Missionaries of the Sacred

One step we can all take towards reducing gang membership is to recognize gang colors and sym­bols. That way if we notice our children or students wearing (or hanging out with people who are wearing) certain symbols or color combinations, we can step in earlier rather than later. Often gang members dress in a way that reflects the hip-hop culture, but non-gang members wear hip-hop style clothing as well. Gang members usually have distinctive ways of identifying their gang affiliation through the use of colors, tattoos, symbols (such as those worn around the neck or printed on a t-shirt), and both certain types of clothing and accessories and how they are worn (e.g. the baseball cap). The colors red, black and green are associated with the Bloods, while the colors blue and purple are associated with the Crips.

Some gang members wear rosa­ries around their necks, and in this case, the color of the beads identifies the gang. Sometimes gang membership can be identi­fied through the brand of cloth­ing or shoes worn. For instance, the company British Knights uses the logo BK on their prod­ucts so Crip gang members may wear British Knight clothing be­cause the letters BK can stand for Blood Killers (The Bloods are a rival gang).

Bloods gang members sometimes wear Kansas City CHIEFS jackets (the football team) to signify Crips Hated in Every F---king State. Ordinary symbols and numbers can have special meanings in gangs, and gangs also create their own special symbols. For instance, the number “6” is the number of the Folk Nation (the Folk Nation Alliance is comprised of several gangs). Other symbols include the 6 and 8 pointed star, bulls horns, a pitchfork pointed up, as well as images such as a rabbit with a bent ear and a winged heart. Additionally, gang members have their own argot and unique hand symbols for identification.

Since external identification of gang affiliation can be complex and varied, and in the case of national gangs or gang alliances, different sets might use different symbols, it is important to learn more about any gangs known to be present in or near your community. Your local police department may be a good resource for more specific information about both what gangs are active in your area and their identifying colors, hand symbols, and other characteristics.

For a list of National and Regional street gangs in the United States, please click here to be redirected to the National Gang Intelligence Center’s National Gang Threat Assessment 2009 (Appendix B).