Jeffrey Worm

In the 1990s, the Ganton Pirus were known as "62th Street Gangsters" At that time, there were various sets of the gang throughout the region of Los Santos, San Andreas. They refer to a loosely structured association of smaller street gangs, known as "sets," which has adopted a common gang culture. Each set has its own leader and generally operates independently from the others. However, the gang was defunct till the early 2000. Now the gang operates in small numbers, they ussaly sell marijuana or other kinds of drugs to the locals in Ganton.


Recruitment is often influenced by a recruitee's environment. Piru's recruit heavily among school-age youth in predominantly poor African American communities. Gang membership offers youth a sense of belonging and protection. It also offers immediate gratification to economically disadvantaged youth who desire the trappings of gang life: gold jewelry, cash, expensive sports clothing.


Most Piru members are African American males, although some sets have recruited female members. Members range in age from early teens to mid-twenties; however, some hold leadership positions into their late twenties and occasionally thirties.


Piru members identify themselves through various gang indicators such as colors, clothing, symbols, tattoos, jewelry, graffiti, language, and hand signs. The Piru gang color is red. They like to wear sports clothing, including team jackets that show their gang color. Some of their favorite teams include the San Francisco 49ers, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Chicago Bulls. They are also known to wear Dallas Cowboys clothing, whose logo contains a five-pointed star.


The most commonly used Piru symbols include the number “5” the five pointed star, and the five pointed crown. These symbols are meant to show the Piru affiliation with the People Nation, a large coalition of affiliates created to protect alliance members within the federal and state prison systems. These symbols may be seen in the tattoos, jewelry, and clothing that gang members wear as well as in gang graffiti, which is used by the Bloods to mark their territory. Such graffiti can include gang names, nicknames, declaration of loyalty, threats against rival gangs, or a description of criminal acts in which the gang has been involved.





Finally, Piru graffiti might include rival gang symbols that are drawn upside down. This is meant as an insult to the rival group and its symbols. Piru members also have a unique slang. Piru's greet each other using the word “Blood or Piru” and often avoid using words with the letter “C” Finally, Piru use hand signs to communicate with one another. Hand signs may be a singular movement, like the American Sign Language letter “P,” or a series of movements using one or both hands for more complex phrases.