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Bloods

The “Bloods” gang was founded by Sylvester Scott and Vincent Owens in Piru Street, Compton, Los Angeles, in the 1960s in response to another group known as the “Crips.” As a criminal organization, the Bloods are known to be involved in murder, theft, robberies, extortion, and drug sales. Originally consisting mostly of African Americans and some Latinos, the group evolved to include a full range of ethnicities including white, Asian, and Caribbean persons.

Individuals who wish to join the Bloods must “Blood in” by either spilling their own blood or that of someone else. This must be done by some violent act including battle between the recruit and another gang member or by an act against a non–gang member. As in any organization, a recruit must demonstrate loyalty and obedience to the group starting with this first act.

Internal Organization and Communication Strategies

The Bloods are part of separate cliques or “sets” depending on where they are located and their primary goals. In this way, they compare to the college fraternity system, which has a national charter and many different chapters across the country.

Organizational communication within a complex group such as the Bloods is paramount. Traditionally, street gangs communicate through graffiti as well as through other signals and markings. These markings can include specific tattoos, hand gestures, and language. The most common tattoo is two burned dots over a single burned dot to resemble a dog's paw in blood. Blood members may also call one another “dog.” The hand gestures can vary by “set” or when members are under legal supervision to deny affiliation and divert attention and trouble for the gang by law enforcement.

As with other gangs, the Bloods also identify themselves through a particular color: red. Gang colors can be displayed through hats, bandanas, and most commonly, a beaded necklace displaying a pattern with the appropriate colors. The word Blood has even been turned into and acronym the reads: Blood Love Overcomes Our Depressions.

Bloods in Prison

Having started as a street gang, the Bloods are now an important prison organization, where they provide group safety and identity for their members as well as an outlet for aggression and criminal activity. As with other prison gangs, Bloods engage in various forms of violence, including physical assaults on corrections officers and sexual assault. They also seek to intimidate rival gang inmates in order to establish a sense of fear and territory. Much of their activity in prison centers on assuming and maintaining control of certain businesses particularly drugs and other forms of contraband.

The prison provides a fertile recruitment site for the street gangs. Indeed, although prisons attempt to control gangs they often facilitate their growth. Traditional methods of control drive gang recruitment underground rendering staff unable to protect inmates from threats and intimidation to join a particular gang. Drug trade inside prison expands the gang's reputation and wealth, thus strengthening its position and power both on the street and behind the walls. Bloods have long used the drug industry to fund their activities on the streets, and easily adapt it to the prison situation.

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