White gangs? (Fontana, Compton, Imperial: house, live in, fence)

[James T]

Originally Posted by majoun

There were still white gangs in LA until the 1980s. And I don't mean in beach cities either

How do you define "gang"? A bunch of surfers, like on that episode of CHiPs?

[majoun]

Originally Posted by James T

How do you define "gang"? A bunch of surfers, like on that episode of CHiPs?

The Venice Hoodlums weren't exactly lightweights. They were considered a pretty serious gang

Regardless, white gangs in LA did die out, unlike in Chicago.

[majoun]

I remember some white gangs in Hollywood in the 70s as well when I was a youngster

[James T]

Really? How many people were in these gangs, and what activities did they typically participate in? Which neighborhoods did they blight?

[majoun]

Originally Posted by James T

Really? How many people were in these gangs, and what activities did they typically participate in? Which neighborhoods did they blight?

The Venice Hoodlums (also known as the Venice Whiteboys and White Warriors) had a sizeable membership, I'd say about 100-200 members, they were involved in small scale drug dealing, burglaries, robberies, and assaults, they were allied with V-13 with whom they shared some of the same neighborhoods. A lot of them lived in East Venice/Penmar and around Venice High. The guys in Suicidal Tendencies had some connection with them.

Regardless, they disappeared in about 1983-84 or so as a gang, although a few of the members are still around L.A. I assume most are either dead, in prison, or split LA in the great waves of white flight (which not only resulted in a diminished white middle class but which decimated LA's white criminal class). They certainly didn't survive into the era of crack and heavy weapons.

Don't know as much about white gangs in Hollywood in the '70s, I knew of their existence but couldn't tell you a lot about them, as that was farther from where I grew up.

[Mondska]

Mafia (one of the if not the most dangerous gang/organized crime) is still a nasty problem, but mostly just on the east coast to philly. They can still "visit" out here if they want to so heads up when they do.

[Vicman]

What about Russian gangs?

Some guy on the 'net says he was robbed by a Russian guy at a Target near West Hollywood back when he lived in California.

[DeLaSalle]

Originally Posted by DC15

Perdu,
I agree with everything you have stated, I was just trying to point out that every city in the world seems to have gang problems not just LA, go to the major cities of South Africa, Russia, Albania, Thailand, Germany and tell me the gangs you see there are soft, trust me they are just as bad. But in LA the gang culture is different and it has a very long history associated with it.
Getting back to white gangs, the person who posted that white gangs have been invented by liberals in hollywood is kidding himself, white gangs are in LA and have been for a very long time.

Most Stupid Post Ever............

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Vicman

What about Russian gangs?

Some guy on the 'net says he was robbed by a Russian guy at a Target near West Hollywood back when he lived in California.

The Russian Mob is very well established in West Hollywood and some other parts of the West Side (Santa Monica, Venice) but when people think of gangs in LA they don't think of organized crime. The Russian Mob is more like the old Mafia (who they have largely supplanted on the street level in NYC) than like the Crips or 18th Street. The odds of being a victim of Russian violence in L.A. are REALLY, REALLY low if one is not involved already. However, the Russian mob's strength in West Hollywood does scare Latino and black street gangs, one reason why WeHo is pretty safe as a whole.

L.A.'s Asian street gangs are closer to organized crime than Latino or black gangs : they don't seek attention and tend to be less indiscriminate about their violence. (Their close ties with such groups as the Triads probably contribute to this.)

[James T]

This White gang looks pretty dangerous. I bet they've stolen quite a few hubcaps and maybe even a hood ornament or two. Also, I bet the guy with the cigarette hanging from his mouth drives a pretty mean deuce coup with an almost illegal exhaust.