Gang – A gang is defined as a group of three or more people who have a name or an identifiable leadership and engage in delinquent or criminal activity.

Criteria – A gang member usually will meet two or more of the following

1. Admits to criminal gang involvement.

2. Is identified as a criminal street gang member by a parent or guardian.

3. Becomes a documented reliable informant in gang activity.

4. Resides in or frequents a particular area of criminal activity and adopts the style, dress, hand

signals, and tattoos of a known gang.

5. Is arrested more than once in the company of known gang members.

6. Meets 10 points or more on the 10 point identification validation sheet.

Gang members usually follow a fairly well structured set of rules in their dress, signs, and colors. Members of the People Nation and the Bloods

Sign to the left, i.e., their ball caps will have the visors turned to the left, the left trouser leg will be rolled up, their hand signs will be to the left, etc. Whereas, the Folk Nation and the Crips will sign to the right.

The primary color of the People Nation and the Bloods is red. They use the number five in their graffiti, and their star signature will have five points. The Folk Nation and the Crips on the other hand wear blue, and their number is six.

Breakdown and Origins of the Gang Culture

Gangster Disciples

History: Also known as Black Gangster Disciples, GDs, or BGDs, the gang's origins go back to the 1960s and the south side of Chicago. The Gangster Disciples are part of the "Folk Nation." Some members will claim to be members of "Growth and Development" and out of criminal activity. The Gangster Disciples were the first modern street gang to show up in significant numbers in Memphis, back in the 1980s. For several years, they had the streets virtually to themselves.

Symbols, colors, and clothing: Utilize the six-point star as a primary symbol. "Six Poppin," a phrase used in graffiti, is another way to reference the six-point star. Other major symbols include a three-point devil's pitchfork pointed upward and a heart with wings. They will use several colors, including black, gray, silver and white. Among the pro and college sports clothing favored: New York Yankees, Oakland Raiders and Georgetown Hoyas.

Hierarchy: For many years, leader Larry Hoover ran the gang from inside prison. Members still speak of Hoover, now in the so-called federal Super Max in Colorado, with reverence. He is still considered Chairman. The gang has a Chicago Board of Directors, and there is a separate Memphis Board of Directors. There is an Overseer for Tennessee, and three for Memphis. Among the ranks below Overseer in Memphis: governors, assistant overseers, chief enforcers and chiefs of security, regents and soldiers.

Graffiti: The GDs are rivals of the Vice Lords and will use an upside down "A" to disrespect the Vice Lords, whose full name is Almighty Vice Lords.

Vice Lords

History: Began in the late 1950s in the Illinois State Training School for boys and became a full-on gang on the west side of Chicago. Members of the "People Nation," their literature instructs that they follow Islam. In Memphis, VL "sets" include Universal, Unknown, Traveling, Insane, Conservative and Four Corner Hustlers.

Symbols, colors and signs: Common symbols include the five-pointed star, the dollar sign, a pyramid with a crescent moon and the Playboy bunny. Their main colors are black and gold, and black and red. The latter might be worn as a war color. They will wear Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers clothing; the "P" on the Pirates cap refers to the "People Nation." Michael Jordan jerseys are popular for the color and the number: the 2 and the 3 add up to 5, for the five-point star. They use the thumb, index and middle fingers on a single upraised hand to form a "VL."

Hierarchy: Vice Lords have a Chief of Chiefs over the South. Other ranks include: supreme chief, five-star universal elite, three-star universal elite, city-wide enforcer and city-wide chief of security, five-star branch elite, three-star branch elite, and solider. Ronald Terry, who in 2006 went to prison for attempted murder, was a five-star universal elite in Memphis.

Graffiti: VLs will turn the GDs' pitchfork upside down to show disrespect.

Crips

History: Founded in 1969 in L.A., many Crip sets in Memphis are named after California sets, including Grape Street, Rollin 20s, Kitchen and West Side.

Color, signs, symbols, lingo: Blue is the main color, and blue bandanas hanging from a pocket are a way to fly their colors. But the gang will use purple, black and orange, too. A Lakers cap might be used to symbolize the Grape Street Crips, a Kansas City Royals cap to represent the Kitchen Crips. Los Angeles Dodgers caps are popular, too. The three-point crown is a favored tattoo. They refer to Bloods as "Slobs" as a way of disrespecting them. Crips call each other "Cuzz."

Hierarchy: Considered to be less structured on both the national and local levels, the Crips nonetheless are known to be selective about allowing membership to the gang. Little Loc, a 16-year-old Memphis Crip, says: "You don't come to Crip; Crip comes to you."

Graffiti: Crips use grapes as a symbol when tagging. Rivals with the Bloods, they will use "BK" for Bloods Killer.

Bloods

History: Created in the early 1970s in South-Central L.A., the Bloods were the alliance that grew out of war between the Crips and the Piru Street Boys. The Bloods are in Memphis in smaller numbers than the GDs, Vice Lords and Crips. Like the Vice Lords, they identify themselves as part of the "People Nation."

Symbols, colors, lingo: Their chief color is red and they avoid blue and the letter "C" because of their longstanding rivalry with the Crips. Bloods, and sometimes VLs, will wear the red No. 8 Budweiser jacket of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. The "B" represents Bloods to them, and the beer maker's five-point crown fits with the five-point star of the "People Nation." They refer to each other as "Dawg" and a dog is a favored tattoo. They will derisively refer to a Crip as a "Crab."

Hierarchy: Ranks range from First Superior or General to soldier. Bloods are more likely to form alliances with Vice Lords to sell drugs or engage in other criminal activity than they are with Crips and GDs.

Graffiti: They will tag with "CK" for Crip Killer and consider anything red, such as a stop sign, as representative of the gang.

Six pointed star and letters GD

GANG AWARENESS

A. Gangs are not either just a big city or inner city problem, nor are they a problem of a

particular race or culture.

B. Gangs cross all ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, gender, and geographic boundaries.

C. They bring fear and violence to neighborhoods, traffic in drugs, destroy property, involve

youth in crime, and drive out businesses.

D. Gangs pull teens away from school and home into a life of violence.

E. One of the scariest aspects of gang violence is its often indiscriminate and unpredictable.

F. Gang members have been known to kick, punch, hit, or even kill their victims.

G. People get hurt if they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

H. If gangs or gang members are in your school or neighborhood, you know it.

I. Gangs can be organized around race or ethnic group, moneymaking activities, or territory.

J. Gangs usually claim a particular area of town that they call their "turf." They spend much of

their time fighting rival gangs to keep them out of this territory.

K. Most gang members are males ranging in age from 8 to 22 years old.

L. Females, especially Asian and Hispanic, are moving away from the traditional role of being

merely girlfriends of gang members and are forming their own gangs.

M. Gangs wear particular items, styles, brands, or colors of clothing. Some gangs wear

bandannas of a certain color or baseball caps of a specific team. Some gangs mark their

bodies with tattoos with their gang symbol or name.

N. Gangs often use special hands signs or handshakes to tell others the gang to which they

belong.

O. "Gangsta" rap paints a realistic picture of daily gang activity. The lyrics glorify violence,

abuse of women, and disrespect for authority, especially the police.

P. Contrary to what you may think, gangs are not around to help you. These groups of young

people break the law, beat up people, and murder.

Q. Two ways to get out of a gang; death or prison

Why Do Young People Join Gangs?

What causes some teens to join gangs? Among the most common reasons are to

Belong to a group
Receive protection
Earn money
End boredom and seek more excitement
Be with friends and be more popular.
For some it is even a family tradition.

None of these reasons are good reasons to belong to a gang. Most of the other kids who don't belong to a gang will be afraid of you and won't hang out with you. If you think you will be safer joining a gang, you're wrong. Most likely, you will increase your chances of being injured or killed. Think you'll be rich? Not likely. Over a lifetime, gang members make far less money than those who are not in gangs. And by joining you usually don't end up with a good education, making it hard to find a good job.

WHAT DO KIDS HAVE TO DO TO GET INTO THE GANG?

There are many different ways that gangs initiate recruits into the gang. The following are some examples of how gang members get initiated:

Rolled in - ( Jumped in, Quoted, Lined in) This ritual usually consists of the recruit having to fight 3 or more members of the gang for a specified amount of time. The time limit is different from gang to gang, but usually last somewhere between 15 seconds and 1 minute. The reason for the beating is to see how tough the recruit is and if he is a fighter. Lined in is slightly different in that the gang has two lines of its members and the recruit has to go between the line as the gang members beat him or her. Often times officers are called to new gang members homes at the request of the parent to take Assault reports. The child is often uncooperative and unwilling to tell the officer or his parent who his assailants are because he has just joined a gang. This is the most common initiation into the gang.

Courted in - Sometimes an individual is asked to join a gang without going through any initiation. The individual usually has some type of special talent that the gang wants to learn or take advantage of. The individual may have a good connection for drugs, is good at stealing cars, or has some other criminal talent. It may also be that the individual has a car that the gang needs to commit criminal activity or just to get around town in.

Walked In - Some gangs have no formal initiation and may just be asked to join the gang.

Sexed In - Sometimes female recruits are required to roll 2 dice. Whatever number is thrown is the number of gang members that the recruit has to have sex with. There have also been stories of gang recruits required to have sex with HIV positive people. This information has never been verified and still remains only a story.

Commit Crimes - Some gangs require that a recruit commit a crime or a series of crimes to prove that they are good candidates for the gangs. Often times, gangs that specialize in a particular crime such as auto theft, will require the recruit to steal a car or commit the crime that they specialize in. Some gangs have point systems for the crimes and the recruit has to have so many points. The crimes required to be committed can be as violent as drive-by shootings or murder.

What Does the Future Hold for a Gang Member?

Gang membership can severely hurt one's health and future.

Gang members may be killed or injured.
Many put themselves in danger of disease, prison, and death.
Many become dependent on alcohol and drugs.
Gang members usually drop out of school, limiting their chances for higher education or good employment.
They are likely to be involved in crime throughout the rest of their lives.
They may commit serious and violent crimes that lead to lengthy jail time.
Once you are in a gang, it's not easy getting out. You may risk your life if you leave a gang.

Take Action

If gang members threaten you, don't overreact. Stay cool and try not to act scared.
Ignore their threats and tell them you have no argument with them.
If threats from gangs continue, tell your parents, the police, or school officials.
Don't be a "wannabe" by dressing or acting like you want to be in a gang.
Hang out with kids who are not involved and don't want to be in a gang.
Get involved in activities that are not gang-related, such as organized sports, summer jobs, community organizations, volunteer groups, faith groups, or arts and drama groups.
Start showing gangs you have zero tolerance for their activities. You can:
Start a graffiti clean-up program in your community
Start a youth group or club whose purpose is to improve the neighborhood or school
Attend Neighborhood watch and report program areas.
Report suspicious activity.

For more information contact:

Covington Police Department (901) 475-1261

Central Dispatch (901) 475-4300

Fax (901) 476-0243

cpdgangs@covingtontn.com

kfrazier@covingtontn.com

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