| Founded | 1966 |
|---|---|
| Founder | George Jackson, W.L. Nolen |
| Founding location | San Quentin State Prison |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Territory | Most US prisons |
| Ethnicity | African American |
| Membership | 100-300 full members with 50,000 associates |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking[1] auto theft,[1] burglary,[1] homicide[1] |
| Allies | Symbionese Liberation Army, Nuestra Familia,[2][3] Crips, Bloods, [2] Black Liberation Army, Weather Underground,[2] Gangster Disciples.[2] |
| Rivals | Aryan Brotherhood,[2] Mexican Mafia, Texas Syndicate,[2] |
The Black Guerilla Family (also known as the Black Family or the Black Vanguard) is a prison and street gang founded in 1966 by George Jackson and W.L. Nolen while they were incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, California, north of San Francisco.[4]
Philosophy and goals
Inspired by Marcus Garvey, the Black Guerilla Family was characterized as an ideological African-American Marxist revolutionary organization composed of prisoners. It was founded with the stated goals of eradicating racism, maintaining dignity in prison, and overthrowing the United States government.[4]
Allies and rivals
BGF was associated with a number of leftist groups, including the Black Liberation Army, Symbionese Liberation Army, and Weather Underground.[4]
Fay Stender attempted murder
In 1979, former BGF lawyer Fay Stender was shot five times by recently paroled Black Guerilla Family member Edward Glenn Brooks for what Brooks said was Stender’s betrayal of George Jackson. Brooks forced Stender to state: "I, Fay Stender, admit I betrayed George Jackson and the prison movement when they needed me most" just before he shot her.[5] Stender was left paralyzed below the waist and in constant pain by the assault and committed suicide in Hong Kong shortly after she testified against Brooks.[6]
Symbols
- Crossed Sabres, Machetes, Rifles, Shotguns with the letters ( B G F ) or ( 2.7.6.)[4][7]
- A Black dragon.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Gangs in the United States" (PDF). Narcotics Digest weekly. 4 (40): 12. October 4, 2005.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Florida Department of Corrections. "Prison Gangs (continued) - Gangs and Security Threat Group Awareness". Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
- ↑ "Major Prison Gangs". Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Walker, Robert (April 27, 2013). "History of The Black Guerilla Family Prison Gang". Gangs or Us. Retrieved May 8, 2013.[self-published source?]
- ↑ Russell, Diana (Spring 1991). "Fay Stender and the Politics of Murder". On The Issues Magazine.
- ↑ Horowitz, David; Collier, Peter (1981). "Requiem for a Radical". New West.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Black Guerilla Family Prison Tattoo". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 2007-11-25. Cite journal requires
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External links
- Accuracy disputes from May 2013
- Articles with invalid date parameter in template
- CS1 errors: missing periodical
- TEMP Infobox criminal organization with para 'ethnic makeup'
- TEMP Infobox criminal organization with para 'rivals'
- 1966 establishments in California
- African-American gangs
- Far-left politics in the United States
- Gangs in California
- Marxism
- Prison gangs
- Crime in the San Francisco Bay Area