Now that Charlottesville police have confirmed that an attack near Friendship Court in late April, which left one teen so badly beaten he had to get two metal plates inserted into his face, was the work of the Bloods street gang, Charlottesville is left wondering how and why the Bloods came to town. For a little perspective on who the Bloods are and how they operate, C-VILLE called national gang expert and consultant Robert Walker with the organization Gangs Or Us. Here’s some of what he had to say.—Nell Boeschenstein
C-VILLE: What is the structure of a national gang such as the Bloods?
Robert Walker: First of all, there is no national Bloods. The Bloods originated in Los Angeles, and even in Los Angeles there are close to 100 different gangs known as “Bloods,” and even they don’t always get along. There is no national leader. There is no national gang. There are many Bloods all over the country, but they are all independent. Your gangs that call themselves “Bloods” probably just call themselves that.
C-VILLE: So, all Bloods are independent, and there’s no possibility that the “Bloods” gang in Charlottesville has any real connection to an official, national Bloods hierarchy?
Robert Walker: Well, hypothetically speaking, L.A. Bloods have been known to look around and look for a target area. For example, they may look at Charlottesville and say, “They’re using crack cocaine. They’re using marijuana. We could probably set up a gang there and be a drug distribution center for Charlottesville.” Some of the money would then be sent back to Los Angeles, and some would stay in Charlottesville. Then the local Bloods, in all probability, would be protecting themselves. The L.A. Bloods wouldn’t send an army out to protect the Charlottesville Bloods. Once the Bloods establish themselves in Charlottesville, they take care of their own business.
C-VILLE: Once a gang gets a toehold in a town like Charlottesville, how difficult is it for law enforcement to gain control over the problem?
Robert Walker: It depends on how soon they step in and start being proactive. If a community or police department step back, go through all the stages of denial, and just say that they have some young people that are “misguided,” things aren’t good. Once a gang has a toehold in a community, it’s not impossible, but it’s close to impossible to get rid of the gang because gangs become very attractive to young people in the area.