South-central LA is their battleground. It’s a lifestyle lived without rules. Gangland s2e5: Crip or Die
But you weren’t a true Crip until you put in work. ibid.
Crips don’t die, they multiply: Crip or Die. ibid.
Between 1984 and 1989 at the height of the crack epidemic the homicide rate for black teenage males in Los Angeles more than doubled ... The drug that had made the Crips rich was also destroying them. ibid.
San Francisco, September 1977: gang members stormed a popular restaurant in Chinatown seeking revenge against their rivals. Five people were killed and eleven others were injured. Gangland s2e2: Deadly Triangles, History 2008
Shrimp Boy has been at the heart of China’s underworld. ibid.
They called the groups Tongs. ibid.
They called the foreigners FOBs – Fresh off the Boat. At first the ABCs had the upper hand ... The FOBs organised ... One of the first gangs to form was the Wah Ching. New gangs formed as teenagers scrambled to protect themselves. ibid.
The residents of China Town were under siege. But they rarely went to the police. ibid.
Even the lowliest gangsta was involved in extortion. ibid.
New crimes were decidedly white-collar. ibid.
Their membership reaches into the tens of thousands and stretches across America. The 18th Street Gang rewrote gangsta culture forging a massive criminal enterprise. Gangland s2e7: Murder by Numbers
The gang specialised in extortion. ibid.
18th Street is made up of a loose coalition of two dozen cliques. ibid.
Here in LA – the gang capital of America – the biggest gang of them all, the notorious 18th Street, draws power from numbers. ibid.
The heart of 18th Street is the west side. ibid.
They’ve even embraced the twenty-first century with its own website. ibid.
Described as the most vicious outlaw biker gang in America. They are the Mongols. They will take on any challenger no matter what. Gangland s2e8: Mongol Nation
Formed as an Hispanic alternative to white motorcycle gangs like the Hell’s Angels, the Mongols established multi-million-dollar drug smuggling rings, competing with their rivals for a cut of the cocaine and methamphetamine trade. ibid.
When Cavazos started bringing Mafia connected gang members into the Mongols he created a web of tangled loyalties. ibid.
Ride together. Party together. And rebel against society. ibid.
They went to war over territory with the Angels ... The Hell’s Angels claimed all of California as their territory, and declared ownership of the State as their patch. ibid.
To be a Mongol requires following a strict military-like set of rules. ibid.
The gang also use a coded language. ibid.
The appeal of the gang shows no sign of abating. The Mongols it seems are here to say. ibid.
They are one of the most notorious street gangs in the world. They spawned in LA to retaliate against an imposing enemy. Out-manned two-to-one by their rivals the Crips, the Bloods are the underdogs on the streets. Gangland s2e10: One Blood
Over thirty shots were fired into the group of trick-or-treaters. The incident became known as the Halloween Massacre. ibid.
Unity and revenge are key to their survival. The battle stretches across LA. ibid.
Bloods bought cocaine and turned it into Crack ... Crack was cheap and the profit margin was high. It was also very addictive which created a guaranteed client base. ibid.
While Tupac was not a Blood he hung out with the gang. ibid.
They share a common language. Blood street code includes hand codes unique to each set. ibid.
They are the most overlooked criminals in the United States. And amongst the most dangerous. They’re girls in gangs. Their reasons for a life of crime may be different. But like their male counterparts they crave money and respect. Here no rules apply. Gangland s2e12: From Girl to Gangsta
Approximately 800,000 people belong to gangs in the United States; of those an estimated 70,000 are women. In Los Angeles alone there are 5,000. ibid.
More women are committing crimes on the streets. ibid.
They were dubbed the Bloodettes and the Cripettes. ibid.
A new drug appeared on the streets and gang life would never be the same again ... Gangs were the engine that drove the crack epidemic. ibid.
Girls who are sexed in are less respected. ibid.
Surviving the streets of California is easy – compared to the Killing Fields of Cambodia. But TRG – or the Tiny Rascal Gangstas – have taken a page from Pol Pot and turned on their own. To the Tiny Rascals nothing matters but ruling the streets. Gangland s3e2: Californian Killing Fields
The Ferocious Asian Boyz clique – known as ABZ ... The gangs were long-time rivals. ibid.
Years of bad blood were about to spill onto the streets of Fresno. ibid.
Fresno, California, is home to more than one hundred gangs. ibid.
Their mutual animosity frequently explodes into violence. ibid.
Being part of the gang is a family affair. Gangland s4e1: Highway to Hell
It’s also the gang capital of the world. A refuge for more than one hundred and fifty thousand gang murders. Three miles north of downtown LA lies Highland Park, one of the oldest areas in the city. This predominantly Hispanic neighbourhood is bordered by Eagle Rock, Cypress Park ... Their turf stretches nearly six square miles. ibid.
The Avenues went on a killing spree. Callously murdering three black men who were in their neighbourhood. ibid.
The Avenues have existed in LA for more than a century. ibid.
Heroin flooded the streets. The Avenues became part of the lucrative drug trade. And grew increasingly violent. ibid.
In the 1990s Crack hit the streets. ibid.
In June more than 500 law enforcement agents descended on the Avenues in the largest gang take-down in recent history. ibid.
The Avenues is a way of life passed down from generation to generation who view it with honour. ibid.
It’s a war with no end in sight. Being fought between two of the most dangerous gangs in America. At stake control of northern California, pride and domination. The Hell’s Angels and the Mongols are locked in a battle to the death. Gangland s4e12: Biker Wars II
Making money by dealing drugs and defending their turf by any means necessary. ibid.
The Mongols began expanding their territory in California. ibid.
The Mongols who are outnumbered by the Angels five-to-one began recruiting from a brutal gang – the Surenos. ibid.
These hardcore killers are terrorising Fresno, California. And everyone is an enemy. Gangland s5e9: Dog Fights, History 2009
Only one is top dog – the Bulldogs. ibid.
They rule California’s open roads. Renegades with bad intentions. Give them respect. Or pay the price. They are Vagos. Gangland s6e1: Snitch Slaughter, History 2009
The gang’s most lucrative business – trafficking stolen motorcycles. ibid.
They rounded up twenty-five members in a pre-dawn sweep known as Operation 22-Green. ibid.
In San Diego one gang rules. They’re violent hit-men. They are Logan Heights. Respect them or die. Gangland s6e8: The Assassins, CI 2014
The proximity means Logan Heights gangstas can easily work with the Cartel to smuggle drugs. ibid.
In the mid ’80s two rival gangs – Shelltown and Sherman Heights – took them on. ibid.
The gang’s existence was threatened in 1993 when a hit south of the border went horribly wrong [death of Catholic Cardinal]. ibid.
San Diego, California ... The most notorious gang in the 619 is the Lincoln Park Bloods. Gangland s7e2: Vendetta of Blood, CI 2014
The Asian Boyz or ABZ are one of the largest and most deadly of these gangs. Gangland s7e3: A Killer’s Revenge, History 2010
The Asian Boyz have made Southern California a killing field. ibid.
The gang is much less powerful than it once was. ibid.
Home to nearly 40,000 gangbangers in some 400 gangs. LA’s deadliest is Florencia or F-13. With some 2,500 it’s also the city’s largest Hispanic gang. And they have their eyes set on total domination. Gangland s7e10: Shoot to Kill
At the time it was the largest gang take-down in history. ibid.
If they could stop gang-banging, don’t you think they would have stopped it already? Bloodhound, LA Bloods