Pirus

The Pirus are a subset of the larger Bloods gang alliance, an organized crime group in the United States.^[2]

Pirus

Piru graffiti
Founded	1969; 55 years ago (1969)
Founder	Sylvester Puddin Scott, Vincent Benson Owens
Founding location	Compton, California, United States
Years active	1969–present
Ethnicity	Primarily Black American
Activities	Drug trafficking, robbery, extortion and murder
Allies	Bloods[1]
Rivals	Crips[1]

Etymology

The name "Piru" is derived from the Piru Street Boys, a gang which was founded in 1969 by Sylvester Scott and Vincent Owens in Compton.^[3] The Piru Street Boys are considered the forerunners to the Bloods,^[4] which is why the terms "Piru" and "Blood" are often used interchangeably. However, this interchangeable use of the terms is inaccurate,^[5] as many non-Piru gangs such as the Denver Lanes and Brims were also instrumental in the formation of the Bloods.^[6]

Furthermore, the Pirus are an alliance of street gangs within the larger Bloods alliance,^[2] meaning that not all Bloods sets will identify as "Pirus".

History

In 1969, a gang called the Piru Street Boys was founded by Sylvester Scott and Vincent Owens. According to some sources, the Piru Street Boys were initially associated with the Crips,^[7] but later had a falling-out. However, other sources dispute any alliance, claiming that the Piru Street Boys were victimised by the Crips.^[8] Nevertheless, by the early 1970s, the Piru Street Boys formed an alliance with other smaller street gangs such as the Brims, Bishops and Denver Lanes, which also opposed the Crips.^[9] This alliance became known as the Bloods, as the members of this alliance called each other "blood".^[9]

Eventually, more Piru sets would form. There are 15 known Piru sets within the Greater Los Angeles area.^[10] Piru sets have fought against each other. For example, the Mob Piru and Fruit Town Piru developed a rivalry by the late 1990s, which resulted in the murders of several Mob Pirus associated with Death Row Records.^[11]

Piru sets often use burgundy or red bandanas as a form of identification, although other colors may be used to evade detection from law enforcement^[12]

Piru sets

• Cedar Block Piru^[13]
• Elm Street Piru^[14]
• Fruit Town Piru^[14]
• Lueders Park Piru^[14]
• Mob Piru
• Tree Top Piru

In popular culture

• The song "Piru Love" from Bangin' on Wax (1993) by Bloods & Crips makes references to various Piru sets, including Holly Hood, Elm Street and Lueders Park.
• The song "M.A.A.D City" from good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012) by Kendrick Lamar makes references to the Bloods, being Pirus particularly with the line "If Pirus and Crips, all got along" in the song.
• In the song "Strange Clouds" from Strange Clouds (2012) by B.o.B. featuring Lil Wayne, Lil Wayne references the Piru: "Piru, gangsters, outlaws" at the end of his verse.
• In the song "Let The Beat Build" from Tha Carter III (2008) by Lil Wayne, Lil Wayne references the Piru: "I can buy you, but I wouldn't try you, feed you to Piru".

See also

• African-American organized crime
• Gangs in Los Angeles
• List of California street gangs

References

1. Bloods Street Gang Intelligence Report Virginia State Police (November 2008)
2. "Pirus". April 6, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2023. The Pirus is an umbrella street gang alliance (under the larger alliance, Bloods)
3. Covey, Herbert C. (2015). Crips and Bloods : a guide to an American subculture. Santa Barbara, California. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-313-39929-9. OCLC 768800412.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
4. Carlin, Michael Douglas (November 6, 2019). "Piru Origins, Precursor to the Bloods". centurycity.news. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
5. "Piru Meaning & Origin | Slang by Dictionary.com". Dictionary.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023. Some people incorrectly interchange the terms Piru and Blood, believing that the two terms mean the same thing.
6. Gann, Brian (June 9, 2011). "The Bloods (1972 - ) •". Black Past. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
7. Cawthorne, Nigel (2010). The World's Most Evil Gangsters. John Blake. ISBN 9781784184339. Their origins lay in the Piru Street Boys, who once wore the blue bandana of the Crips gang and were known, for a short time, as the Piru Street Crips
8. Flores, R. D. (October 1997). "Crips and Bloods". www.ojp.gov. Retrieved March 16, 2023. Other gangs began to form to defend themselves against the Crips. Two of these gangs were the GnG Mob, Brims and the Pirus.
9. "Bloods Street Gang Intelligence Report" (PDF). Commonwealth of Virginia Department of State Police. p. 4. The local sets of anti-Crips included the Piru Street Boys, the LA Brims, the Denver Lanes, the Inglewood Family, the Swans, and the Pueblo Bishops
10. "Pirus". April 6, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
11. Phillips, Chuck (August 1, 2003). "As Associates Fall, Is 'Suge' Next?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
12. Finley, Laura L. (2018). Gangland: An Encyclopedia of Gang Life from Cradle to Grave [2 Volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 38. ISBN 9781440844744.
13. Lee, Chris (June 25, 2008). "The Game gets back to roots". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
14. Roberts, Randall; Priya, Krishnakumar (January 19, 2018). "Rap's Main Street: The music of Rosecrans Avenue". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 20, 2024.