- This article is about the street gang. For other uses, see: Piru (disambiguation).
The Pirus (pronounced pie-rooz) are one of the Los Angeles, California, area street gangs based out of Compton. Originally a set of the Crips, the Pirus are considered to be original founders of the Bloods.
In 1969/1970, new gangs were forming in South Central, calling themselves "Crips" and identifying by wearing the color blue. These gangs wore bandanas on the left side of their pockets, "blue" bandans to be exact. Every shade From baby, royal, and navy blue. These Crips (California Rebels In Power) aka (Cultural Restoration In Progress) and (Cultural Rasicm In Pain) also established themselves in Compton. In 1971, a set was formed on Piru Street in Compton known as the "Piru Street Boys." Whom wore baby blue and navy blue.
After a time of peace, a feud began between the Piru Street Boys and the other Crip sets, in particular the "Compton Crips and Hoover Crips." These Crips identified themselves with navy blue bandanas. It would later turn violent as gang warfare ensued between former allies. This battle continued through 1972, when the Pirus wanted to call an end to the violence and called a meeting on Piru Street with other gangs that were targeted by the Crips. These other gangs included the "Denver Lanes," the "Brims," the "Bounty Hunters," the "Bishops" and the "Athens Park Boys." After a long discussion, the Pirus broke off all connections to the Crips and alligned themsleves with the other gangs by forming a new gang on Piru Street, which eventually came to be known as the "Bloods." <ref>Sullivan, Randall. LAbyrinth - A detective investigates the murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the Implication of Death Row Records' Suge Knight and the origins of the Los Angeles Police Scandal, 2003, ISBN:080213971X</ref>
Since all Crips were known to wear baby blue, royal blue, and navy blue bandanas on their left back pocket, this new gang associated themselves with the color red (the opposite color of blue) to be worn on the right back pocket. The decision of red came from a group of gang members from Centennial High in Compton, and began calling themselves Bloods for this reason. The Bloods then became infamous for their rivalry with the Crips. They have a large presence in Los Angeles. They then decided to use the term "Piru" as the word "Crip" spelled backwards with the "C" upside down, as disrespect to the Crips stating that the letter "C" is on its back and tilted to the right for "bandana on the right"
After many disputes with the Bloods, the Pirus dropped the label of Blood and made the "Piru" gang separate from the "Blood" gang, no longer wearing the color red. Pirus now wear the colors burgundy and maroon for identification. Pirus and bloods are no longer the same thing.
A particular set of Pirus, the "Tree Top Pirus," identify wearing olive green. "MOB Piru" (an acronym and initialism|acronym for Money Ova Bitches) is another L.A. Bloods street gang. Rap music mogul Suge Knight has been linked to the gang since he started up Death Row Records. <ref>CrimeLibrary - Hip Hop Homicide</ref> By 2000, many members had located in the Queens area of New York City. Members have an upside down triangle shape burn as a gang signal.
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