Who are the Bloods & Crips

The Bloods and the Crips are the two most infamous street gangs in American history — born in the streets of Los Angeles, shaped by poverty, violence and rivalry, and now spread across the entire United States. This is the complete story of how they started, why they went to war and what they became.

The Origins of the Crips — Los Angeles, 1969

The Crips were founded in Los Angeles in 1969, primarily by two teenagers — Raymond Washington and Stanley “Tookie” Williams — both aged around 15 or 16 at the time. What began as a neighbourhood street gang in South Central Los Angeles would grow into one of the largest criminal organisations in the United States.

The gang’s name has an interesting origin. It didn’t start as “Crips” at all — the original name was “Cribs,” chosen to reflect the young age of its founding members. As the gang grew and members began carrying canes as a fashion statement, they became known on the streets as cripples, or “crips” for short. The name stuck and evolved into the Crips that the world would come to know.

The colour blue was adopted as tribute to a founding member known as Buddha, who was shot and killed in the early 1970s. Buddha always wore a blue bandana, and in his memory Crip members adopted the same colour. It became the most recognisable gang identifier in America.

The early years were defined by rapid expansion. By 1978 the Crips had 45 sets — semi-autonomous sub-groups — operating in Los Angeles alone. This growth brought its own problems: internal conflicts between sets became as common as conflicts with rival gangs. Then came the 1980s and the crack cocaine epidemic, which transformed the gang’s scale and reach entirely.

Raymond Washington and Stanley “Tookie” Williams

The two founders of the Crips met very different ends. Raymond Washington, who had been one of the most feared figures in South Central Los Angeles, was shot and killed on the street in August 1979, just ten years after co-founding the gang. He was 25 years old. His murder was never officially solved.

Stanley Williams survived longer but faced a different kind of reckoning. In 1979 — the same year Washington was killed — Williams was arrested and subsequently convicted of four murders committed during armed robberies. He was sentenced to death. On California’s death row he underwent a remarkable transformation, writing a series of anti-gang books aimed at children and becoming a vocal advocate against gang violence. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on multiple occasions.

Despite appeals from celebrities and activists around the world, Williams was executed by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison on December 13, 2005. He was 51 years old. Before his death he published his memoir, Blue Rage, Black Redemption.

The Cocaine Era — How the Crips Became a National Organisation

The Crips’ transformation from a Los Angeles street gang into a national criminal organisation happened largely because of cocaine. In the early 1980s, as crack cocaine swept through American cities, Crip sets became major distributors — generating profits that funded expansion into new territories, attracted new members by the thousands and dramatically increased the gang’s capacity for violence.

By the year 2000 the Crips had an estimated 600 sets operating across the United States, with membership estimated at between 30,000 and 55,000. The gang had spread from Los Angeles to virtually every major American city and into parts of Canada. Individual sets operated with considerable autonomy — some were involved in drug trafficking, others in robbery, extortion and other crimes. The Crips were no longer a single gang but an umbrella identity under which hundreds of different crews operated.

The Origins of the Bloods — A Reaction to the Crips

The Bloods did not exist first. They formed in direct response to the growing power and violence of the Crips — a defensive alliance of non-Crip gangs that eventually coalesced into a single organisation.

The trigger came from a series of violent incidents in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Crip members Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams targeted Sylvester Scott and Benson Owens in an attack. In retaliation, Scott and Owens formed the Piru Street Boys — the first known Blood gang — as a protective organisation against Crip aggression. Others who felt victimised by the Crips began joining, and the alliance grew.

The decisive moment came after a concert when 20 Crips attacked and robbed Robert Ballou Jr., beating him to death after he refused to hand over his leather jacket. Three months later, Fredrick “Lil Country” Garret was murdered by a Westside Crip — the first confirmed Crip murder of a member of another gang. These events galvanised non-Crip gangs across Los Angeles into formal alliance. The Piru Street Boys and their allies became the Bloods around 1972.

Bloods vs Crips — The Colour War

The colour coding that defines the Bloods-Crips rivalry is one of the most recognisable features of American gang culture. Crips wear blue — in tribute to the slain founding member Buddha. Bloods wear red — chosen as a contrasting colour to mark the division between the two organisations.

The colour system served a practical purpose: in a world where split-second identification of friend or foe could mean life or death, a bandana colour or the colour of a shoelace could carry enormous significance. The system also spread the rivalry’s visual language far beyond Los Angeles, making it instantly recognisable wherever both gangs operated.

By the 1970s the violence between the two gangs had escalated dramatically. The majority of gang-related murders in Los Angeles during that decade were attributed to conflicts between Bloods and Crips.

How Many Members Do the Bloods and Crips Have?

The Crips are estimated to have between 30,000 and 55,000 members across the United States, organised into approximately 600 sets. The Bloods are estimated to have up to 25,000 members — significantly outnumbered by the Crips, as they have been since the beginning. In 1978, Los Angeles alone had 45 Crip sets versus 15 Blood sets.

Both organisations have expanded well beyond California. Bloods and Crips sets now operate in cities across the United States and in parts of Canada, though the Los Angeles area remains the historic heartland of both gangs.

Famous Members and Affiliates

Both gangs have had numerous high-profile members and associates, particularly in the world of hip-hop — a cultural crossover that brought the Bloods-Crips rivalry to global attention through music.

Among those associated with the Crips: Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Eazy-E, Warren G, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, MC Ren, MC Eiht, Ice Cube (by association), Ice-T, Coolio, Tone Loc, WC, Young Jeezy, Schoolboy Q and Xzibit.

Among those associated with the Bloods: The Game, Gucci Mane, YG, Lil Wayne, Birdman, Suge Knight, DJ Quik, Waka Flocka Flame, B-Real of Cypress Hill, Mack 10, Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar (by association).

The Bloods and Crips Today

The Bloods and Crips of today are very different organisations from the street gangs founded by teenagers in 1960s and 70s Los Angeles. Both have become decentralised networks of semi-autonomous sets, united by colour and identity but operating with considerable independence at the local level.

Law enforcement pressure — particularly federal RICO prosecutions similar to those used against the Italian-American Mafia — has disrupted both organisations significantly since the 1990s. The crack cocaine epidemic that fuelled their expansion has receded. Many founding and senior members are dead or in prison.

Yet both gangs persist. The Bloods and Crips remain two of the largest and most recognisable criminal organisations in the United States — a testament to the power of identity, community and the self-perpetuating logic of gang culture that has proven extraordinarily resistant to efforts at suppression.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded the Crips?

The Crips were founded in Los Angeles in 1969 by Raymond Washington and Stanley “Tookie” Williams, both aged around 15-16. Washington was killed in 1979. Williams was executed in 2005 after being convicted of four murders.

Who founded the Bloods?

The Bloods evolved from the Piru Street Boys, founded by Sylvester Scott and Benson Owens in the early 1970s as a protective organisation against the Crips. They formally became the Bloods around 1972.

Why do Crips wear blue and Bloods wear red?

Crips wear blue in tribute to a founding member called Buddha who was killed in the early 1970s and always wore a blue bandana. Bloods wear red as a contrasting colour to distinguish themselves from their Crip rivals.

How many members do the Bloods and Crips have?

The Crips have an estimated 30,000-55,000 members across approximately 600 sets. The Bloods have an estimated 25,000 members. Both gangs operate across the United States and in parts of Canada.

What is the difference between Bloods and Crips?

The main differences are colour (Crips blue, Bloods red), origin (Crips founded 1969, Bloods formed around 1972 in response to Crip violence) and size (Crips are significantly larger). They have been rivals since the early 1970s.