by Michael Douglas Carlin

Piru would have never began without the influence of the Crips, that began near Compton. Crips from their inception, recruited heavily all over the Los Angeles area. They appeared to recruits in overwhelming numbers giving their prospective recruits an offer they couldn’t refuse. Resisting joining the new gang was very dangerous resulting in a beating at a minimum or death in extreme cases. Crips preyed upon orphans or disconnected youths that were seeking a family structure they were not getting at home but they also represented opportunity. Crips were involved in lots of criminal activity that included the lucrative game of trafficking narcotics. In a poverty-stricken area, this formula proved to be a winning combination and the gang spread rapidly. There is evidence to suggest the American Intelligence Community may have played a role in the Crip gang formation. Intelligence benefitted from drug trafficking by raising money for "off-book” covert activities but they needed a distribution network in place to sell their crack cocaine in the ‘80s. Gangs provided a social and financial structure the Intelligence Community could tap into.

Crips were able to achieve overwhelming numbers as their movement swept through the nation fueled by the money generated by drug sales. A distribution pipeline was established coast to coast. One of the largest distributors, Michael "Harry-O” Harris, would put up the money to establish Death Row Records. He was one of a handful of distributors that was pushing out the cocaine provided by a single supplier linked to the Central Intelligence Agency. When the source was arrested on a drug trafficking charge, the charges were dismissed citing National Security concerns. Journalist Gary Webb documented these ties in a series of articles that would break this story in 1995.

The music industry was an excellent place for drug dealers to sell their wares. There were ample customers looking for a bump to their late-night lifestyle as well as jets flying celebrities around the country with empty cargo holds that facilitated nationwide distribution. But the roots of modern drug trafficking trace back to the formation of the Crips and Bloods.

1971 brought the birth of Tupac Shakur. It also brought the birth of a counter movement to the Crips that were sweeping South Central Los Angeles. Suge Knight, who would eventually sign Tupac Shakur grew up near the birth place of the Crips and Bloods. These gangs, similar to the Black Panthers, would have a substantial impact on Tupac Shakur’s life. The Crips were recruiting heavily in South Los Angeles and soon set their sights on Compton.



One day in 1971, the Crips came to Centennial High School in Compton and targeted sixteen young men as potential recruits. The Crips arrived in overwhelming numbers and gave their prospective members their standard choice, either join the gang or suffer a beating. Once they had administered the beating they vowed to come back and beat the boys again unless they joined.

These boys were unlike many of the recruits previously targeted by the Crips. They had solid families. They had fathers, many of which were World War II Veterans. These men were men of valor. They had already taught their sons a value system steeped in military tradition they had learned from their own military service. This new outside pressure only served to bring each individual family closer and it bound the neighborhood to strengthen their ties in defeating a common enemy.

Word of the beating quickly spread through this tight knit community and the fathers after tending to their injured sons gathered for a meeting. They were not going to allow the Crips to recruit their children. They enlisted their sons in creating a well-organized counter movement called Piru. If they were going to succeed, each of the boys must possess the heart and skills to be able to defeat many opponents at one time. The boys knew they were outnumbered but the fathers had been trained as soldiers. They knew a thing or two about overcoming obstacles that had been placed in their paths during a war that wanted their service but never granted them equality.

The birth of Piru, named after the street that most of the young men grew up on, declared war on the Crips. 16 young courageous men declared war on a gang that numbered into the thousands. That put each young man in the neighborhood into war-time training. Every day after school, the young men would lift weights, jump rope, and fight. Fathers became their trainers. When they saw a weakness in any of the neighborhood kids, training turned that weakness into a strength. Each of these men became an authentic lethal weapon. A code of honor was also instilled in each young man. They were expected to press their clothing before leaving the house going anywhere, chores needed to be completed before any social activities were allowed. Talking back to elders was not tolerated. In an age before cell phones and internet any misconduct by any of the boys spread back to parents almost instantly. Because the stakes were high in this new war, punishment for misconduct of any type was severe. Above all the young men were taught the value of teamwork and the importance of remaining loyal to their Piru neighbors.

When the young men were ready it was time to strike back. The fathers had gathered a list of the Crip attackers and one by one they were cornered alone or in small groups where a beating was administered that sent the message that Piru kids were not to be touched. Piru was never going to join the Crips.

The Combat Veterans possessed the skills not to just train their sons to fight but to also outthink their enemies. These military fathers had already instilled a code of ethics that showed in their well-kept neighborhood. Lawns were always mowed and free of weeds. Respect for elders was part of the Piru Code and that code intensified once the neighborhood knew they were under attack. The threat from outside brought them all closer together because their survival would depend upon loyalty and friendship that is only consummated in the heat of battle.

The deepening of the code of conduct and the consequences for violating even the slightest of rules were severe. The principle of loyalty to the neighborhood was instilled above all others. If any of the young men were ever caught by the Crips, outnumbered, it was understood that you MUST stand your ground and fight. Running was never an option. This was something the Crips were never prepared for. Even when they were outnumbered, Piru boys would take out two or three Crips before they lost their fight but their courage earned them the respect of their enemies. Sometimes the beating a Piru boy received was severe but each young man knew that if he ran, the beating he would receive in the neighborhoods would be even more intense. This entire code of conduct coupled with relentless training created fierce warriors. Crips soon focused their recruiting efforts elsewhere but the rivalry and war continues to this day. Centennial High School Apache’s wore red so Piru soon adopted red as their color. Crips at Compton High School adopted the Tarbabe blue as their color. This was the beginning of flying colors to determine what side of this war any member of the local community chose. Not choosing a side was a difficult proposition.

Piru started looking at their own neighborhoods to establish strategic defenses. Certain homes that were not part of the Piru family needed to be acquired so the occupants were encouraged to join or move so that friendly forces could make the neighborhood defensible. As friends and family moved in, the Piru family grew in size and strength. Though they were severely outnumbered by the Crips, Piru had established their presence as a neighborhood without leadership. This wasn’t a gang. It was a counter-movement aimed at survival. Every single day of a Piru life was spent defending their territory or remaining at the ready to defend themselves and the neighborhood to the death if necessary.

Some of the Piru found it necessary to travel through Crip neighborhoods to get to school. They would occasionally suffer a beating or worse at the hands of the Crips. Mostly they would travel together in overwhelming numbers so that even if they were matched by a superior force their skills were such that Crips would leave them alone.

Piru had been the first group to successfully thwart the Crips. Word spread rapidly throughout Los Angeles and other neighborhoods were anxious to affiliate as a counter movement to the Crips. The original members all came from strong families. Many of the splinter groups lacked the discipline of the original sixteen. Suge Knight grew up in one of the splinter groups known as MOB Pirus – or Members of Bloods. Piru affiliates would soon morph into the Bloods gang with a more gang like leadership. The original Piru remains a neighborhood and is not considered to be a gang.

Piru was the foundation of Suge Knight’s power. Suge grew up with many gangster friends. He brought them along as he grew rich and powerful. He had friends he had known all of his life that were lethal. They were able to taste his wealth and handle important assignments. Suge came from a good family where both his mother and father had jobs and raised their children for success. That meant college was never a question. Suge Knight played football to earn his chance at success. Both Tupac and Suge would find themselves in depths they could never understand. Both the Crips and Bloods were heavily infiltrated by informants that constantly passed information back to important power structures.

Growing up Piru under a constant threat was a difficult life. What came out of all of that pressure? Running backs, wide receivers, tennis pros, engineers, doctors, lawyers, mayors, and many other achievers resulted from growing up Piru. Extreme pressure creates diamond, platinum, and gold records too.

I often think about transforming this story into a documentary or motion picture. The window of opportunity is closing as so many of the original sixteen Piru have passed away and only a very few people can truly tell the story. My investigation of the Tupac and Biggie Murders has given me access to many insiders that have shared their insights. If there is anyone out there that wants to see this story told please reach out to me. – MichaelDouglasCarlin@gmail.com

© 2019 Michael Douglas Carlin. All Rights Reserved.