Gangs

When we think of gangs we typically think of street gangs, but gangs exist in other places like prison. Prison gangs are primarily structured by origin and race. Prison gangs first developed primarily for protection but soon became involved in the drug game established in and out of prison. Within prison, there exist different gangs like Aryan Brotherhood, Black Guerilla Family, and La Nuestra Familia (Lander, Miller, and Dee 49-50). The Aryan Brotherhood started in San Quentin Prison, located in Marin County north of San Francisco, in the early 1960s. They were originally called the Diamond Tooth Gang and their members would put pieces of glass or diamonds in their teeth in order to identify themselves. After that, they changed their name to the Bluebird Gang, and members tattooed bluebirds on their necks. They shortly after became known as the Nazis because of their racist, neo-Nazi philosophy. During 1967 and 1968, the gang changed their name once more to Aryan Brotherhood (Lander, Miller, and, Dee 50-51). Former Black Panther member George Jackson formed the Black Guerilla Family in 1966. They were originally called the Black Vanguard or Black Family and had ties to the Black Mafia. They changed their name to Black Guerrilla Family in 1971 (Lander, Miller, and Dee 52).…