Fresno Bulldogs
Encyclopedia
The Fresno Bulldogs is a primarily Hispanic
street gang located in Fresno California
and in towns of its namesake county. It's the largest Hispanic gang in central California with membership estimated at 5,000 members and an equal number of associates who identify with the gang.
Origins=
The Fresno Bulldogs started out in the California prison
system during the 1980s
as a faction of the Bay area Norteños under the control of La Nuestra Familia
. The set was known as F-14, since its members were from Fresno, with 14 as the ordinal number corresponding to N in the alphabet. By the mid 1980's the F-14 set rebelled against La Nuestra Familia, which led to a violent war in the California prison system known in gang folklore as "The Red Wave".
The F-14 set adopted the bulldog name and mascot of Fresno State University, which conveniently also had red as its primary school color. They began using the bulldog head and paw tracks for tattoos, barking as a call sign, and addressing one another as "dog"--giving the Bulldogs a separate identity from the Norteños, despite their common red gang color. They adopted Fresno State apparel as de facto uniforms, causing a tenfold increase in royalties to the university from licensed merchandise sales from the 1990s to late 2000s
Internal Structure and External Relationships=
Having rebelled against the hiearchical structure and shot-calling directives model of the Norteños, Fresno Bulldogs pride themselves on not having any centralized leadership. Similarly, the Frenso Bulldogs do not have any allies, and are one of the few Hispanic gangs in California that claim neither Sureños
nor Norteños
affiliation. They equally regard both as enemies.
Suppression by Law Enforcement=
After a Bulldog gang member shot and severely wounded a police officer in 2006, the Fresno Police Department launched "Operation Bulldog" with the intent of shutting down the gang's criminal activities and reclaiming the local university bulldog mascot from sinister connotations. The operation has led to thousands of arrests, but the independent nature of the gang has complicated police efforts to contain crimes attributed to gang members
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
street gang located in Fresno California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and in towns of its namesake county. It's the largest Hispanic gang in central California with membership estimated at 5,000 members and an equal number of associates who identify with the gang.
Origins=
The Fresno Bulldogs started out in the California prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
system during the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
as a faction of the Bay area Norteños under the control of La Nuestra Familia
Nuestra Familia
Nuestra Familia is a criminal organization of Mexican American prison gangs with origins in Northern California. While members of the Norteños gang are considered to be affiliated with Nuestra Familia, being a member of Nuestra Familia itself does not signify association as a Norteño...
. The set was known as F-14, since its members were from Fresno, with 14 as the ordinal number corresponding to N in the alphabet. By the mid 1980's the F-14 set rebelled against La Nuestra Familia, which led to a violent war in the California prison system known in gang folklore as "The Red Wave".
The F-14 set adopted the bulldog name and mascot of Fresno State University, which conveniently also had red as its primary school color. They began using the bulldog head and paw tracks for tattoos, barking as a call sign, and addressing one another as "dog"--giving the Bulldogs a separate identity from the Norteños, despite their common red gang color. They adopted Fresno State apparel as de facto uniforms, causing a tenfold increase in royalties to the university from licensed merchandise sales from the 1990s to late 2000s
Internal Structure and External Relationships=
Having rebelled against the hiearchical structure and shot-calling directives model of the Norteños, Fresno Bulldogs pride themselves on not having any centralized leadership. Similarly, the Frenso Bulldogs do not have any allies, and are one of the few Hispanic gangs in California that claim neither Sureños
Sureños
Sureños are a group of Mexican American street gangs with origins in the oldest barrios of Southern California. Although they are based in California, the influence of the Sureños has spread to many parts of the US and other countries as well such as Germany and Japan...
nor Norteños
Norteños
The Norteños , also Norte, are affiliated with Nuestra Familia , are a coalition of traditionally Latino gangs in Northern California A member of these gangs is a Norteño or Norteña based on Spanish usage...
affiliation. They equally regard both as enemies.
Suppression by Law Enforcement=
After a Bulldog gang member shot and severely wounded a police officer in 2006, the Fresno Police Department launched "Operation Bulldog" with the intent of shutting down the gang's criminal activities and reclaiming the local university bulldog mascot from sinister connotations. The operation has led to thousands of arrests, but the independent nature of the gang has complicated police efforts to contain crimes attributed to gang members