There are many gangs that exist throughout the United States. Some gangs join forces while others would prefer to remain on their own. The Bloods and the Crips are two gangs that exist in the Los Angeles County. They are not joined in any way, in fact they have been struggling against each other for many years. Like any other gangs, the Bloods and Crips have their own distinct qualities and they both have their own separate territories. .
Both the Bloods and Crips are located around the same areas. It has been found that the gang members appeal to City Walks for many reasons. A few of the things that attract the gang members to City Walks are; the fact that it is free, the proliferation of gangsters makes it a pleasant place to buy food or sell drugs, and they also like it because they like to do the same things that "civilians" do. They enjoy the concerts, the food, and the abundant opportunity to pick up women. However, the attraction of women is a regular source of friction between "bangers". It has led to numerous knife fights between gangs. A lot of the gangs like to "jump" their rivals in parking structures. However, the privacy that this gives denies a combatant the chance to get "credit" for the jumping. When gangs attack other gangs they want to be able to publicly declare their gang affiliation. This is why gangsters tend to congregate and fight near theatres, central places, and big name restaurants.
There are a lot of gangs that are considered Bloods and a lot of gangs that are Crips. In 1996, there were 75 Blood gangs and 199 Crip gangs active in the Los Angeles County. Of the 75 Blood gangs, 26 of them are located in Los Angeles. They have names such as "Mad Swan Bloods, Miller Gangster Bloods", just to name a couple. The other place that a lot of the Blood gangs are located is in Compton. Fifteen of the Blood gangs reside there. Of the 199 Crip gangs, 110 of them are in Los Angeles and 21 of them are in Compton.