Not sure you’re ready to dive headfirst into your local chapter of the Bloods or Crips? Now aspiring gangstas can get a taste of gang culture from the safety of their computer terminals. As Greg Brouwer reports in L.A. Weekly (Jan. 14, 1999), America’s two major urban street gangs have taken to the Net in an effort to broaden their appeal and soften their image (“no pornography, no drug recipes, no targetting [sic] of opposing gang members” are allowed on the sites). Log on to crips.com or bloods.com and you’ll find histories and descriptions of gang life, bios of notorious criminals, and even recommended reading for the up-and-coming crew member. The sites boast of several thousand hits a day. No word on the number of fatalities.
