The Bloods and Crips

I’m sure most everyone is familiar with the presence of Bloods and Crips in Ohio. It seems that whenever the topic of “gangs” arises into discussion that those are the two gangs mentioned. Funny thing is… neither one originated in Ohio.

The Crips’s genesis was in 1960’s Los Angeles, and the Bloods were formed shortly after as a sort of ‘response’ to the formation of the Crips.The two gangs are predominantly African-American.

Since about the 1970’s there has been a strong rivalry between the two, so it’s no surprise that when one started migration to Ohio in the 1980’s, the other soon began to follow. It is generally unknown which gang entered Ohio first.

The Bloods and Crips can be identified by their colors: red and blue.

But why are they here? In a 2003 article published by the Lantern; a newspaper distributed by The Ohio State University, Assistant Prosecutor Dave DeVillers, who is the head of the gang unit of the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, remembers the peak of gang activity in Columbus in 1995 and 1996.He has claimed that  the increase in gang activity had been because of people migrating from close, larger cities, such as Chicago and Detroit.

“The late 1980s brought an overwhelming increase in local drug trafficking, with gangs exporting crack cocaine and heroin from Columbus to cities such as Cincinnati and Portsmouth” – DeVillers

Drug trafficking, however, comes second to the firearms market. Guns are cheap in the Columbus area. Gangs can purchase guns locally and sell them over in other states, making a ridiculous amount of profit.

“A gun that costs $50 in Columbus is worth $1,200 in New York,” DeVillers said.

I’m sure that that was an exaggeration, but it doesn’t seem too illogical. While sifting through firearm store magazines in the past I’ve noted semi-automatic assault rifles in the range of $600 to $700. Some people will say “hey… that’s a good chunk of money though”, and it is, but not for something such as an assault rifle. I think we need to make some changes. Firearms such as these should have a minimum price requirement – a floor as you will – and that would possibly help drive away gangs involved in the firearm market.

Source: http://www.thelantern.com/2.1345/bloods-crips-infiltrate-ohio-1.91352#.UQs8Mb-eFAI

Why Do Gangs Exist in Ohio of All Places?

That’s a good question, and the first that comes to mind when observing the heightened gang activity that we’ve experienced over the past 20 to 30 years. What resources do we have that makes us such an attractive area for gangs such as the Bloods and Crips? They wouldn’t migrate from the West Coast all the way to the Midwest for nothing. Perhaps illegal drug distribution is an easy and profitable market here? It sure wouldn’t surprise me. This is one of many questions we will think about and attempt to answer.

Another that comes to mind: What is being done to try and push these gangs out of Ohio? Do we have task forces dedicated solely to bringing justice to gangs involved in criminal activity around the Cleveland and Cincinnati areas where it is highest? How about any laws put in place to deter criminal gang activity in general? Gangs work and associate in varieties of ways, and therefore must be dealt with accordingly. No one gang is identical to another.