Los Angeles Gang Wars Over Crack Markets Kill Hundreds

By 1986, the Crips and Bloods gang federations in Los Angeles have organized around crack cocaine distribution territory. LAPD reports 328 gang-related homicides in Los Angeles County in 1986, up from 205 in 1985. Most victims are young Black men in South LA. Chief Daryl Gates responds with mass-arrest sweeps, detaining hundreds of Black youth without charges under Operation HAMMER.