

These levels of membership indicate status within a gang. There is no known national leader of the Bloods but individual Bloods sets have a hierarchical leadership structure with identifiable levels of membership. Members range in age from early teens to mid-twenties, however some hold leadership positions into their late twenties and occasionally thirties. The gang is predominately black, although some sets have recruited female members as well as members from other races and ethnic backgrounds.

Each set has its own leader and generally operates independently from the others. Bloods recruited throughout the East Coast.īloods refers to a loosely structured association of smaller street gangs, known as “sets,” which has adopted a common gang culture. This Blood in ritual became the trademark for the Bloods. Numerous slashings (razor blade or knife attacks) were reported during robberies and discovered to be initiations into the Bloods. At this time, the Bloods were more violent than other gangs but much less organized. Several of the leaders of this recently created prison gang formed eight original Blood sets to recruit in their neighborhoods across New York City.īy 1996, thousands of members of the Blood street gang were establishing themselves as a formidable force among gangs and continued a steady drive for recruitment. This United Blood Nation, which was actually a prison gang, was emulating the Bloods street gangs in Los Angeles, California. These African American inmates, organized by some of the more violent and charismatic inmates, formed a protection group which they called the United Blood Nation. The Latin Kings, with mostly Hispanic members, were targeting African American inmates with violence. Prior to this time period, the Latin Kings were the most prevalent and organized gang in the NYC jail system. GMDC was used to segregate problem inmates from the rest of the detention center. The United Blood Nation, simply called the Bloods, formed in 1993, within the New York City jail system on Rikers Island's GMDC (George Mochen Detention Center), sometimes called C 73. Blood sets on the East Coast are often seen as affiliated with the United Blood Nation, a gang which originated in Rikers Island. Bloods sets operate independently of each other, and are currently located in almost all States.
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During the rise of crack cocaine, the gang's focus shifted to drug production. The Pirus are therefore considered to be the original founders of the Bloods. To assert their power despite this difference in numbers, Bloods sets became increasingly violent, especially against rival Crips members. At the time, Crips sets outnumbered Bloods sets by three to one. The origin of the Bloods and their rivalry with the Crips dates to the 1970s, where the Pirus street gang, originally a set, or faction, of the Crips, broke off during an internal gang war, and allied with other smaller gangs to found the gang that would eventually become known as the Bloods. The Bloods gang was formed initially to compete against the influence of the Crips in Los Angeles. Rivals: Crips, Folk Nation, and some Sureño gangs Since their creation, the Blood gangs have branched out throughout the United States.īloods have been documented in the US military, found in both US and overseas bases. The Bloods are made up of 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. They are identified by the red color worn by their members and by particular gang symbols, including distinctive hand signs.

The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. The Bloods are a street gang founded in Los Angeles, California.
