Rollin 60s give unique window into gang culture

The Rollin 60 Neighborhood Crips is the largest black criminal street gang in the City of Los Angeles with over 1,600 active members - the size of an Army brigade.

A dissection of its operations by the LAPD, which was obtained by the Daily News, provides a unique window into the city's gang culture as compiled through oral histories, gang statistics and other intelligence.

In 1976, a faction of the city's original crip gang, Westside Crips formed as the Rollin 60 Crips.

"There are different theories on how the name was derived and at the time many of the gangs were named after the streets within their respective neighborhoods," the overview says.

One theory was that 60th Street "rolled" through the entire neighborhood, which today extends 27 blocks south from 48th Street to 75th Street, and west from Western Avenue to Overhill Drive.

The gang was the first to specialize in take-over bank robberies, and with cash in hand began calling itself the "Rich Rollin 60s." Drug trafficking supplemented the robberies, while gang members engaged in homicides, assaults with deadly weapons, rapes, carjackings, vandalism and general intimidation of the community.

Young members were recruited out of schools, particularly Westchester and Crenshaw high schools.

Defined as a criminal street gang under the Street Terrorism Enforcement and Provisions Act (STEP), the gang marks its territory with graffiti, while members identify themselves through tattoos and clothing. The grafitti depicts feuds, as well as the names of active memebers, also known as "roll call," to announce who's "putting in work for the neighborhood." Common Rollin 60's tags include: RSC, RSNC, R60's, NHC 60's, Rich Rollin 60's, among others.

Wearing any Seattle Mariners' sporting gear can be a sign of gang affiliation because of the trademark logo's large "S." Gang members also wear Chicago White Sox clothing for the "S." North Carolina powder blue sports attire also is worn, with the NC standing for "neighborhood crip." New York Yankee clothing also is worn with the "N" standing for neighborhood.

The gang has spread throughout the country but the 77th Street Division in South Los Angeles is its stronghold with several known hangouts where they congregate. It is made up of three factions: Avenues, Fronthood and Overhill.

The 60s call themselves a neighborhood "O's" gang, and keep alliance with other "O's," which includes the Rollin 40's and Rollin 90's NHCs.

According to the history, the neighborhood nomenclature came out of a 1983 party where several Rollin 60's noted to some Rollin 90's that both names ended in "0" and suggested they should unite. The alliance has since expanded to other gangs.

"The 60's are mortal enemies with all Blood gangs and all 'Gangster crip (GC)' factions," the LAPD overview says. One of the biggest feuds is between the 60's and the Inglewood blood gangs - particularly the Inglewood Family Gangster Bloods (IFGB), Neighborhood Pirus (Swahili for blood), and the Crenshaw Mafia.

Rollin 60's also have feuds with Van Ness Gangster bloods (VNG), and the 62 Brims (six deuce Brims), where their name derives from 62nd Street.

The 60's also fight with the 83rd Gangster Crips - "infamously known to have started the 1992 Los Angeles riots," the history says.

The 60s also fight with all Hoover factions, a former Crips affiliate, which has denounced both the crips and bloods in favor of calling themselves the Hoover Criminals. The Hoovers wear orange, and sport "HCG" tattoos, standing for Hoover Criminal Gangster.

Beth Barrett, (818) 713-3731, beth.barrett@dailynews.com

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