Fresno Bulldogs

Fresno Bulldogs
Fresno Bulldog gang member in the Fresno County Jail
Membership (est.) 6,000 but the Fresno Police Department estimate that number is as high as 12,000 in the city.[1]
Criminal activities Human Trafficking,drug trafficking, Dope dealing, Identity theft, assault, theft, robbery, arms trafficking, extortion, murder. [2][3]
Rivals Latin Kings, Nuestra Familia (Nortenos), Mexican Mafia (Surenos), MS-13, Crips, Bloods( certain sets)

The Fresno Bulldogs, or BDS for short also known by the abbreviations FBD, 624 and BDS,[4] are a primarily Mexican American criminal street gang located in Fresno, California. They are considered to be one of the biggest drug gangs in Central California with membership estimated to be around 6,000 in the city of Fresno. They are engaged in a wide range of criminal activity and have been subject to many high-profile cases over the years. They wear mostly red but do not align themselves with Norteños, one of their biggest rival gangs in America.

History

The Fresno Bulldogs can be traced back to the 1960s but did not become an independent street gang until the 1980s. Their independence developed in the California prison system during the prison wars of 1984-1985. Back when there were still allegiance between Norteños & F-14ers making La Nuestra Familia. The gang was known as F-14. In 1986 the F-14ers went to war with the Norteños,which led to a violent war in the California prison system known in gang folklore as "The Red Wave". the F-14ers began using the bulldog name and mascot of Fresno State University including the paw print and bulldog head image in their graffiti and tattoos. They also bark to one another as a call sign, "Bulldog Calling" and address each other as "Dog", "Perro" or "Efe"—giving the Bulldogs a separate identity from the Norteños, despite their common red gang color.[5] They also adopted Fresno State apparel as de facto uniforms; causing a tenfold increase in royalties to the university from licensed merchandise sales from the 1990s to late 2000s (decade).[6]

Location and sets

They are in some of the minor cities outside of Fresno, but with less frequency.[7] There are bigger sets located in Fresno [8] The main fractions and the Largest section being East Side Fresno, West Side Fresno, and North side Fresno.There are also many street sets that operate separately from each other, Calwa, Sunset, Malaga, RTL, Park Side, 5th St, Bond St, Lewis St, College St, Backer St, Pleasant, Daisy Park, Pinedale, Marty Block and many more.

Culture

Fresno Bulldogs do not have any allies and are one of the few Mexican-American gangs in California that claim neither Sureños nor Norteños affiliation.[9][10]

Criminal activity

Their main revenue is from the street level distribution of marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine.[11] The Fresno Police Department and the Fresno County Sheriff's Department have tried various different crackdowns on Bulldog gang activity. In November 2006, Operation Bulldogs was launched to wipe out the Bulldog street gang. The operation has led to thousands of arrests, but the independent nature of the gang has complicated police efforts to contain crimes attributed to gang members.[12][13] The Fresno Police Departments efforts have led to 2,422 felony arrests of Bulldog gang members and associates. However, even with increased gang suppression tactics the Bulldog gang continues to exert its influence on the community. Bulldogs gang members sometimes fight each other because of affiliation with a rival Bulldog gang set.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Cone, T. (February 8, 2010). "Fresno bulldogs" (PDF). Associated Press.
  2. ↑ "Bulldog Gang members Prey on Elderly in Identity Theft Scams". kmph.com. 9 February 2008.
  3. ↑ Harrid, K. D. (2010). "Organized crime in California" (PDF). State of California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General.
  4. ↑ "Gangs in the United States - Internet Accuracy Project". accuracyproject.org.
  5. ↑ "Getting under their skin". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ↑ Heather Halsey. "Stolen symbol". csufresno.edu.
  7. ↑
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ "USDOJ: U.S. Department of Justice Archive National Drug Intelligence Center". justice.gov.
  10. ↑ Brown, E. G. (2009). "Organized crime in California" (PDF). State of California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General.
  11. ↑ Lyman, M. D., & Potter, G. W. (2011). Drugs in society: Causes, concepts and control. (6th ed., pp. 491-492). Burlington, MA: Anderson Publishing.
  12. ↑ "City of fresno anti-gang efforts" (PDF). City of San Diego, The Commission on Gang Prevention & Intervention. (n.d.).
  13. ↑ "Second Gang Crackdown in Southeast Fresno | abc30.com". abclocal.go.com. 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  14. ↑ "Video: New Crackdown on Bulldog Gang Members Video". mefeedia.com. 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011. KGPE CBS 47 Fresno
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.