Rival Crip gangs are playing softball to make peace in LA

It’s not just a Crips versus Bloods thing — Crips kill Crips too.

It’s a reality that some members said has become more common than Crip on Blood violence.

“We will kill each other, and it’s over the most senseless things. One of the biggest beefs in Crips is over a bicycle," said Edward “Casanova” Davis of the Raymond Avenue Crips. "That happened probably 35 years ago, and they can’t let it go."

The factions within the Crips are dictated by the grounds they represent, and anyone outside the borders of their territory is considered an enemy, whether Blood or Crip. But three years ago, a group of older members from varying — and some warring — neighborhoods came together for a softball league in an effort to reclaim their communities.

Raymond Avenue Crips, Santana Blocc Crips, Harlem 30s Crips, East Coast Crips, Gundry Blocc Crips, Nutty Blocc Crips, Rollin’ 40s Crips, Rollin’ 90s Crips, Rollin’ 100s Crips, and two female teams from mixed neighborhoods, all together in one league. It was once thought unheard of and yet now, it’s what they crave in the off season.

“A lot of people don’t see each other until the league starts back up,” said Dabon Morton of the Harlem 30s Crips. “I come to hang out like everybody else cause this is where we get to see each other.”

This segment originally aired August 8, 2018 on VICE News Tonight on HBO.