Raymond Washington
Raymond Lee Washington (August 14, 1953 – August 9, 1979) was an American gang leader and the original founder of the Crips street gang in Los Angeles, California.[1][2] Born in Los Angeles to Violet Samuel and Reginald Washington, he grew up in South Central amid socioeconomic challenges and pervasive gang activity.[1] By his mid-teens in 1969, Washington organized a group of young men from his Fremont High School neighborhood initially to defend against established rivals like the Slausons, adopting the name Crips from "cripples" as a mocking reference to their foes.[2][1] Under his leadership, the group rapidly expanded, allying with others like Stanley Williams' Westside set, but soon transitioned from protective aims to predatory crimes including robbery, extortion, and violence that fueled territorial conflicts.[2][1] Washington's efforts unified fragmented neighborhood crews into a structured network that became a template for nationwide gang proliferation, though it precipitated cycles of retaliation, notably with the Bloods, contributing to thousands of homicides and widespread criminal enterprise.[2][1] Arrested multiple times for offenses such as robbery and assault, he spent periods incarcerated before his release in 1979.[1] On August 9, 1979, Washington was fatally shot in the abdomen during a drive-by attack near 64th Street and San Pedro Street, an unsolved homicide attributed to gang-related motives by an assailant he reportedly recognized.[1][3][4]Early Life
Family and Upbringing
Raymond Lee Washington was born on August 14, 1953, in Los Angeles, California, to Violet Samuel and Reginald Washington.[1] He was the youngest of four sons in a working-class family.[5] Washington's parents separated when he was two years old, leaving him to be raised primarily by his mother and stepfather in South Central Los Angeles.[5] The family resided on East 76th Street, between Wadsworth Avenue and Central Avenue, an area shaped by post-World War II African American migration from the South, which contributed to overcrowded housing and economic strain amid limited job opportunities for black residents.[6] This neighborhood, near Fremont High School, featured a patchwork of informal youth groups and heightened police presence, reflecting broader urban tensions in the 1950s and early 1960s.[1] Family separation and the demands of poverty in such environments often necessitated early self-reliance among children, though specific details on Washington's household routines remain sparse in available records.[5] His upbringing occurred against a backdrop of systemic challenges, including residential segregation and rising local crime rates, which by the late 1950s saw Los Angeles homicide figures climb in black communities due to economic desperation and limited social mobility.[1]Initial Involvement in Delinquency
During his early teenage years in South Central Los Angeles, Raymond Washington began engaging in frequent fistfights and neighborhood disputes, often to assert dominance or defend local turf against rivals.[1] By around age 13 to 15, he developed a reputation for physical confrontations, idolizing toughness and personal power over academic or vocational pursuits, amid the broader cultural turbulence of the 1960s that included admiration for militant groups like the Black Panthers.[1] [5] These activities reflected a rejection of mainstream paths, as Washington prioritized street credibility and peer alliances in ad-hoc groups over structured opportunities. Washington's repeated expulsions from schools— including Locke High School, John C. Fremont High School, an alternative program at Washington Preparatory High School, and Fairfax High School—stemmed directly from his involvement in fights on campus and frequent clashes with authorities.[5] [1] He was routinely sent to juvenile detention camps for such behavior, accumulating a pattern of confrontational delinquency that distanced him from educational or legitimate employment tracks.[1] No records indicate sustained job attempts during this period; instead, his focus remained on informal peer networks defending against neighborhood threats, eschewing conventional work amid limited economic options in the area.[5] Central to Washington's early ethos was a strong aversion to firearms, favoring hand-to-hand combat as the measure of resolve and manhood, which limited initial violence to fists, chains, or knives rather than lethal escalation.[1] [7] This preference, rooted in personal code and the era's street norms, enabled raw physical tests of strength but sowed seeds for later intensification when peers adopted guns.[8] At age 15, he joined the Avenues gang, where a fistfight with the leader's brother underscored his combative style, though he soon departed to form his own group.[5]Formation and Leadership of the Crips
Motivations and Founding in 1969
In late 1969, at the age of 16, Raymond Washington organized the Baby Avenues gang in South Central Los Angeles after departing from the Avenues gang following a dispute. [1] [2] This group, composed of neighborhood youths, represented an effort to consolidate fragmented East Side cliques under Washington's leadership to assert dominance over rival factions through direct confrontations. [1] Washington achieved this by challenging and defeating leaders of smaller groups in hand-to-hand fights, recruiting victors into the fold while designating resisters as enemies subject to attacks, thereby establishing a protective alliance amid rising inter-group threats. [1] Washington's motivations stemmed from a desire for retaliation and self-protection in a volatile environment marked by personal and communal vulnerabilities, rather than broader altruistic or political aims. [9] Drawing loose inspiration from the Black Panthers' militant posture during the late 1960s, he sought to emulate their confrontational style but adapted it to street-level enforcement focused on territorial control and peer respect, eschewing organized political agendas. [1] [2] Accounts from contemporaries indicate this formation responded to the waning influence of Panther-style activism, filling a void with neighborhood-based solidarity against perceived aggressors. [2] The Baby Avenues, later evolving into the Avenue Cribs and foundational to the Crips identity, operated initially as a loose coalition emphasizing physical prowess over armament or narcotics. [1] Members adopted canes as symbols, engaging primarily in fistfights rather than gunplay, with Washington himself opposing firearms in early activities to maintain a code centered on mano-a-mano dominance. [2] [1] This structure prioritized alliance-building through proven combat loyalty, verifiable in recollections of the era's emphasis on unassisted brawls for recruitment and deterrence. [1]