The Crips are a notorious and predominantly African American street gang that originated in Los Angeles, California, in the late 1960s. The gang’s history is complex, and it has evolved over the decades into a network of loosely affiliated sets and subsets, each with its own leadership and territorial boundaries. Throughout the years, the Crips have grown significantly and have created numerous sets. Some of these sets are considered to be some of the largest gangs in the world.

The Crips are known for their rivalry with another street gang called the Bloods, which also originated in Los Angeles. This rivalry has led to significant violence and criminal activity over the years. Which in their own right, have some of the largest blood gangs.

The Crips have grown severely in numbers and have multiple sets all across California now. Here is a list of the biggest Crip gangs in California, in no particular order.

Largest Crip Sets in Los Angeles

Rolling 60s Neighborhood Crips

The West Side (W/S) Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips, an infamous African American street gang, have deep roots in the Hyde Park area of western Los Angeles, California. Their origins trace back to 1976 when they emerged as a faction of the original West Side Crips, a response to the growing division within the gang into more neighborhood-specific groups.

The gang’s name has multiple theories surrounding its origin, as many gangs at the time were named after the streets within their respective neighborhoods. One theory suggests that the name “Rollin 60s” stemmed from 60th Street, which traversed the entire neighborhood. Today, their territory spans 27 blocks from Slauson Avenue in the north to Florence Avenue in the south, and from Western Avenue in the east to Overhill Drive in the west.

Authorities estimate the Rollin 60’s membership to be around 1,600 members, making them the largest African American street gang in all of Los Angeles County. They are recognizable by their Seattle Mariners baseball caps adorned with the letter “S,” signifying Sixty or “60’s Crip.” Additionally, members often bear tattoos and employ various hand gestures (gang signs) to represent their affiliation, with the most common being the “deuces” but with the inclusion of a thumb (2 fingers and a thumb).

Due to their substantial numbers, the Rollin 60’s have accumulated a multitude of adversaries over the years, with their most intense and enduring rivalry being with the Eight Tray Gangster Crips to the East, located along Western Avenue.

Hoover Crips

The Hoover Crips, also known as the Hoover Criminals, are a well-known African American street gang based in Los Angeles, California. The gang takes its name from the Hoover Street, which runs through their original territory in the South Los Angeles area. The Hoover Crips have a long history dating back to the late 1960s and early 1970s, and they are one of the oldest and most established Crip gangs in Los Angeles.

The Hoover Crips have several different subsets or factions within their gang, each associated with a specific territory or neighborhood. They are known for their distinctive blue clothing, as is common among Crip gangs, and they use various hand signs and symbols to represent their affiliation. Like many street gangs, they have been involved in criminal activities such as drug trafficking, robbery, and violent conflicts with rival gangs.

Grape Street Crips

The East Side (E/S) Grape Street Watts Crips stand as a longstanding, sizeable African-American street gang rooted in the unincorporated Watts community within South Los Angeles, California. Beyond their customary blue attire, the Grape Street Watts Crips proudly incorporate the color purple to symbolize Grape Street, a significant north-south thoroughfare in Watts, especially at its heart, 103rd Street. Their base of operations resides within the Jordan Downs Housing Projects, with many members attending the adjacent Jordan High School. Their territorial span encompasses the region from 97th Street in the north to 107th Street in the south, stretching between Wilmington Avenue in the west and Alameda in the east. Covering 0.394 square miles, they hold the distinction of being the largest Crip neighborhood in Watts and the second-largest African-American gang in the area, trailing only the Bounty Hunter Bloods.

Originally, their neighborhood bore the name “Watts Varrio Grape” (WVG), encompassing both Mexican and African-American members. As Mexican members aligned themselves under the Sureños banner, they evolved into the Watts Varrio Grape Street 13. Nevertheless, the two groups maintained a close alliance. African-American gang members adopted the identity of “East Side Watts Varrio Grape” and, around 1986/87, the new African-American recruits became known as the “East Side Grape Street Watts Baby Loc Crips.”

Over the years, the Grape Street Watts Crips have amassed numerous adversaries, with their primary rivalry being with the Bounty Hunters Watts gang. This rivalry became so violent and intense that a truce had to be brokered in 1992, involving not only the Grape Street Watts Crips and the Bounty Hunter Bloods but also other Watts gangs. While this truce curbed some of the violence between the two main rivals, sporadic conflicts have still erupted.

East Cost Crips

The East Coast Crips, a prominent and notorious African American street gang, are situated on the Eastside of South Los Angeles, California. This gang comprises various subsets, including:

The East Coast Crips have engaged in longstanding conflicts with numerous street gangs. As a Crip gang, they maintain hostilities towards all Blood gangs, including the Mad Swan Bloods, Pueblo Bishop Bloods, Athens Park Bloods, All Brims, Be-Bop Bishop Watts Bloods, Center View Piru, Denver Lane Bloods, and Black P Stones. Additionally, they have rivalries with other Crip gangs, such as the Hoover Criminals, Grape Street Watts Crips, 51 Trouble Gangster Crips, Compton Avenue Crips, Broadway Gangster Crips, Avalon Gangster Crips, Gardena Shotgun Crips, Nutty Blocc Compton Crips, and Eight Tray Gangster Crips.

Despite the historical Neighborhood and Gangster Crip rivalries, the ECC maintain alliances with the 87 Gangster Crips, 97 Gangster Crips, and 4Pacc due to shared adversaries like the Hoover Criminals, Avalon Gangster Crips, and Florencia 13. They have resolved their previous rivalry with the Rollin 40s Neighborhood Crips. Furthermore, the ECC maintain alliances with all Neighborhood Crip factions, including Rollin 40s, Rollin 50s, Rollin 60s, Rollin 90s, and Rollin 100s Neighborhood Crips.

The East Coast Crips are also adversaries of all Sureño Gangs, such as the Florencia 13 (excluding a peace treaty), South Los 13, and the Compton Varrio Tortilla Flats.

83 Gangster Crips


The 83 Gangster Crips, commonly referred to as the Eight-Tray Gangster Crips (ETG), rank among Los Angeles’ most renowned Crip Gangs. During the 1992 Los Angeles riots, ETG played a significant role and were often identified by their distinctive attire, which included “Locs” (sunglasses), black bandanas, and white T-shirts.

ETG’s primary Crip adversaries encompass all Neighborhood Crips and the Rollin’ sets, with a particularly intense and violent feud with the Rollin’ 60 Neighborhood Crips. This ongoing rivalry has resulted in a substantial number of Crip-on-Crip altercations, surpassing conflicts with rival Bloods. They also hold rivalries with other sets, including the 67 Neighborhood Crips and the Inglewood Family Gang, a Bloods faction.

Furthermore, ETG maintains a rivalry with all “Rollin 0s” gangs, which includes the Rollin 40s and the Rollin 90s. They also share an adversarial relationship with all “NeighborHood” or “NH” gangs, notably the 67 NeighborHood Crips (67 NHC), located to the north of their territory. While they are adversaries of all Blood gangs, their primary Blood rivalry is with the Inglewood Family Gang (IFG), located to the west of their turf. However, it’s crucial to note that their rivalry with the Rollin’ 60s Crips surpasses any rivalry with Blood gangs.

ETG’s Crip rivals encompass a wide range of sets, including the Rollin 30’s, 40NH, 55NH, 57NH, 58NH, 60NH, 67NH, 90NH, 100’S NH, NH103, 111NH, 112NH, 115NH, UnderGround Crips, BCG, Menlo Crips, BudLong Crips, Geer Gang, 99 Mafia Crips, 87 Gangsta Crip, and all Mexican gangs with a hostility towards African Americans.

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