Opinion ID: 1267352
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Bloods

Text: Farmer was a member of the Velt Gangsta Lanes (VGL) of Roosevelt, New York, on Long Island, a subgroup of the larger Bloods gang. The VGL was associated with other Bloods subgroups on Long Island. Aspiring members of the Bloods were required to commit acts of violence to be eligible for membership. Members were initiated by being blessed in (vouched for by existing members) or jumped in (beaten by five Bloods for 55 seconds). Bloods operated under a code of loyalty that required members to take on their associates' problems as their own. Disagreements and grievances were resolved through violence, including stabbing or shooting. The leadership of the VGL promoted gang banging, or beating people up, to represent the neighborhood. A member gain[ed] status within the gang by put[ting] in work, which entailed committing acts of violence, including attacking rival gangs. Status was denoted by titles, which ranged upward from baby gangsta to original gangsta, or OG. During 2000 and 2001, VGL members met regularly at Centennial Park and in an abandoned house on Hanson Place, both in Roosevelt, New York. Gang members wore specific colors, had gang tattoos, and flashed signs to fellow Bloods.