Infighting among a nationwide street gang known as the Bloods has led to its reshaping, The New York Times reported.
The killing of gang member Jequan Lawrence, 31, in the Bronx, New York, in 2016 is proof. The Times over the last year has documented every homicide in the 40th Precinct of 2016. Lawrence's death was the most confusing and a sign of a fissure running through gangs across the U.S.
Lawrence was killed in the lobby of a housing project after he was shot seven times. Another Bloods member is being investigated for his murder, a concept unheard of in the past.
At the center of the rift among the gang, established in 1993 to combat better-organized Latino gangs, is money and now a large generational gap. The size of the gang has also created an issue, the Times reported, with young men mostly joining because of the brand name. Today, Bloods sometimes work with members of the rival gang Crips to commit crimes.
One Bloods member a few weeks ago told an FBI special agent in New Jersey he had made peace with his rivals because "the only color stronger than blue or red is green," the Times reported.
The gang member had been stealing cars with Crips members.
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