Black Guerilla Family: and Enemy to the Brand

Throughout much of my blog I have focused on the Aryan Brotherhood. Although there are other branches of white based gangs, the Brand as some call it, is by far the most well-known, organized, and prevalent to this day. Seeing as how such has been such a strong focus, then I figured why not give a little background information on their number on enemy: The Black Guerilla Family.

The Black Guerilla Family is another well-known violent prison gang. It was founded by a man named George Jackson in 1996, and inspired by Marcus Garvey. Marcus Garvey (pictured below) was a devoted proponent to the Black Nationalist Movement. Ideologically, it is an African-American Marxist based organization in attempt to revolutionize and overthrow the United States government. They began within prison walls with the purpose to maintain a strong and protective presence within the prison walls. Like the AB, it is also racially based. However their goals aim towards eradicating it rather than flourishing through it.

Marcus Garvey

Below is a trailer for a movie called Black August. It is the story of George Jackson and describes the upbringing and presence of the BGF. It shows the creation of the gang as being very politically revolutionary, taking place in the 70’s, and showing the suppression of blacks in earlier times.

Black August (2007)

One large difference between the two groups is the level of drug trafficking each is involved with. As mentioned in a previous blog, the Aryan Brotherhood is heavily involved in a multi-million dollar drug trafficking operation, both within and outside bars. Rather, the Black Guerilla Family is by far the most politically based prison gangs, with it being the strongest of issues on their agenda. The group is extremely anti-government and anti- official as depicted in their symbol. The symbol, as pictured below, shows a dragon strangling a prison guard to death next to a prison tower. The dragon represents a quote by Ho Chi Minh that the gang follows, as shown in the beginning of the above mentioned clip. The quote reads:

“When the prison gates open, the dragon will fly out.”

–Ho Chi Minh

Obviously, much of the hatred between the two groups comes from racial differences. The Aryan Brotherhood however has found bondage with the Mexican Mafia, a non-white racially based prison gang as well. The Brand has found such a bond through their drug trafficking and some members have thought such an alliance is proof of the loss of their original ideology. The Black Guerilla Family’s alliances include the Black Liberation Army, Symbionese Liberation Army and the Weather Underground: all on a racial agenda for the protection of blacks as well.

Outside bars, the Black Guerilla Family holds a strong presence in street gangs as well. Black street gang members are the most often recruited upon imprisonment, and typically members of the gangs outside prison walls are members of the BGF as well. Some street gangs most heavily recruited include both the Bloods and Crips, El Rukns, Black Gangster Discipline, along with many others. The Bloods and Crips are notorious as being violent enemies on the streets. However, upon recruitment into the BGF, they are forced to put such difference aside and join alliance toward the BGF's greater "good". Like the Aryan Brotherhood, they hold a strong bond upon membership. Lifelong allegiance to the group is required, and a death oath is taken.

Bloods and Crips, common enemies forced into alliance

The Aryan Brotherhood and the Black Guerilla Family share much in common, with alike ideologies, racial love and power, protection within prison walls, and much more. However it is the racial difference of black and white that separates them to an unceasing end. They are enemies to the death, and as long as such racial segregation and violence as today keeps occurring both inside and outside of prisons across America, such hatred and disrespect for one another will continue.