History

Despite the lack of agreement of the origins of the Crip name, the general consensus is that the Crips originated in West Los Angeles, California in the late 1960s. Stories about the their name include that it was taken from the movie Tales of the Crypt, taken from a street gang called the Cribs, or taken from the word Kryptonite, a substance powerful enough to subdue Superman. However, the idea that the name was derived from a street gang called the Cribs is the most widely accepted. The Cribs are believed to be an offshoot of the Slausons, which, at one time, was the largest black street gang in South Central Los Angeles.

Starting their criminal activity on and around high school campuses, the Crips preyed on non-gang members by extorting money and committing assaults and robberies. The Crips quickly earned a reputation as the strongest black street gang and, therefore, other gangs then began to incorporate the “Crip” name into their own names, thus becoming Crip sets. For example, the Rollin’ 20 Gang became the Rollin’ 20 Crips and the Main Street Gang became the Main Street Crips. Although these gangs adopted the Crip name, they remained independent and maintained their own individual leadership and membership. These groups identified with the color blue, the school color of Washington High School in Los Angeles. Generally, the Crips align themselves with the Folk Nation.

Demographics

Nationally, members of the Crips are predominately black; however, in the State of Idaho the majority of Crips are white and Hispanic. The age of members covers a broad spectrum from children, who are as young as 9 or 10 years old, to adults, who are in their 50s. However, most are in their early teens to upper 20s.

Identifiers

Crip gangs identify themselves with the color blue. Their tattoos frequently contain the words Crip, Krip, Cuz, Cuzz, the initials BK (Blood Killer), the number 211, or the letter C. The number 211 is representative of the Crips, because “B” is the second letter of the alphabet and “K” is the eleventh with BK being the acronym for Blood Killer. In addition, the gang’s specific set name and logo and the member’s moniker are usually included with these standard identifiers.

In addition to the color blue and tattoos, the Crips wear various sports gear and brands to represent their gang affiliation. Being a fan of the team is irrelevant. A sport team is chosen because it fits the gang’s identity needs and has meaning through either in name or the logo. Acronyms are created from a sport team’s names, and meaning is derived from the logo.

• Allstar brand since the acronym for Allstar is “all Slobs turn and run” (Slobs is a negative name used by Crips to refer to Bloods).
• British Knight tennis shoes since BK is the Acronym for “Blood Killer”
• Chicago White Sox gear since the sox is the acronym for “x-ing out Slobs” (Slobs is a negative name used by Crips to refer to Bloods)
• Colorado Rockies gear since CR is the acronym for “Crips rule”
• Dallas Cowboy gear since cowboys is the acronym for “Crips on wheels banging on your side”
• New Orleans Saints gear since saints is the acronym for “Slobs ain’t Shit” (Slobs is a negative name used by Crips to refer to Bloods)
• North Carolina Tar Heels gear since NC is the acronym for “Neighborhood Crip”

GALLERY