16 thoughts on “Even in other parts of the nation…”

1. The only thing I’ve found so far via Google is “West Side Poros”–but for Porterville, CA, not Boston.

2. This isn’t a Boston gang. Boston gangs don’t tag much, and not in this way. This is either a L.A. gang or a made-up gang.

3. West Side Posse?

   White Saxon Protestants?

4. White Supremacist Pussies?

5. Its the black pea stones .

6. Hmmm, I can’t think of any gang that starts with a ‘P’. I know there are a few gangs in Hollywood and nearby neighborhoods that use “Westside” but that WSP is a stumper. Maybe they made it up to seem cool or something or perhaps it’s a tagging crew.

   I had a strange graffiti experience once. In 2001, I was in Barcelona where there is tons of graff but it’s mostly political and social commentary stuff. I was talking to my friend and we were joking about Chaka (remember him, the infamous prolific tagger of the 80s/90s?) and I swear five minutes later, there on the side of a building was scrawled ‘chaka!’ So weird.

7. My best guess is that the author was black and not mexican, because of the sloppier hand style (not a judgement call), use of the term “block” and number 133rd; all indicative of black gang graffiti much more than chicano.
   The city of compton is divided between west and eastsides among gangs, and P indicates pirus if I am correct. From my memory there is a piru set around 133rd, and they use the term block (usually written blocc though).

   My best guess.

8. Art,
   I thought along those lines as well. I noticed that a lot of the Mexican tags tend to be more angular than this one and I’ve never seen the word “block” used. Thanks for you info.

9. how about this in the Middle East… http://www.annainthemiddleeast.com/photos/cities/othercities/575/

10. If it wasnt for the K in Block (as well as LA instead of CPT, but this may have gotten lost in east coast translation) I’d almost be certain it means “Compton Westside Pirus 133rd Block”. I dont know of any other gang that uses block but compton gangs like nutty block, acacia block and a few other gangs. Maybe the LA replaced CPT because the author was out of hood range for people to get it, ont he flipo side I find it redundant when people tag “LA” in and around La, no shite.

    Urbanista, Ive met a few people from abroad who can have said “we are just like you mexicans” in temrs of their own ethnic struggles. They were palestinian, irish, maori and hmong.

11. Damn, Art. I saw that “P” and the first thing that popped into my head was “Piru”. You beat me to it!

12. it means westside pendejadas

13. What a Sorry Pocho on 133rd Block.

14. Wow. This really is laeastside. I’m surprised it took so long to get. “West Side Piru” They are neither crips or bloods, they Piru.

    I like how the African-American gangs differentciate their graffiti from Latino gangs by including drawings of hands making their particular gang sign.

15. A post regarding LA Gangs should not fade out with 14 posts, if you know what I mean.

    Walt, arent all or most Pirus blood sets? I worked with Lueders park Pirus in Compton andf they told me all about their hoodstory and blood history in general. LPP clicked up with Piru street and another set to form the bloods back in the day from what I got, after some incident where homeboys had to hide on a rood and swore never again to run from crips or somthing like that. They also told me that all Pirus are bloods, but many Piru sets beef with blood sets. Generally speaking, crips fight with each other but most bloods dont. The LPP hood I knew funked with MOB bloods across rosecrans though, but that was an exceptionally rough patch of the CPT.

    Although i noted the more sloppier handstyles of black gang graffiti, i have an odd fascination with it and what it says about black culture. Growing up brown in Eastlos you get a feel for what cultural elements ehlped mold gangster fonts, the overt cleanliness, mathematic angles that are sharp and intimidate, the webs, dots and symbolism. Black gang fonts coming from Latino is reminiscent of bebop coming from jazz, IMHO, looser and funner but also with an underlying utilitarian essence that works. The number importance, use of different letters in vocabs, excessive extroversive attention to other hoods, the incorporation of rival demeaning within their graffiti, use of pictoral lingo such as hand sign graffiti (my fav as well Walt), etc., etc.

    On the flip side of that I love seeing how black culture influences Latino gangs, especialy when you look at the historical gang trends and fashions.

16. Art,

    From what I understand, they are allied with bloods. But are their own identity, and are centered around Compton, whereas the bloods are more to the north. See the map for yourself:

    http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=109207396431294085739.00000112583e7047c0070&hl=en&ie=UTF8&z=12

    I agree, the cross-cultural influence is fascinating.