gangs Bloods sets African - American gangs Hidden categories : Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism Pages using infobox criminal organization with ethnicity or ethnic makeup parameters Pages using infobox criminal organization with rivals parameter Articles needing additional references from March 2010 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2010 Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Български Dansk Deutsch Eesti فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська 13 more Edit links This page was last edited on 8 May 2018, at 08 : 41. 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Question: where are the bloods from east or west
Answer: Los Angeles, California