Raymond Washington X Stanley Williams. It is also present in other countries. The war started when a lack of economic opportunities in South Central L. The Bloods were formed in response to widespread shootings by the Crips. Both groups started extorting money from local businesses in the 70s, and distributing crack cocaine in the early s. The operation was controversial, as it led to mass incarceration which did not greatly reduce gang violence, and included the vandalism of people's homes; in response, the various gangs gained a sense of solidarity and began discussing a truce.
A peace agreement was signed in in Los Angeles between two rivaling Crip chapters and the Bloods in Watts. The resulting truce lasted a few months; the violence came back by mid , as there was still a lack of economic opportunities and tensions from opposing gangs. Crime was brought down again due to new policies enacted by the city of Los Angeles starting in Despite this, the war continued in the city and elsewhere, including a major conflict in Hempstead , New York, in , which led to 56 people being shot by the end of the year.
An estimated 20, people had died from the broader war by Starting in the early s, the two gangs often identified themselves using clothing colored blue for Crips and red for Bloods; those wearing a gang's colors in the opposing gang's territory were often targets of violence. This trend was in decline by due to city-wide gang injunctions.
In the s and '70s, few job opportunities for young Black men in South Central L. The Crips ' origins are debated , but they might have been formed by Raymond Washington and Stanley "Tookie" Williams in as a form of protection from other gangs. However it started, Williams did become the Crips' leader. He "ruled by terror", bringing "impressionable youths" into the group and causing shootings across the city; in turn, multiple groups formed in response to the Crips, including the Bloods.
Owens eventually formed the West Piru faction of Bloods. The Crips and Bloods went to war with each other to defend their territory. They fought each other with cheap " Saturday night special " handguns, switchblades, Molotov cocktails , as well as through hand-to-hand combat. They also participated in theft, facilitated by the establishment of protection rackets to extort money from local businesses.
