UNDERSTANDING GANGS and GANG VIOLENCE IN AMERICA Gabe Morales Bassim Hamadeh, CEO and Publisher Mary Jane Peluso, Senior Specialist Acquisitions Editor Alisa Munoz, Project Editor Celeste Paed, Associate Production Editor Jess Estrella, Senior Graphic Designer Greg Isales, Licensing Associate Natalie Piccotti, Director of Marketing Kassie Graves, Vice President of Editorial Jamie Giganti, Director of Academic Publishing Copyright © 2021 by Cognella, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprint- ed, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and record- ing, or in any information retrieval system without the written permission of Cognella, Inc. For inquiries regarding permissions, translations, foreign rights, audio rights, and any other forms of reproduction, please contact the Cognella Licensing Department at [email protected]. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Cover image copyright © 2016 iStockphoto LP/Milan_Jovic. Printed in the United States of America. Praise for Understanding Gangs and Gang Violence in America Very informative book and on point. Gabe obviously worked extensively with at-risk youth. Awareness is the key. Awareness from the adults involved in the youth’s life and from the young people also so they can be aware of what they need to do to prevent gang involvement. —Evelyn Cuevas, Pathways to Graduation, New York City Schools This is an awesome book; I would highly recommend this to any new gang cop. This book breaks it down for the new gang investigator to [have] an open mind and be mindful of the facilitators as well as the actual gang members with easy-to-read charts and pictures. —Tim King, Retired Detention Deputy, Kern County, CA Love the book especially the flow of it. It is a very comprehensive book. —Jim Quick, President, Tennessee Gang Investigators Association Understanding Gangs and Gang Violence in America is a lofty endeavor to capture the history and activities of the evolving street/prison gang culture in this nation. It is comprehensive of each subject area and is a meaningful undertaking. As an academic piece it a perfect primer for the uninitiated and a good reference for the professional. I found it well written and researched, even if some assertions may be challenged. Overall the reader/ student should walk away with another tool in their tool kit or additional knowledge to their knowledge base. This book also demonstrates the futility of arresting ourselves out of the gang problem. Eduardo Cordero, Supervisor, Los Angeles County Probation Department-CLEAR v VI UNDERSTANDING GANGS AND GANG VIOLENCE IN AMERICA Gabriel Morales has a passion for working with communities dealing with gang violence. He is more than willing to share his vast expe- rience in all aspects of the Justice System through speaking engagements, articles, and books. He is a nationally recognized expert that can help you with some solutions to gang violence problems. Natalie Di-Pace Salazar, Program Director at LA Regional Crime Stoppers, Inc. Dedicated to all the great gang cops, social workers, and organizations that work day in and day out to keep our streets safe from gang violence. vii Brief Contents FOREWORD XIX PREFACE XXI ACKNOWLEDGMENTS XXIII CHAPTER 1. An Introduction to Gangs 1 CHAPTER 2. Gang Violence 16 CHAPTER 3. Early Street Gangs in America 31 CHAPTER 4. Jacket Gangs, Motorcycle Gangs, and Other Gangs 54 CHAPTER 5. Black Gangs 78 CHAPTER 6. Hispanic Gangs 101 CHAPTER 7. Asian and Pacific Islander Gangs 135 CHAPTER 8. White Gangs 157 CHAPTER 9. Female Gang Involvement 182 CHAPTER 10. Global Gangs Outside the United States 206 CHAPTER 11. Gang Prevention 240 CHAPTER 12. Gang Intervention 255 CHAPTER 13. Gang Crime andPolice Response 277 CHAPTER 14. Conclusion 299 ix X UNDERSTANDING GANGS AND GANG VIOLENCE IN AMERICA APPENDIX: GRAFFITI AND TATTOOS 312 GLOSSARY OF GANG TERMINOLOGY 327 GLOSSARY OF COMMON PROFESSIONAL TERMINOLOGY 332 INDEX 336 Contents FOREWORD XIX PREFACE XXI ACKNOWLEDGMENTS XXIII CHAPTER 1 AN INTRODUCTION TO GANGS 1 Definition of a Gang 1 Gang Structure Theories 3 Choice Theory 5 Routine Activities Theory 5 Evidence-Based Research on Gangs 5 Gang Structure and Hierarchies 8 Common Gang Hierarchies 11 CHAPTER 2 GANG VIOLENCE 16 Facets and Causes of Gang Violence 16 Racist and Sexist Beliefs in Gangs 17 Rites of Passage Into a Gang 18 Youth Gang Issues Among Elder Members 21 Common Methods for Working With Gang Members 23 Entering and Exiting From a Gang 25 CHAPTER 3 EARLY STREET GANGS IN AMERICA 31 Definition of a Thug 31 First Documented Street Gangs 33 xi XII UNDERSTANDING GANGS AND GANG VIOLENCE IN AMERICA Gang Violence Cycles 34 Ku Klux Klan 37 Irish Gangs 41 Jewish Gangs 44 Italian Gangs 45 Other Early Gangs 50 CHAPTER 4 JACKET GANGS, MOTORCYCLE GANGS, AND OTHER GANGS 54 Definition of a Jacket Gang 54 Definition of a Biker Gang 58 Native American Gangs 63 East African Gangs 64 Five Percenters (Nation of Gods and Earth) 64 Youth Subcultures 65 Fraternities and Sororities 66 Straight-Edge 67 Punks 67 Goths and Industrialites 69 Ravers 69 Metal Heads 70 Juggalos 71 Hip Hop 72 Lowriders 73 CHAPTER 5 BLACK GANGS 78 Early Black Gangs 78 Crips and Hoovers 79 Pirus and Bloods 82 Black Guerilla Family 86 KUMI 415 89 Dead Man Incorporated 90 Folk and People 91 CONTENTS xiii Effects of Incarceration and Violence on the Black Community 97 CHAPTER 6 HISPANIC GANGS 101 Hispanic Gang Evolution 101 Chicago-Based Gangs 105 Latin Kings 105 Maniac Latin Disciples 106 Imperial Gangsters and Spanish Cobras 107 Latin Counts 107 Colorado-Based Gangs 108 Gangster Killin’ Incas 108 New Mexico-Based Gangs 109 Burque-505 109 Sindicato Nuevo Mexico 109 Los Carnales 110 Arizona Street Gangs 111 Nevada-Based Gangs 112 Nevada Trece 112 Texas-Based Gangs 112 Tango Blasters 112 Texas Syndicate 113 Mexikanemi 113 Los Hermanos de Pistoleros Latinos 114 Barrio Azteca 115 California-Based Gangs 116 Mexican Mafia 116 Nuestra Familia 117 Sureños 118 18th Street 120 Mara Salvatrucha 124 Florencia 13 126 Norteños 127 Fresno Bulldogs 128 Effects of Gangs, Violence, and Incarceration on the Latino Community 129 XIV UNDERSTANDING GANGS AND GANG VIOLENCE IN AMERICA CHAPTER 7 ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER GANGS 135 Triad and Tongs 135 Look-See Boys 136 The Wah Mee and Golden Dragon Massacres 137 Asian Street Gangs 138 Wah Ching 138 Jackson Street Boys/Black Dragons 139 Ping On Gang of Boston 139 Flying Dragons 140 Southeast Asian Gangs 140 Viet Boyz 140 Oriental Lazy Boyz 141 Tiny Raskal Gang 142 Oriental Troop 143 Asian Boyz 144 Menace of Destruction 145 Pacific Islander Gangs 145 Satanas 145 Pinoy Real 146 USO Family 146 La Familia 147 Samoan Pirus and Bloods 148 Samoan and Tongan Crips 148 Marshallese Gang Members 149 How Gang Crime Effects Asian and Pacific Islander Communities 150 CHAPTER 8 WHITE GANGS 157 Aryan Civilization and Modern Aryan Beliefs 157 Evolution of the Aryan Brotherhood 159 War Against the BGF and NF 160 Role of Women in the AB 161 Security Threat of the AB 161 AB Leadership 162 CONTENTS xv War With DC Blacks 163 Other California-Based White Gangs 164 Nazi Low Riders 164 Public Enemy Number 1: PEN1-DeathSquad-PDS 164 Texas-Based White Gangs 165 Aryan Brotherhood of Texas 165 Aryan Circle 166 Other Western States’ White Gangs 167 Soldiers of the Aryan Culture 167 Aryan Warriors 168 Aryan Family 169 European Kindred 169 Aryan Knights 170 211 Crew 171 Other White Gangs in the United States 171 Dirty White Boys 171 East Coast Aryan Brotherhood 172 Simon City Royals 172 Skinheads 173 Peckerwoods 175 Aryan Nations Organization-Idahoand Aryan Nation Prison Gang-Tennessee 175 Issues Caucasian Inmates May Face in Jail or Prison 176 CHAPTER 9 FEMALE GANG INVOLVEMENT 182 Evolution of Female Gangs and Roles 182 Why Do Females Join Gangs Today? 185 Studies on Female Gangs 186 More Recent Cases of GangInvolvement 189 How Male Gangsters View Females 193 Female Gang Violence 194 Sex Trafficking 196 Drug Use and Sales by Female Gang Members 198 Female Programming 199 XVI UNDERSTANDING GANGS AND GANG VIOLENCE IN AMERICA CHAPTER 10 GLOBAL GANGS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES 206 North America 206 Canada 207 Mexico 210 Central America and Caribbean 213 Puerto Rico 215 South America 216 Columbia 216 Brazil 217 Africa 218 Numbers Gang 219 Middle East 219 Asia 221 India 221 China 221 Japan 223 Korea 224 The Philippines 225 New Zealand and Australia 225 Europe 226 England 227 Ireland 229 Scandinavia 230 Spain 230 France 230 Italy 231 Germany 231 Russia and Former Soviet Union 232 CHAPTER 11 GANG PREVENTION 240 Gang Prevention Program in New York 242 Other Gang Prevention Programs 244 Presenting Alternatives to the Gang Lifestyle 245 Busting Gang Myths 248 CONTENTS xvii Schools and Bullying 249 School-to-Prison Pipeline 250 Boot Camps 251 CHAPTER 12 GANG INTERVENTION 255 Project 253 and Community-Based Youth Gang Violence Prevention 256 Gang Intervention Strategies and Evaluations 259 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 261 Working With Gang-Affiliated Youth: Glasser’s Reality Theory 262 Mistrust of Adults and Authority Figures 262 Mock Gang Assessment 264 Using Gang Intervention Assessment Tools 266 Evidence-Based Data and Using Wrap-Around Approaches 266 Intervening With Family 268 School Intervention 268 Community Intervention 269 Work Intervention and Re-Entry