_____________________________________________________________________________ < SR#001 -=Zhit Axis Nation presents=- > < Los Angeles Street-Hoods! > < Written by Lee Jackson > < Edited by Mr. Irvin Kramer > < Revised & Reviewed > < by: > < Creature of Prometheus > <_____________________________________________________________________________> Lee Jackson (C)1989 Research Paper I. Introduction A. Good Friday II. Body A. Some causes of gangbangers. 1. Easy access to hi-tec weapons 2. Less discpline in family a. single parent b. poverty 3. Drug trafficking B. Recruitment C. Colors and signs 1.Bloods and Crips 2.Territory III. Conclusion 1. Michael Hagan L.A. Gangbangers It could be called the "Good Friday" rampage. At nightfall on April 1, 1988, a brown Cadillac pulled up to the corner of Vernon and Raymond avenues in South Central Los Angeles. There was an argument between the 16-year-old on the corner and the young men in the car, both of rival gangs. Suddenly, the mobile gangbangers shot the teen in the head. Moments later they turned their guns on pedestrianS across the street. The Caddy then drove two blocks down Raymond, where they saw A large group of children playing. After steping out of the car, two gunmen opened fire on the screaming crowd. Witnesses later told police of a "river of blood" in the street. When the five minute spree had ended thirteen people were shot. All because the young man on the corner put down the rival gang, after a drug deal went bad (Time, March 18,1988). This is not an unusual sight in Los Angeles. The rising number of violent crimes by L.A. gangs are primarily due to three factors. The first factor is that there is an easy access to hi-tech weapons. Another reason is there is less discipline in the family. The final reason is that drug trafficking has become a multi-million dollar business for these kids. But first, how does a person become a gang member or gangbanger? Recruitment begins early, in the grade school years: they are usually called "peewees" or "wannabees" (want-to-be's). Initiation by a Los Angeles gang is supposed to be a brutal ritual known as being "courted in." He is to receive a beating administered by three or four other gang members. The candidate is expected to show his fighting power. If he passes the test, the "peewee" then becomes a "gangbanger" (Time, April 27, 1988). The easy access to weapons play a big role in the violence. The days of fighting with knives and fists are over. Today's street hoods use Uzi's, Ak-47 Soviet assault rifles, and AR-15 semi-automatics. Some guns are purchased legally from gun shops for the right price. Most guns bought on the streets of South Central L.A. can be purchased for less than 150 dollars. All this makes it harder for the police because in most cases the crooks have more fire power and can out-gun the law. Despite years of experience combating street crime, few L.A. cops will deny that their war against the groups has taken a decisive turn for the worse. The gangs are better armed and more violent than ever before. "The cops are winning all the battles, but we're still losing the war" (Newsweek, March 28, 1988). The two most notorious L.A. gangs are the Bloods and the Crips. Bloods wear red and Crips wear blue; traditionally, each gang member wears or carries a bandanna (his "rag") to show his colors. The gangs have their own dress codes, colors and even languages. The Bloods and Crips used to fight over turf; now they battle for market share with handguns. Less discpline in the family tends to be a big factor where kids in L.A. go wrong. In part the reason for less discpline is a broken family unit; meaning there is stress or lack of communication due to such things as a single parent home, a substance abuser, or a death in the family. When the teen realizes that he is not getting attention, he goes else- where for love and a sense of a stable family unit. That's where his fellow gang members come along. After a period of time the young members, who are at an impressionable age, tend to mold themselves after the older gang members because there [is] ARE no family role models. Youngsters model themselves on people like a kid from L.A. named "Five Fingers" Charlie, who at 15 is already a veteran of crack. Charlie joined one of the bloods gangs when he was 11; "I saw the older guys drivin' aroun' in those nice cars and I thought I could get some too." By 14 Charlie owned three cars; he was pulling in $300,000 a year selling crack. His fun ended and that was all for Charlie when he was shot to death. The single biggest problem for the increase in gang activity in Los Angeles is the increased drug trafficking; particularly in the form of cocaine known as "crack." Crack is a pusher's dream because the effect of the drug only lasts a couple of hours and leaves the user craving for more (Time; August 24,1987). The quantity of crack a gang sells in one day is staggering. Gangs that operate in Central L.A. can pull in nearly one million dollars a day. There is so much cocaine available, that the price of a kilo has dropped from the $65,000-$80,000 price range to the $10,000-$12,000 price range. One kilo prodeces 10,000 bags of crack. At the going street price of $25 a bag, the pusher will bring in $250,000 per kilo (Newsweek; March 28,1988). True enough, gang activity in L.A is at its worst. Drugs, money, sex and violence is all that they're after and they could care less of who they hurt. Just ask Michael Hagan, whose idea of having fun is to guzzle a few bottles of Olde English "800" Malt Liquor and smoke PCP with his " home boys" in the slums of L.A. There is no telling what might happen. They went out looking for trouble and spotted four innocent young girls standing at the street corner waiting for the bus. Hagan then grabbed a semi-automatic from his partner and began squeezing the trigger, emptying out 15 rounds. Just for kicks Kellie Mosier was hit six times in the back. Now he sits in the Los Angeles County jail saying,"I done something, and I'm known!". He says he learned how to shoot by watching the movies, "you just shoot until you hit something." That's exactly what Hagan did. Six out of 15 into the back of a girl who didn't do anything. [-----] A little faking of sources will give this baby an A+! Our FIRST in long lines of School Reports!! Notice(s): Special codez on the top of our 'work' will tell you what they ARE! Here are the new symbols: AN=Anarchy(Explosive/Destruction/Chemicals/BLAH Blah blah!) HT="How-To"s SR=School Reports TC=Technical Information more to come! 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