Before Crips: Fussin', Cussin', and Discussin' among South Los Angeles Juvenile Gangs

464 Pages·2022·5.798 MB·English

by  John C. Quicker, Akil S. Batani-Khalfani

Before Crips
In the series Studies in Transgression, edited by David Brotherton
ALSO IN THIS SERIES:
John M. Hagedorn, Gangs on Trial: Challenging Stereotypes
and Demonization in the Courts
Series previously published by Columbia University Press
John C. Quicker and
Akil S. Batani-Khalfani
Before Crips
Fussin’, Cussin’, and Discussin’ among
South Los Angeles Juvenile Gangs
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Philadelphia • Rome • Tokyo
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122
tupress.temple.edu
Copyright © 2022 by Temple University—Of The Commonwealth System
of Higher Education
All rights reserved
Published 2022
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Quicker, John C. (John Charles), 1943– author. | Batani-Khalfani,
Akil S., 1943– author.
Title: Before Crips : fussin’, cussin’, and discussin’ among South Los
Angeles juvenile gangs / John C. Quicker and Akil S. Batani-Khalfani.
Description: Philadelphia : Temple University Press, 2022. | Series:
Studies in transgression | Includes bibliographical references and
index. | Summary: “This book describes the rise, features, and behavior
of street groups in mid-century South Los Angeles. It charts the
influence of social factors on the changing culture of neighborhood
street sets, describing their behaviors, customs, and values, as
remembered by interviewees who were members of these groups in the 1950s
and 1960s”—Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021046391 (print) | LCCN 2021046392 (ebook) | ISBN
9781439921975 (cloth) | ISBN 9781439921982 (paperback) | ISBN
9781439921999 (pdf)
Subjects: LCSH: Gangs—California--Los Angeles—History—20th century. |
Gang members—California—Los Angeles—Interviews. | Juvenile
delinquency—California—Los Angeles—History—20th century. | South Los
Angeles (Los Angeles, Calif.)—Social conditions.
Classification: LCC HV6439.U7 Q75 2022 (print) | LCC HV6439.U7 (ebook) |
DDC 364.106/60979494—dc23/eng/20220304
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021046391
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021046392
The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence
of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992
Printed in the United States of America
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
We dedicate this book to
Quicker’s sisters Dianne Yee and Debby Bracht,
who always had his back;
and to his sister Jane Nelson, who still does.
They taught him:
I have sisters, don’t make me use them.

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Map of South Los Angeles in the 1950s xiv
Introduction 1
Insiders Become Outsiders: Methodology 15
1 When the South Came West 21
2 Assemblies of Juveniles 41
3 The Discovery of Gangs in Los Angeles 63
4 Street Group Development: A Storied Evolution 89
5 Slaus Angeles, Villa Fornia 90001: Gang Capital of the World 123
6 The Big Three: Social Class, Gender, and Race 171
7 Comin’-from-the-Shoulders: Ethics, Weapons, Fights,
and Violence 213
8 Malicious Mopery on a Public Highway: Crime and Punishment 255
9 Unable to Embrace the Ideology: The Rise of the Crips 299
Appendix: South Los Angeles Sets and Car Clubs before 1965 333
Notes 341
Bibliography 417
Index 433
Photos follow page 162.

Acknowledgments
Iw ould like to thank my parents, John and Helen, who regularly allowed
me enough rope during my adventures to hang myself but made sure I didn’t.
My wife, Diane, gets singular thanks for her unwavering support and total
commitment to this project, without which it would have been impossible.
Thank you to my daughter-in-law, Laura Street, whose skills at getting me
the multitude of publications needed were without parallel and whose wise
judgment helped smooth out rough spots opening an even larger place in
my heart for her; and to my son-in-law, Erick Street, who was a rock of as-
surance and wealth of good humor. Thank you, Lily and Clara, my grand-
daughters, who often exhorted me, “Don’t give up, Pop,” giving me a needed
boost during dark times.
To my son, Kevin Morris, whose vision for the cover was inspirational
and who patiently allowed me to bend his ear, whenever the need arose, on
whatever needed fussin’ and discussin’; thank you. Thank you to my nieces
Anne Hart and Meredith Boyd, whose comments on the plethora of in-
quires I sent them always came back with insights and wisdom; and to my
nephew, Matt Bracht, for his computer skills that helped me negotiate tech-
nical impasses; and to my nephews, Mike Dussault and Jim and Joseph
Kniest. Bird’s daughter, Dai’Quiriya Martinez, has been a crown jewel. She
gets extended thanks for her tireless interpretive, administrative, and nego-
tiating skills, helping us sort through the complexities of our map, photos,
and beyond. This project has been a family effort.