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New York's squalid and dangerous Five Points neighborhood of Lower Manhattan (pictured) was the stalking ground of the Forty Thieves, the city's very first street gang. Comprised of Irish immigrants and Irish Americans, this violent mob was formed in 1825 and remained active until the 1860s. The 2002 Martin Scorsese-directed movie 'Gangs of New York' is partly based on the activities of the Forty Thieves.
Birmingham's Peaky Blinders are familiar to British television viewers after the realistic portrayal of the gang in the BBC television series, 'Peaky Blinders' (2013–2022). Active during the late 1800s, members were so named for the razor blades they kept hidden in the brims of their flat caps. The Blinders ran protection rackets, and were involved in smuggling, hijacking, robbery, and illegal gambling.
The Rip Raps terrorized the streets of Baltimore in the 1850s. A gang whose members were fervently anti-immigration and anti-Catholic, it aligned itself politically with the nativist Know Nothing Party and directed its ire towards Democrats and Irish Catholics.
The Mandelbaum Gang was named after its matriarch Fredericka Mandelbaum, who operated as a criminal fence to numerous street gangs in New York for almost 20 years. She was able to gain the trust and respect of many a hardened gang leader by regularly hosting dinner parties over which they'd discuss tactics and plan the next heist. She even retained a team of corrupt lawyers to defend them if ever they were caught.
Their notoriety and propensity for mindless violence placed the Bowery Boys near the very top of New York's criminal league. Arguably the most notorious of the city's street gangs, members stood out for their mid-19th-century sense of working-class fashion, highlighted by their trademark stovepipe hat. Interestingly, the gang was made up almost exclusively of volunteer firemen.
Bitter rivals of the Bowery Boys, the Dead Rabbits was an Irish-American criminal street gang active in Lower Manhattan in the 1830s to 1850s. The Dead Rabbits and numerous other gangs took part in the bloody Fourth of July riots in 1857, and were again out on the streets in the equally violent Draft Riots of 1863.
Meanwhile further north in Manchester, street gangs whose members were known as Scuttlers roamed the city's working class areas looking for trouble and clashing with rival gangs. Their demise was hastened by the razing of Manchester's worst slum areas in the early 20th century.
Liverpool in the 19th century was being terrorized by all sorts of unsavory collections of men, gangs that included the High Rip. This dockland mob made beatings with heavy belt buckles their specialty. Anybody who fought back was stabbed. The High Rip emerged from the "Cornermen"—packs of youths who'd linger on the city's street corners and pounce on unsuspecting passersby.
New York City law enforcement officials estimate that up to 40 murders were committed by the Daybreak Boys between 1850 and 1852. This teenaged mob targeted vessels tied up along the East River, sneaking on board in the hours before dawn to plunder valuable cargo. Those brave enough to stand in their way were brutally dispatched by knife or by club.
One of the most legendary of all New York street gangs, the Five Points Gang were named after their turf: Manhattan's notorious Five Points slum district. Led by Italian-American mobster Paul Kelly, the Five Pointers ran widespread robbery, racketeering, and prostitution rings. It was from this outfit that a raft of infamous criminals would emerge, including Al Capone and Lucky Luciano.
The Whyos crawled out of the chaos that was the end of the American Civil War to become one of the most dominant New York street gangs of the late 1860s. The gang's Bowery headquarters, the dilapidated and vermin-infested Bottle Alley, is pictured here.
Founded by bouncer and thug Edward "Monk" Eastman, the Eastman Gang succeeded the Whyos as the first non-Irish street gang to gain prominence in the underworld during the 1890s. Composed almost entirely of Jewish criminals, the Eastman Gang marked the beginning of a near 50-year period of strong Jewish-American influence within organized crime in New York City.
The Rufus Buck Gang bucked the criminal image trend with its exclusive Native American and African-American membership. The gang began operating out of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, around 1895 and subsequently ran amok across Indian Territory before it was apprehended in Muskogee. All were hanged on July 1, 1896.
The Chicago Outfit, established in the 1920s and headed up by Johnny Torrio and Al Capone, was also known as the South Side Gang. The outfit quickly became the most powerful, violent, and largest criminal organization in Chicago and the American Midwest. Capone, of course, remains one of the most infamous mobsters in criminal history.
Also established in Los Angeles, around 1972, the Bloods identify themselves through the color red. The gang is equally notorious for its involvement in drugs, theft, and murder, among other criminal activities. Collectively, the Crips and Bloods constitute one of the largest and most violent associations of street gangs in the United States.
One of the best known of today's street gangs, the Crips were founded in Los Angeles in 1969. Involved in various illegal activities, notably drug dealing, theft, extortion, and murder, Crips membership is mostly made up of African Americans. They have a long and bitter rivalry with the Bloods.
Regularly cited as the most ruthless and dangerous street gang in the world, Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, originated out of Los Angeles ostensibly to protect Salvadoran immigrants from other gangs in the Los Angeles area.
The Krays' rivals were the Richardson Gang, based in South London. Founded by Charles Richardson (pictured), the gang's members had a reputation as some of the city's most sadistic gangsters.
Richardson Gang member George Cornell was unstable, volatile, and high unpredictable. Considered a threat by the Krays, he was shot to death by Ronnie Kray in the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel on March 9, 1966.
Ronald and Reginald Kray were the foremost perpetrators of organized crime in the East End of London from the mid-1950s to 1967. The identical twins began their careers running protection and extortion rackets. Soon the pair and their associates were overseeing big money arson, robbery, prostitution, and gambling operations.
Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) is Brazil's deadliest street gang. Effectively a criminal organization, PCC has been blamed for countless murders, with as many as 100 people including police officers murdered in São Paulo alone during one particularly savage 12-month killing spree.
Mexican criminal syndicate Los Zetas is one of the country's most dangerous drug cartels. The organization is rooted in the late 1990s when deserters from the Mexican Army began working the streets as enforcers for the rival Gulf Cartel. Some individuals later turned their backs on the Gulf Cartel to form Los Zetas. Both are now bitter rivals.
Appearing executive-like in this photograph is Chen Chi-li, the late head of the United Bamboo Gang, the largest of Taiwan's three main criminal Triads. They are known to simply call themselves "businessmen," but in reality members are part of one of the most feared gangs in East Asia.
Sources: (Historic UK) (Britannica)
Back in England, the Forty Elephants (the name of which was inspired by New York's Forty Thieves) thrived as an all-female crime syndicate that specialized in shoplifting. Established in the late 19th century, the gang in its various incarnations remained active until the 1950s. Its most charismatic leader was Alice Diamond (1896–1952).
Rivaling MS-13 for cold-blooded callousness, the 18th Street Gang is largely made up of members from Mexico and Central America. Allied with the Mexican Mafia, it is one of the largest transnational criminal gangs in Los Angeles, with 30,000 to 50,000 members.
With a name likely influenced by the perceived savagery of the Native American tribes of Apaches, the Paris-based Les Apaches was the description given to a violent criminal underworld subculture of early 20th-century street gangs and other criminals. It was only with the outbreak of the First World War that most "Apache" members found an alternative outlet to vent their fury and display wanton violence.
Also based in Baltimore were the Plug Uglies, another nativist street gang. In October 1856, the Plug Uglies joined the Rip Raps in deadly rioting during the municipal election in Baltimore. They also took part in the Know Nothing riots in Washington, D.C. the following year.
Yet another New York Irish criminal gang, the Roach Guards operated with impunity out of "Bandit's Roost", a Mulberry Street back alley. Besides the police, the Guards' principal enemy was the Bowery Boys gang. By 1865, the Roach Guards had all but disappeared, with some opting to join the Dead Rabbits.
Street gangs have their unsavory roots in the 19th century. The first documented street gang in the United States, for example, was in 1825, with the emergence of the violent Forty Thieves in Lower Manhattan. Meanwhile across the Atlantic, the Peaky Blinders were slicing their way through the streets of Birmingham. In fact, the 1800s witnessed the establishment of some truly notorious gangs, many of which provided the foundation for a number of equally ruthless criminal groups in the 20th century. So, who was feared the most?
Click through and learn more about history's cruelest street gangs.
History's most feared street gangs
Violent criminal groups over the years
LIFESTYLE Crime
Street gangs have their unsavory roots in the 19th century. The first documented street gang in the United States, for example, was in 1825, with the emergence of the violent Forty Thieves in Lower Manhattan. Meanwhile across the Atlantic, the Peaky Blinders were slicing their way through the streets of Birmingham. In fact, the 1800s witnessed the establishment of some truly notorious gangs, many of which provided the foundation for a number of equally ruthless criminal groups in the 20th century. So, who was feared the most?
Click through and learn more about history's cruelest street gangs.