Gang Tattoos and Tattoo Designs
Wednesday 11th of February 2009 07:50:28 AM [Add To This Article]
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Gang Tattoos and Tattoo DesignsBonds of Brotherhood - On the Street, In the Pen and Around the Globe Show me more Gang Tattoo Designs For a great deal of the history of the tattoo, it has been associated with criminals, outlaws and misfits who were ostracized by family members and society at large. A ritual once forced upon them, it did not take long for these outlaws to embrace the tattoo as a symbol of their bravery, daring and to purposefully mark and exclude themselves from normal society. Gang tattoos and gang tattoo designs are no different.
Gangs In HistoryThe history of gangs in America in generally traced back to the early 1800's, when immigrant youth banded together to stave off oppression and alienation. Once coined with the term youth gang , today, the U.S. Department of Justice says that it takes more than being a group of young people to be a gang. Modern gangs are defined by a habitual involvement in a pattern of criminal acts. And in America, between the years of 1980 and 1996, the number and popularity of gangs soared to unprecedented levels. In 1999, there were an estimated 26,000 different gangs boasting approximately 840,500 members! And no longer are gangs cordoned off to big city streets, more and more often gangs are showing up in unexpected places, like suburban and rural America. There are gangs of nearly any conceivable variety, from prison gangs, to street gangs; from Asians to Africans to White Supremacists; and each of them has chosen their own brands and tattoos to promote their identities and affinities. Often, gang members will not limit themselves to only one tattoo, but will proudly wear several, even tens and hundreds of tattoos. And when it comes to tattoo placement, gang members have a tendency to lean towards the obvious. Unlike many other popular tattoo canvases, gangs do not shy away from tattoo images that are nearly impossible to conceal. In fact, many gang members are eager to permanently decorate their hands and faces, deliberately separating themselves from any chance at a normal life in a normal society.
Individual Gangs And Their Identifying TattoosWhile it would be next to impossible to explain all of the different gangs and their unique tattoos, there are several popular gangs in America today. While they are all incredibly diverse from one another, they do happen to share the same sense of strength in numbers which they have in turn used to create their own counter-culture communities. Prison GangsAnyone who has been locked up can be quick to tell you that there is a unique segregation found in prisons across America. In this dangerous, melting pot environment populated by criminals of all degrees and varieties it is almost vital to survival that you quickly join a prison gang upon arrival. While segregated first by race, these gangs have their own subdivisions, not all of which get along with one another. While you will find many different street gangs active in prison (and vice versa) there is a fatalistic do-or-die edge given to prison gangs. And in the regulated world maximum security prisons, the handiwork of the tattoo artists on the inside (who work with primitive tools and inks, all of which run them the risk to severe punishment and consequences) are the most respected of talents among inmates. The bravery, designs and skills of prison tattoos have greatly influenced the popularity of certain prison tattoo designs in the outside world. Some popular prison tattoo designs that are shared even by opposing gangs include a clock face tattoo without hands (which represents doing time ), teardrop tattoos (which at once was an indicator of a murder committed, but is now used more and more often to denote a relative, lover, or fellow gang member who died while the wearer was locked up), tombstone tattoos, pictures of cell windows with the sun shining outside (which means, I'm getting out soon ) the combined smiling and frowning theatre mask tattoos which symbolize the mentality of play now, pay later. Hispanic Gangs
Another popular tattoo among Hispanics is the pachuco cross tattoo. This cross is surrounded by three small rays or dashes and is placed on the hand crease between the thumb and forefinger. Rich in religious meaning, the cross symbolizes the death and resurrection while the three rays represent each of the Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Hispanics also have their own meaning for a tattoo shared by many different cultures: the three dots drawn to form a triangle. Also commonly placed in the fleshy webbing between thumb and forefinger, it can symbolize mi vida loca (or my crazy life ), or, if you are in Cuba, it denotes that your criminal specialty is larceny. Old English lettering and Aztec numbers and language also show up often in Hispanic gangs and gang related tattoos.
Asian Gangs and Gang TattoosYakuza and Triad; Born To Kill; Dai Huen Jai, Kung Lok, Flying Dragons, Ghost Shadows; each of these is a different Asian gang. The same as with any broad racial classification, these different gangs have different views, practices, beliefs and tattoos. Some Asian gang tattoos even borrow from other races. The three dots in a triangle, to a Southeast Asian, means To O Can Gica or, I care for nothing . Asians have also adapted the teardrop into their tattoos. Other common Asian tattoos include: The Four T's ( tinh, tien, tu & toi or love, money, prison and crime), panther tattoos, tiger tattoos, eagle tattoos and cobra tattoos. White GangsWhite gangs have been around for a while; some of the first gangs created were designed to offer protection and brotherhood for Irish immigrants who faced derision, difficulty and prejudice in the land of the free. While not all have been or are white supremacists, the idea of racial superiority plays a big role in gang life, whatever that race or gang may be. Some of the more popular Caucasian gang categories and their common tattoos include:
African American GangsThe first of the African American gangs were a much more peaceful group of men than the ones you find on the streets of major cities today. It was not until the 6190's, with the emergence of the Crips and Bloods, that this began to change. Soon, other equally fearsome black gangs were born in an effort to protect themselves from these two powerful gangs. The Crips, Bloods and the other gangs that they inspired are detailed more below.
These different descriptions, gangs and tattoos barely scratch the surface of this widely prevalent subculture. But, there are some new changes going on. Before you run out to get a gang tattoo (especially if you are NOT in the gang whose art you get, and you are just trying to be cool ) be warned that cops across America are beginning to create a massive database of photographs and pictures of gang members, suspected gang members and their ink. This has led to two developments. First, there has been an initiative to offer gang members the chance to have their gang tattoo designs removed or covered up at little or no cost. Secondly, in an effort to outsmart the Man , the newest trend about gang tattoos is not to get one. This makes it harder for police to identify members, minimizes the amount of attention individual gang members are getting. So before you decide to run out and get a gang tattoo, consider the possible consequences!
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