Black P. Stones (Jungles)
Founded | 1960s[1] |
---|---|
Founder | T. Rodgers[2] |
Founding location | Chicago, Illinois, United States[1] |
Years active | 1960s-present |
Territory | Baldwin Village[3] |
Ethnicity | Predominantly African American[1] |
Membership (est.) | 500–900[1][3] |
Activities | Drug traffickig, weapons trafficking, robbery, assault, murder[3] |
Allies | |
Rivals |
The Jungles faction of the
Overview
History
The gang was founded in the 1960s by T. Rodgers and originated as the West Side faction, or "set", of the Almighty Black P. Stone Nation in the Baldwin Village neighborhood of Los Angeles — known as "the Jungles".[1] Rodgers had moved to the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles from the South Side of Chicago and was given permission by Black P. Stones leaders in Chicago to establish a faction of the gang in Los Angeles.[2] The Black P. Stones also operated in the West Adams area of the city.[5] The gang became affiliated with the Bloods alliance when the Pirus began protecting Black P. Stones members from the Crips.[1]
The Black P. Stones' membership grew to approximately 500, and the gang became one of the largest in Los Angeles.[1] The gang's founder, T. Rodgers, later became a community activist, brokering truces between warring gangs. He died at the age of 65 in August 2021.[2]
Territory
The Black P. Stones in Los Angeles once consisted of two separate gangs; the City Stone Bloods, in the
Intergang relations
The Black P. Stones are affiliated with the Bloods alliance and especially with the Piru coalition. The gang is a rival of the Crips.[1] The Black P. Stones have also been involved in a long-running conflict with the 18th Street gang, a Latino gang which is based in a territory north of Baldwin Village.[4][8]
Investigations and prosecutions
On November 10, 2005, the
In 2006, a gang injunction was filed against the Black P. Stones by the Los Angeles City Attorney, Rocky Delgadillo, prohibiting members from congregating in public.[1] Police alleged the gang was responsible for 1,500 aggravated assaults and 28 murders between 2000 and 2005.[8]
75 members and associates of the gang were indicted on a variety of state and federal drug charges as a result of "Operation Red Dawn", a year-long investigation by the FBI and LAPD, which culminated in a series of raids involving over 900 federal agents and police officers in Southwest Los Angeles, on May 19, 2011.
Los Angeles City Attorney
In the media
The 2001 film Training Day, starring Denzel Washington, was filmed on a cul-de-sac in Baldwin Village, and featured Cle Shaheed Sloan of Athens Park.[1] Additionally, the gang was featured in another film that year, Baby Boy. The Jungles appear in season 2, episode 1 of the television series Southland and season 1, episode 12 of Gang Related, as well as the music video for the Waka Flocka Flame song "Hard in da Paint".[1]
See also
- African-American organized crime
- Gangs in Los Angeles
- People Nation
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Welcome to the Jungles Harley Geffner, thelandmag.com (July 26, 2022) Archived July 26, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d Actor, community activist OG T. Rodgers passes away at 65 Shah Be Allah, The Source (August 20, 2021) Archived August 20, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ FBI.gov (May 19, 2011) Archived August 24, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Gang Violence Fuels Racial Tensions Erika Hayasaki, Los Angeles Times (September 30, 2006) Archived December 4, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Yusuf Jah, Uprising, 1995
- ^ Donald Bakeer, Crips, 1987
- ^ a b Winton, Richard (November 11, 2005). "Agents Arrest 8 in Gang Sweep". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ^ a b L.A. police aggressively target hard-core gangs Joe Mozingo, Los Angeles Times (May 1, 2008) Archived June 8, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jeremiah Marquez, Law Enforcement Raids Target Violent LA Street Gang, AP, November 10, 2005
- ^ At least 18 arrested in L.A. gang probe Los Angeles Daily News (November 11, 2005) Archived August 16, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
- NBC Los Angeles (May 19, 2011) Archived August 16, 2023, at archive.today
- ^ The Jungle: Baldwin Village P Stone gang crackdown involves 900 officers for more than 50 arrests Dennis Romero, LA Weekly (May 19, 2011) Archived July 3, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Tchekmedyian, Alene (November 27, 2017). "Agents Arrest 8 in Gang Sweep". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
- ^ Alene Tchekmedyian, Prosecutors say this housing complex is a hotbed for gang crime, AP, November 27, 2017