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https://studentshare.org/journalism-communication/1613467-black-guerrilla-family.
BLACK GUERRILLA FAMILY Black Guerrilla Family is also known as “Black Family” or “Black Vanguard”. This gang operates in the prisons of all major cities of the United States. It is the most powerful gang of United States. It started its operations in the year 1966 in the prisons of California. Black Guerrilla Family was founded by “George Lester Jackson, W.L. Nolen, David Johnson, James Carr and other black racist convicts in California’s San Quentin state prison” (Nyasha, 2003).
Influenced by the radical political theorist BGF is base on Marxist/Maoist/Leninist ideology. It was the most politically oriented among all the prison gangs. Later on in the year 1990 it was introduced in Maryland. The founding father was prisoner summons writer and espoused the philosophy and militia arrangement of the “Symbionese Liberation Army” (BLACK GUERRILLA FAMILY, n.d.).OriginThe BGF gang was mainly active in Maryland but it also dominated the city’s streets of Baltimore. The chief objective behind starting the gang was to unite imprisoned black inmates and lash out a violent revolution against the belief of the racist white reformatory administration.
The gang primarily attracted hundreds and thousands of “angry African-American offenders”, who have very little to lose. . Many of the members belong to the Black Liberation Army, the underground organization that was responsible for the 1981 October robbery in Brink armor truck. During this operation a guard and two police officers of New York were killed. The new recruitment for the prison organization primarily belonged to the black street gang. They join the prison gang with the purpose of sharing the criminal profits, which led to the splitting between a political fraction and the moneymaking fraction.
The gang was organized along the paramilitary lines. “It has national charter, code of ethics and oath of allegiance” (Manning, 2010, p. 194). StructureThe gang comprised of 100 to 300 members who were mostly African American males, who were allies of La Nuestra Familia, Black Liberation Army, Symbionese Liberation Army, Weather Underground and other African American street gangs. The BGF is highly organized gang with the rank structure consisting of central executive committee, field generals, captains, lieutenants and soldiers.
Membership occurs through sponsorship and potential members passes through screening committee investigation. The new member must take a death oath along with the commitment of remaining a lifelong member and serving BGF with utmost loyalty. The members often tattoo themselves with anti government or anti official tattoos. The symbol of the tattoo is mainly a black dragon (Hickey, 2003, pp. 64-65).ViolenceThe primary source of income was from drug trafficking. They received most of the drugs from the Nuestra Familia or from the local drug organizations operating in Mexico.
They are also involved in theft, burglary, and drive by shooting and homicide (Manning, 2010, p. 194). They are also involved in smuggling of narcotics, extortion scheme, bribery, robbery, money laundering and retaliation against witnesses etc (IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND, n.d.). The enemies of BGF include Mexican Mafia, Aryan Brotherhood and Texas Syndicate (Hickey, 2003, p. 65).ConclusionBlack Guerrilla Family is considered to pose serious threat to the enforcement officials and law enforcement personnel who represents the government and law.
It is the most violent and assaultive gangs among all others who are operating from the same region (Hickey, 2003, p. 65).REFERENCESBLACK GUERRILLA FAMILY. (n.d.), retrieved on January 25, 2013 from http://www.prisonoffenders.com/black_guerrilla_family.htmlHickey, E. (2003). Encyclopedia of Murder and Violent Crime. SAGEIN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND, (n.d.), retrieved from http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Sections/NEWS/z_Personal/AJohnson/Elements/110831_Indictment.
pdfNyasha, K. (2003). BLACK AUGUST INTERNATIONAL (2003):A STORY OF AFRICAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS, retrieved on January 26, 2013 from http://www.hugopinell.org/Black-August-Intl-2003.htmManning, G.A. (2010). Financial Investigation and Forensic Accounting. CRC Press
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