Bloods

The Bloods are one of Los Angeles, California's street gangs. They are identified by the red color worn by their members and their gang symbol. The Bloods are made up of various sub-groups known as &quot;sets&quot; between which significant differences exist such as colors, clothing, and operations. Since their formation the Blood gangs have branched out throughout the United States, and have even influenced youth groups using the same name in Europe.&lt;ref&gt;&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt; &lt;/ref&gt;

History
Starting in late 1971, the Avalon Gardens|Avalon Garden Crips, Inglewood, California|Inglewood Crips and various other Crip sets joined forces. They began to expand to non-Crip gang territories such as those controlled by The L.A. Brims, a powerful street gang that had been formed  in 1969. Due to the encroachments of the Crips, several gangs eventually became part of the Blood family, including the Bishops and Athens, California|Athens Park boys. The Denver Lanes also had conflicts with the Crips, but were outnumbered and eventually became unknown in California for some time. The Pirus|Piru Street Boys, who presented a powerful force in Compton, California|Compton, actually collaborated with the Crips prior to 1972, as the Crips had affected the pirus|Piru neighborhoods.