Origin

The Nazi Low Riders began in the 1970s in the California Youth Authority at Preston School of Industry. Since it origination, the group has developed a power base in Southern California, specifically Los Angeles and Orange County, which has allowed it to spread throughout the State of California and the California prison system. Also, the Nazi Low Riders’ roots can be traced back to the Aryan Brotherhood, acting as middlemen to help with criminal operations.

Location

The Nazi Low Riders are not limited to California. The group is quickly spreading to other parts of the United States, such as Idaho, but is primarily active in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Florida.

Type of Group

The Nazi Low Riders is an Neo-Nazi hate group. Neo-Nazi groups have a hatred for Jews and a love for Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. In addition to their hatred for Jews, these groups hate other minorities, homosexuals, and often Christians. “The Jew” is perceived as the cardinal enemy since social problems can be traced to a Jewish conspiracy that supposedly controls governments, financial institutions, and the media. While some neo-Nazi groups emphasize simple hatred, others are more focused on the revolutionary creation of a fascist political state. Nazism has roots in Europe, and links between American and European neo-Nazis are strong and growing. American neo-Nazi groups are protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and are, therefore, able to publish material and host Internet sits that are available at European audiences since such materials are illegal under European anti-racism laws. Similarly, many European groups publish their Internet sites on American servers to avoid prosecution under the laws of their native countries.

Characteristics

• Propensity for extreme violence
• Recruit white gang members from smaller, less active gangs
• Considers the group a place for members to display their anger, hatred, and predatory way
• All must show loyalty to the white race and subscribe to an ideology of hatred, especially against blacks and “race traitors
• Members perform “chores,” including drug deals, for the Aryan Brotherhood

Identifiers

Like other Aryan groups, the Nazi Low Riders exhibit the standard Aryan symbols in various manners to denote their support for white supremacy philosophies. In addition to these symbols, their tattoos usually display the initials NLR, the phrase “Nazi Low Rider,” nordic runes, devil horns, demons, pictures of Adolph Hitler, and other Nazi imagery to indicate set affiliation. See the gallery for examples of tattoos worn by members of the Nazi Low Riders.

GALLERY