History of Youth Gangs

Youth gangs may have first appeared in Europe (Klein, 1996) or Mexico (Redfield, 1941; Rubel,
1965). No one is sure when or why they emerged in the United States. The earliest record of their
appearance in the United States may have been as early as 1783, as the American Revolution ended
(Sante, 1991; Sheldon, 1898). They may have emerged spontaneously from adolescent play groups
or as a collective response to urban conditions in this country (Thrasher, 1927). Some suggest they
first emerged following the Mexican migration to the Southwest after the Mexican Revolution in
1813 (Redfield, 1941; Rubel, 1965). They may have grown out of difficulties Mexican youth
encountered with social and cultural adjustment to the American way of life under extremely poor
conditions in the Southwest (Moore, 1978; Vigil, 1988). Gangs appear to have spread in New
England in the early 1800's as the Industrial Revolution gained momentum in the first large cities in
the United States: New York, Boston, and Philadelphia (Finestone, 1976; Sante, 1991; Spergel,
1995).

Gangs began to flourish in Chicago and other large cities during the industrial era, when
immigration and population shifts reached peak levels (Finestone, 1976). Early in American
history, gangs seem to have been most visible and most violent during periods of rapid population
shifts. Their evolution has been characterized by an ebb and flow pattern that "at any given time
more closely resembles that of, say, influenza rather than blindness," as Miller (1992:51) has
observed. The United States has seen four distinct periods of gang growth and peak activity: the
late 1800's, the 1920's, the 1960's, and the 1990's (Curry and Decker, 1998). Gang proliferation, in
other words, is not a constant.

In the modern era, youth gangs have been influenced by several trends. In the 1970's and 1980's,
because of increased mobility and access to more lethal weapons, many gangs became more
dangerous (Klein, 1995; Klein and Maxson, 1989; Miller, 1974, 1992; Spergel, 1995). Gang fights
previously involving fists or brass knuckles increasingly involved guns. The growing availability of
automobiles, coupled with the use of more lethal weapons, fueled the growth of drive-by shootings,
a tactic that previously took the form of on-foot hit-and-run forays (Miller, 1966). Gangs of the
1980's and 1990's seem to have both more younger and more older members than before (Miller,
1992; Spergel, 1995), more members with prison records or ties to prison inmates (Hagedorn,
1988; Miller, 1992; Moore, 1990; Vigil, 1988), and more weapons of greater lethality (Block and
Block, 1993; Miller, 1992; National Drug Intelligence Center, 1995). They are less concerned with
territorial affiliations (Fagan, 1990; Klein, 1995), use alcohol and drugs more extensively (Decker
and Van Winkle, 1996; Fagan, 1990; Thornberry, 1998), and are more involved in drug trafficking
(Battin et al., 1998; Fagan, 1990; Miller, 1992; Taylor, 1989; Thornberry, 1998).

Some youth gangs appear to have been transformed into entrepreneurial organizations by the crack
cocaine epidemic that began in the mid-1980's (Sanchez-Jankowski, 1991; Skolnick et al., 1988;
Taylor, 1989). However, the extent to which they have become drug-trafficking organizations is
unclear (Howell and Decker, in press). Some youth groups, many of which are not considered bona
fide gangs, are not seriously involved in illegal activities and provide mainly social opportunities
for their membership (Fagan, 1989; Vigil, 1988). Some gangs seldom use drugs and alcohol, and
some have close community ties (Fagan, 1989; Sanchez-Jankowski, 1991; Vigil, 1988).
By MICHAEL SCOTT

Chicago to New York Gangs and Clubs

Gang Slang

In large cities like Chicago and New York, A rumble is

more than a low, heavy, rolling sound. A rumble, in the
argot of teen-age street gangs, is a mass fight between
rival groups. Teen-agers have always had their special
language, but the jargon of the teen-age gang is
something recent. In a sense it is eclectic, drawing on
the language Of hip jazzmen, the underworld, and
the military, But much of it consists of common terms
given surprising Twists.

New York and Chicago Gang Slang

Bopping- Fighting against a rival gang. Also as a body language which said a lot about the nature of the
gang. When a gang decided to become a fighting, or "bopping" gang, its members immediately took on
a different way of walking. A rhythmic gait characterized by the forward movement of the head with
each step.
Humbug (Chicago) same as bopping.
Jitterbug - Used like Humbug in Queens New York
Burn To bop, especially with weapons.
Bust To beat up. Also to disperse, as, Man, the cops busted us and we wasnt Doing nothing.
Call it on To arrange a rumble.
Clique The gang.
Cool it To call off the rumble.
Crew Same as clique.
Debs short for debutantes. The girl friends of gang members. Sometimes the debs are loosely
organized as an auxiliary of the gang.
Down Bad; tough. A gang member might say admiringly of his gang. Man, were way down.
Down kiddie A tough guy. He doesnt punk out; hes not chicken.
Fair one A fist fight, without weapons, between one or more representatives of two rival gangs. A fair
one may occur when individuals members of rival gangs have personal grudges to settle, or when it has
been decided to settle gang grievances without resorting to a rumble. In many cases what starts as a fair
one, with the rest of the gang watching, ends in a rumble anyway.
Go down Same as a burn.
Job man the social worker, usually from the Youth Board, who tries to help gang members. Gangs
often like to have a job man assigned to them because it shows how tough they are.
Jump A dance or social event. Also, as a verb to attack rival gang members without warning.
Pad down To search or frisk. The cops padded us down and then busted us.
Piece A firearm; usually a pistol, but also a rifle, perhaps cut down. The heats on, man; I got to hide
my piece.
Pot Marijuana.
Pull a jap Make a sneak attack. From the attack on Pearl Harbor, when the Japanese burned our
guys.
Punk out To behave in a cowardly manner; to run away, as from a fight or a threat.
 Rank To taunt rivals with threatening or insulting looks or words; a form of challenge. Probably from
the Army expression to pull rank, meaning to make use of ones higher rank to bully a subordinate.
Rep Reputation, prestige, status. One of the major reasons for joining a gang.
Schemer The shrewd member of the gang. A schemer might take over the gang leadership by subtly
playing one faction against another. Also, the one that thinks up things to do.
Session Same as a jump or dance.
Mix - Same as a rumble. The Jets and Sharks are Going to mix.
Shank to stab, particularly in the leg.
Sound Same as to rank.
Tight Close, in the sense of close friends.
Turf The neighborhood territory ruled by a gang.
Waste To defeat thoroughly; to annihilate.
Chickie The Cops. Hey Chickie, warning the Cops are coming.
Hack - Cop; Man on the walk.
Rolled - We rolled that Flake.
Throwdown - Fight; That cat can Throw down.
Jive stud - Liar
Repping your end - Giving out your postal code.
Sound your clique - Shouted like a military order. Response would name of your gang, or, "I am Cool,"
meaning: you are a civilian.
Cheese it - Lets cut the rug! Lets book outta of here. Used in Chicago.
Gum Shoe - is the Copper. The Fuzz. Police. Mr. Police Officer. Used in Chicago.

Harlem Gang Slang

From the movie The Young Savages: "I heard the Horsemen were bustin out, bobbin the gang on the next block
so I had myself a look. It was a rumble for real with zip guns jackhammers the works."

Brooklyn Gang Slang

From the movie The Warriors: "We're going to have to bop our way back!" "What are we waiting for?" "The
train would help. Unless you want to get japped on an open platform!"

Fifties Boppin Slang

It all started in the fifties: gang lingo, gang jargon, greaser slang. The words from the list were used from the
1950s through today. Some of the words have been modified to fit the times, but their roots are the 1950s.

Rising Up Angry

Throughout the 1950s until the early 1980s, Chicago's youth were divided into two cultures: the Greasers and
the Hippies. Greasers tried to hold on, or imitate the Greasers of the 1950s. The Hippies imitated the Hippies, or
Freaks that most people remember from the 1970s before the disco era. Hippies were known for their parties;
Greasers were known for fixing up old fast cars, drag racing, motorcycles, and joining gangs, though being in a
gang wasn't a greaser requirement.

Greasers Verses Hippie

They say that the Greaser era died when Doo Wop and President John F. Kennedy was killed in 1963, but there
was an underground Greaser culture that existed in big cities around the country like Chicago, Brooklyn, The
Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Philadelphia, and the New Jersey Shore (Jersey City, Newark, and Perth Amboy).
It wasn't uncommon to find Chicago Greaser gang members in the mid 1970s Doo Woping on their corners.
Some of the Greasers evolved into the motorcycle clubs of the 60s and the Punk scene in the 1980s. The
Greaser era never really died out. Today, the garage group Rockabilly crews on the East Coast have brought the
Greaser style back to the shore, though Greasers have always existed in New Jersey.

In Susan E. Hinton's novel/Movie "The Outsiders", she covered the period of the late sixties where there was a
rivalry between the Greasers and Soc's in Tulsa Oklahoma. It has been reported that there were many Greasers
still around at Tulsa's Will Rogers High School into the early 1970s. The movie did a great job of showing the
two different groups fighting for position in society at a time when most of the country still had a large
population of greasers still around. Susan E. Hinton's follow-up novel/movie "Rumble Fish", did a fantastic job
of showing the transition period where the Greasers lifestyle was being replaced with the drug culture or the
hippie/freak culture. Rumble Fish showed how the Greaser, or Greaser gang member, lost all loyalty for his
friends and culture replacing it with drugs. The remaining Greasers in this period, were considered out of style
or a throw back to the fifties. To be accurate, the Greaser Culture disappeared at different times in different
parts of the country, and in some areas never disappeared at all.

Sixties Greaser Clothing and Colors

During the 1960s a lot of greasers from the Southside would go to Maxwell Street on the weekends and find
good bargains on leather& suede jackets, Italian knit shirts, and baggie work pants. Back then Maxwell Street
was called Jew Town and the rumor was if you were the first customer of the day in their store you could get
just about anything for a great price because as the rumor went it was bad luck for them if they didnt make a
sale to their first customer of the day. In Jew Town there were also good prices on shoes the most popular were
Stacy Adams & wing tips. After awhile the hottest item became the baggie work pants. On the Southside, the
style started in Bridgeport with the Italian greasers. You would see them wearing green work pants cuffed up
and quilted work jackets and combat boots. The style caught on in other neighborhoods and soon would see
white greasers everywhere wearing baggies. In the early 60s, on the Southside none of the white gangs wore
club sweaters. You would see a few gangs wearing jackets with their gang names on the back. In the latter part
of the 60s, some white gangs started wearing club sweaters such as Centurians, LAs, Aristocrats, Cornell
Dukes, and the Brothers of Brighton.

Sixties Southside Chicago Greaser stated

Back in the sixties we wore gray leather jackets and baggie grays and combat boots. The blacks at Tilden High
School use to call us "Grayboys" thinking we wouldnt like.

Tulsa Greasers

Two Will Roger's Greasers Speakout

Galvin, a Tulsa greaser had this to say: I was/ am/will always be a greaser. My sister and Susan were friends,
she and Ms. Parker who is still a teacher at Rogers all hung out at the roller skate ring, the Rose Bowl, and the
Admiral twin drive in together. We were the guys at Will Rogers who had cars, smoked, and in my case had a
leather jacket. Started back in 1947, and lasted until 1980. At that time the schools ended driving to school,
smoking required you to be over 18, and with busing, the rich kids quit public schools and moved to private,
making all the public schools here equally poor, wiped out the social. Leather jackets, long hair, and rebellion
were overtaken by gangs of mostly African Americans, and the white kids seemed to not hang out in groups
anymore. Now it's CRIPS, and bloods, Preppies, and Goths, Jocs, and Dweebs. None of which would dare to
cross into another group.

Stone Greaser Defined

A Greaser from the 1960s/70s had this to say about "Stone Grease":

"The term 'Stone Greaser' didn't originate with any one club, or even in a club at all, and was never used to
identify someone exclusively as a club member.

Stone Greaser Grapevine

In the 1970s, Chicago had an organization/underground newspaper called "Rising Up Angry" which would
feature Gangs and Greasers in their "Stone Greaser Grapevine" section.

The "Stone Greaser Grapevine" would feature a greaser gang in every issue. The "Stone Greaser Grapevine"
was aimed at the Greaser subculture and would have a cartoon in the back usually involving a conflict between
the Police and some Greasers. The organization "Rising Up Angry" tried to help out the gangs and form peace
treaties between warring gangs.

In the cities where the Greaser subculture survived past the 1970s were in places like Chicago, New York, and
Tulsa where you had poor to working-class White neighborhoods which did not experience "ethnic cleansing"
until into the eighties and nineties. Cities like Detroit lost their Greaser neighborhoods in the late 1960s when
the Whites moved out to the suburbs dispersing the Greaser subculture into communities where there wasn't a
Greaser presence. "White Flight" did more damage to the Grease Culture than a change in style. Greasers still
started car clubs, cruise nights, and sponsored fifties dances, but the big presence of Greasers in communities
aimed at the Greaser lifestyle changed from leather to vinyl, and blended into the suburban countryside.

Greaser Demographics

In the late 1940's through the early 1960's, the majority of Greaser gangs and clubs tended to be made up of
Italian, Irish and youth of European decent. After the Immigration and Nationality Act amendments of 1965,
immigration from European countries was greatly limited while immigration from third world countries
increased. Demographics of inner city working class neighborhoods changed dramatically during the sixties,
seventies, eighties and nineties. At the same time poverty stricken families from the coal mining region -
appalachia - began to move north seeking a better life; therefore, in cities like New York, Chicago and Detroit
Greaser gangs began to recruit more Appalachians as well as Polish, Russian and American Indian youth. In the
late seventies through the nineties, it wasn't uncommon to find entire gangs or sections made up of American
Indian and Appalachian greasers buried in pockets of the large cities.