more American gang graffiti

Above is some graffiti examples from both the Peoples and Folks nations. The top example, People nation, includes Black P-Stone, Latin Kings, Vicelords, Spanish Lords, El Rukns, Bishops, Gaylords, Latin Counts and the Kents. The bottom, Folk nation incluces Black Gangster Disciples, Black Disciples, Gangster Disiples, La Raza, Cobras, Eagles, Latin Disiples, Maniac Latin Disciples, and Simon City Royals.

Now a quick primer on how to read gang graffiti. Gang names are abbreviated to two or three letters and may include slogans such as "brown pride". The nicknames of the taggers and/or members are frequently included. Also the area claimed by the gang, "east end", street names and area codes are sometimes included. Threats are also included, a rival gang may x out or cross out graffiti, or write 187 (homicide) next to it. A member may also write "killer" on a rivals graffiti by adding a K to the end.

Numbers also play a part in graffiti. This might include 18 for "18th street", or area codes. The numbers 13 and 14 are very common in Hispanic gang graffiti, and the numbers 5 and 6 may be found in Chicago stylev graffiti. Some gangs use a common symbol to identify their affiliation. For example, the 5 pointed star is Peoples nation, and the 6 pointed star is Folks nation. Remember, these two groups don't play well together. Some, but not all, of this text can be found at http://www.gangsorus.com
I did the basic study on this for the citywide crime committee in 2003 so some links on this site may no longer work. If there is enough interest, I could do one more post on gang clothing and how to identify them.