Venice Shoreline Crips

The Venice Shoreline Crips (VSLC) are an African American street gang located in the Oakwood area within Venice, a district in Los Angeles California.

The gang dates back to the 1970s, being one of the earliest Crip gangs and one of the most dangerous street gangs on the Los Angeles Westside. It was amongst the first black gangs to fight gang wars against Mexican street gangs, notably the Venice 13 and Culver City Boyz gangs in the 1990s.[1]

History

The Venice Shorelines formed out of the extreme poverty and racism in Venice's Oakwood neighborhood, which was originally labelled as a "servant's zone" by Venice founder Abbot Kinney and one of the few places within a mile of California's coastline where blacks could own property.[2] Due to restrictive covenants that enforced racial segregation Oakwood was set aside as a settlement area for blacks and the population increased rapidly as hundreds moved to Venice to work in the oil fields during the 1930s and 1940s.[3] Into the 1950s the City of Los Angeles had neglected Oakwood so much that it became known as "the ghetto by the sea" with unpaved narrow streets leading to run down bungalows, many of which lacked foundations.[4] While unemployment soared with the closing of the oil fields, the 1960s brought drugs and racial tensions to Oakwood and gang membership began to rise among the already established Venice 13 gang. Inspired by the Black Power Movement and after a series of militant black riots in Venice in the late 1960s[5] the Shoreline Crips were founded alongside some of the original Crip gangs formed by Tookie Williams and Raymond Washington in South Central Los Angeles. In the 1980s as crack cocaine was introduced and gangs began focusing more on money rather than their original politics, the Venice Crips became heavily involved in the narcotics business in Oakwood and on the Venice Boardwalk as well.[6] Leading into the 1990s gunfire was heard on nightly as the Shorelines warred with rival Culver City 13 after Shoreline cliques were pushed out of the Mar Vista Gardens projects in a Thanksgiving firebomb attack on black homes and cars.[7] Shortly after, Oakwood exploded as a war broke out between the Shorelines and Venice 13 over control of the Venice drug trade until a cease-fire was arranged between the two gangs. In the late 1990s gentrification and revitalization hit the Oakwood area, causing the city to combat the gang problem. Although even after a series of raids, injunctions, and other measures against them, the Shorelines have maintainted a steady control over their territory with their numbers ranging in the several hundereds.[8]

Venice 13

In the early 1990s the Shorelines became involved in a war with the neighboring Venice 13 gang, over control of Oakwood's drug trade, which left almost two dozen people dead in 9 months[9]. Eventually V13 would acquire the support of fellow Sotel 13, Santa Monica 13, and Culver City 13 Sureno gangs through the Mexican Mafia and the war eventually ended with a cease-fire negotiated between V13 and the Shorelines in exchange for a new community center in the Oakwood neighborhood.[10]

Rivals

The Venice Crips are rivals with the many of the surrounding Latino gangs such as the Santa Monica 13, Santa Monica 17th St, 18th St and the Culver City 13 gang. The Shorelines are part of the "2x" (Deuces) family of Crips, which is formed by "Neighborhood" and "Rollin" Crip gangs, and feud with all "3x" (Tray) Crips, a major Crip alliance that includes Eight Tray Gangsters and most "Gangster Crip" sets [11] such as the Playboy Gangster Crips, Bedrocc Crip Gang 3x, School Yard Crips, and Graveyard Gangster Crip Trays located in West Los Angeles. Although a Duece set, the gang has also been known to feud with the Rollin 60's Crips and of course all Blood gangs, which is seen in the crossed out B's in the gang's grafitti.[12]

Notoriety

The Venice Crips have an extensive reputation for crimes committed all around the Los Angeles area.

In November of 1980 a Venice Crip member was arrested for the murder of Sarai Ribicoff, niece of Senator Abraham Ribicoff, in a robbery outside a Washington Blvd restaurant.[13]

In December of 1991 VSLC members robbed musician Henry Rollins and his best friend Joe Cole at gunpoint. After forcing Rollins to unlock the door to his house Cole attempted to flee but was shot to death and Rollins escaped through the back of the house. Rollins claims that images of the event still haunt him.[14]

The war with the Culver City Boyz spilled into the lives of many not affiliated with gangs as bystanders and parents began being shot at on a regular basis.[15]

In 2006 a VSLC member shot and killed a teenager(Agustin aka bugs) at Venice High School as he attempted to assist his brother who was being attacked by members of the gang.[16]