In Gangs: A Community Response, the California Attorney General's Office lists several types of gangs that are active in the state, some of which are similar to gangs in other parts of the country. The following quotes from this guide are intended to provide an overview of these different gangs:

African-American Gangs

"African-American gangs first appeared in southern California in the 1920's. They were not like the Bloods and Crips that are well-known today. It is believed that the first Crip gang was formed in late 1969. During this time in Los Angeles there were many African-American gangs, and they were all rivals with each other.

"The Crips outnumbered the rest of the African-American gangs. Because of this and the fact that the Crips had become the common rival between the remainder of the gangs, the first Blood gang was formed. The Blood gang was an alliance formed by all the other gangs who did not want to be part of the Crips. As the Crip and Blood rivalry increased, gang assaults became increasingly more violent. Crip and Blood gangs also got involved in the distribution and sale of drugs. The illegal trafficking of drugs became a major factor that intensified the rivalry between the two gangs."

Asian Gangs

"California is home to the majority of Asians who live in the United States. Types of Asian gangs include Korean, Chinese, Japanese, South Pacific Islander, and Indo-Chinese. Some Asian gangs mimic western gangs in dress style, the use of tattoos, graffiti, and criminal behavior. Other Asian gangs develop expertise in particular crimes, such as home invasion robberies, credit card and check fraud, and computer chip thefts.

"The Indo-Chinese gangs have members from the Vietnamese, Cambodian, Minh, and Hmong who immigrated to the United States after the fall of Saigon in 1975. Refugee and immigrant families experienced a similar culture shock as Mexican immigrants did in the 1900s [some of whom formed gangs]. As a result, some Asian youth established and joined a gang. The first Indo-Chinese Asian gangs appeared in southern California between 1978 and 1980. Culture and language barriers have made it difficult to monitor, investigate, and prosecute Asian gang members."

Hispanic Gangs

"Hispanic gangs are established throughout the state. Hispanic gangs use graffiti to mark the boundaries of their turf. These marks serve as a warning to rival gangs, a welcome greeting to peer gang members, and often a form of intimidation to the citizens who live within the boundaries of the turf. Hispanic gang members often consider themselves the 'policemen' of their neighborhoods. Thus, they are motivated to protect these areas.

"As makeshift guardians of their barrio, Hispanic gang members are expected to defend it against any type of intrusion. The mere presence of a rival gang, the crossing out of their gang graffiti, a derogatory look, an insult to a girlfriend -- all have been motivations for gang-related attacks. Many Hispanic gangs are generational. California has third-and fourth-generation Hispanic gang members."

Tagging Crews

"In tagging crews, also known as 'graffiti vandals', the individual members are called 'taggers.' Many tagging crews initially formed for the sole purpose of placing their names or slogans in as many visible locations as possible. Sometimes individual crews would have a contest or `battle' with each other. They would try and get their tag and crew name up as many times as possible within a specified geographical area and time. The winners could play for cans of spray paint, or the losing crew members would have to join the winning crew, or the losing crew might have to give up its current name. Initially tagging was conducted by individuals or crews who had no specific gang affiliation. However, fatal violence began to occur among tagging crews. Rivalries have intensified, and some tagging crews have begun to claim turf-life traditional gangs and regularly arm themselves with guns."

Female Gang Members

"While female gang members account for less than 10 percent of California's total gang population, females, especially in the Asian and Hispanic gangs, have moved away from the traditional role of being merely girlfriends of gang members. There are no stereotypes for female gang members. Some female gang members are gainfully employed. Females have formed their own gangs and also have become members in traditionally all-male gangs. Caucasian and African-American females have also formed their own gangs. In some instances, female gang members have become co-leaders of a gang that has both male and female members. Female gang members have been known to carry weapons and drugs for their gang."

Source:

California Attorney General's Office (June 2003). Gangs: A Community Response Sacramento, CA: Author.