The Hoover Crips who now go by the Hoover Criminals are a black street gang that started in South Central Los Angeles. They are named after a street called Hoover Street. The Hoover Criminals are made up of multiple different sub sets that rep Hoover. In this article we will use Hoover Crip and Hoover Criminal interchangeably.

Hoover Criminals History

Even before the Hoover Criminals were the Hoover Crips, the Hoover Crips were the Hoover Groovers. The Hoover Groovers were first started in the 1960s way before the Crips were even a thought.

They originated in the area of 52nd Street and Hoover Street, between Vermont Avenue and Figueroa Avenue. It wasn’t until approximately around the mid 1970s that the Hoover Groovers joined forces with Raymond Washington and Stanley “Tookie” Williams, where they changed into the Hoover Crips.

However the era after the Watts Riots were when the Hoover Groovers really dominated, the Groovers maintained there presence and gained a reputation of being strong and a Gang to fear while the rise of Crippen just began.

Not willing to bow down to the growing Crip threat the Groovers would go on a clash with the Crips. There was almost a war when Little Chocolate from the Groovers was shot and killed along with several other Groovers were hurt in an attach by the West Side Crip Curtis “Buddha” Morrow, who is Tookie Williams’ Enforcer.

This altercation is what caused the Hoovers and the Crips to call a meeting. At this meeting was Fat Riley, Bimbo, Donny Boy, Boo, Diamond and Big Chocolate for the hoovers. Tookie, Buddha, Big James, Monk, Sweetback and Warlock from the Crips.

There was animosity in the air with Big Chocolate and Buddha, as little Chocolate was recently killed, but the two sides squashed there beef and agreed to join forces to fight a mutual enemy, the Figueroa Boys.

At this point the Hoovers would take on the Crip card, and start going by the Hoover Crips.

Over the years the gang would start recruiting and expanding into multiple sub sets, and gaining the respect, and power on the streets and in the prison system.

The Hoovers would eventually drop the Crip card and go by Hoover Criminal due to Crip on Crip gang wars. The Crip alliance was not really an alliance anymore, although they still back the Gangster Crip card and align themselves with the Eight Trey Gangsters beef with the Rollin 60s.

Now that we know the History of the Hoover Crips, we can talk about the Modern Day Hoover Criminals

Colors and Appearance

If you were to go through West Side South Los Angeles you would know you were in the Hoovers area from the following signs.

Hoovers are known to wear a lot of Orange, it is their color. The Hoovers rep the Houston Astros as they use the H logo as their gang sign. They Hoover Criminals have based their appearance off of this teams colors. The 52 Hoover Gangster Crips are the only Hoover set to still wear blue, however they still wear orange.

Like most gang members the Hoovers will tattoo Hoover on their body. Another common tattoo Hoovers get is getting the Hoover Set on them. Like the 92 Hoovers for example. They also tattoo the letter H on themselves.

Hoover 3X

Like most crip sets in California, the Eight Trey vs Rollin 60s beef affected them as well. The Hoovers would end up backing the 83 Gangster Crips, in Which the Hoovers changed into the Hoover Gangster Crips to show allegiance.