Gang members say “It’s all about respect!”
Once you’re in...no way out
By Cherisse M. Sutton/Jeffers
Reporter SKNVibes.com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - OVER the years there has been the formation of a number of gangs in the Federation and the most popular of them are the Bloods and the Crips. These two street gangs have steadily increased in numbers since their inception with members as young as 10-years-old.
SKNVibes spoke with a few persons who are known to be affiliated with these gangs and some of the things that were said are appalling, especially hearing them from the mouths of young men who could have chosen a better way of life.
Speaking on the agreed condition of anonymity, the following are discussions held with those interviewed.
A 22-year-old said he chose to be a member of the Crips because of the company he decided to follow. “I am not no bad man! I just hang around the wrong people, but now it is hard to leave because I already know all the inside work so they will see me as a threat; therefore, I stick around,” he said.
The young man also declared that he regrets being in the gang and the older one gets the more one realises how stupid and senseless it is.
Another young man said the Bloods and the Crips gangs originated in St. Kitts because of the hate and envious feelings some young men have for each other....“beefing about East against West”. From this backdrop, he pointed out that colours are worn in clothing and accessories to identify gang members. ~~Adz:Right~~
He said some young people would gravitate to gangs because they think about making fast money while there are others who do not want to work.
An 18-year-old said a few of his friends once told him that they joined a gang because they were bored. He added that they also wanted to have someone to watch their backs if they should ever be involved in a fight or conflict.
One young man said he was expelled from school at the age of 16 and for two years he could not have found a job; so he started hanging out at street corners and eventually ended up in a gang. “Wasn’t something I planned or wanted in life, but certain things led me to it. Now I smoke weed and have robbed a few people, which I am not proud of, but that is just the way things are,” he said.
A young man from the East said, “Because I am from Newtown I am labelled as a Bloods, but I am neither nor. But if push comes to shove I will defend my territory and my people”.
When another individual was asked the reason for fighting over a colour, he said, “It is not the colour we are fighting for, the colour is just to show what and who we represent; we are fighting for respect and power.”
He also said jobs are hard to get and as soon as employers know than an individual has a tarnished history or has made a wrong turn in life, they ridicule and look down on the person and would not employ him. “So, me as a young man who has been down that road, I got discouraged and gave up and chose to sit on the sideline and hustle to make a quick buck. Sometimes it makes no sense for me being in a gang, ’cause if I eat the other members of the gang have to get their share and sometimes it is not much; but this is the life I chose and, to be honest, I am scared of leaving.”
He added that sometimes it is not that an individual does not want to change, but the fact that he has done so many wrong things there is still people out there trying to get back at him for either something he did to them or a family member.
~~Adz:Left~~The Bloods and Crips gangs originated in Los Angeles and there is no connection to the gangs in the Federation with similar names.
According to information received, the Crips is a primarily, but not exclusively, African-American gang founded in Los Angeles, California in 1969 mainly by 16-year-old Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams.
What was once a single gang is now a loosely connected network of individual sets, often engaged in open warfare with one another.
Through the years the gang has grown to be one of the largest and most powerful gangs in the United States, currently with over 30,000 gang members. The gang is known to be involved in murders, robberies, drug dealing, among many other criminal pursuits. The gang is notorious for its members’ flamboyant use of the color blue in their clothing. However, this practice has waned due to contentious police crackdowns on gang members.
The Crips gang is known to have an intense and bitter rivalry with the Bloods as well as with all Hispanic street gangs. They are also locked in an ongoing struggle over the drug trade with the Vice Lords in Memphis, Tennessee.
Information further states that the Bloods are also one of Los Angeles, California’s street gangs and is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. This gang is identified by the red color worn by its members and their gang symbol.
The Bloods gang is made up of various sub-groups known as ‘sets’ between which significant differences exist such as colors, clothing, and operations. Since its formation, the Bloods gang has branched out throughout the United States, and has even influenced youth groups using the same name in Europe and the Caribbean, including St. Kitts and Nevis.
