The Crips are a primarily African-American alliance of street gangs that are based in the coastal regions of Southern California.
It's forbidden for a Crip to wear red — the color traditionally associated with the Bloods — and after being initiated into the Crips and becoming a full member, one of the most widely respected ways to prove loyalty is by "drinking milk."
Crips, street gang based in Los Angeles that is involved in various illegal activities, notably drug dealing, theft, extortion, and murder. The group, which is largely African American, is traditionally associated with the color blue. The Crips gained national attention for their bitter rivalry with the Bloods. The gang’s origins are disputed.
The continued list of Crips street gangs encompasses a wide variety of different identities which are the result of decades of internal conflict between its subsets or "sets". The history of the Crips family of identities can be traced back to the original Crips gang founded at John C. Fremont High School in Florence.
After the eventual destruction of the Black Panther organization, the CRIPS (Community Resources for Independent People) arose in South Central Los Angeles, California in 1969 with a message of resistance and justice during a time of hopelessness and desolation among the black community (Brown).
The late 1960's was the site of the development of what would be one of the most violent and unlawful African-American gangs in the history of Los Angeles, the Crips. It all began with the creation of a small gang called the "Baby Avenues" by two South Central Los Angeles high school students, Raymond Washington and Tookie.