Fresno Bulldogs

Fresno Bulldogs

Fresno Bulldog gang member in the Fresno County Jail.
Membership (est.)	6,000 but the Fresno Police Department estimate that number is as high as 12,000 in the city.[1]
Criminal activities	Murder, drug trafficking, Dope dealing, Identity theft, assault, theft, robbery, arms trafficking, extortion.[2][3]
Rivals	Mexican Mafia, 18th Street Gang, Gulf Cartel, Surenos, Clanton 14, Nuestra Familia, Nortenos, Mara Salvatrucha, Crips, Bloods, Menace of Destruction

The Fresno Bulldogs, also known by the abbreviations F-14 FBD, 624 and BDS,^[4] are a primarily Mexican American criminal street gang located in Fresno, California. They are considered to be one of the biggest drug gangs in Central California with membership estimated to be between 6,000 in the city of Fresno. They are engaged in a wide range of criminal activity and have been subject to many high-profile cases over the years. They wear mostly red but do not align themselves with Norteños one of their most biggest rival gangs in America.

History

The Fresno Bulldogs can be traced back to the 1960s but did not become an independent street gang until the 1980s. Their Independence developed in the California prison system during the prison wars of 1984-1985 when they were still Norteños under the control of La Nuestra Familia. The gang was known as F-14. The F signified Fresno and the 14 signified the fourteenth letter of the alphabet. By the mid-1980s the F-14 set rebelled against La Nuestra Familia, which led to a violent war in the California prison system known in gang folklore as "The Red Wave". In 1986 the F-14 began using the bulldog name and mascot of Fresno State University including the paw print and bulldog head image in their graffiti and tattoos.^[5] They also bark to one another as a call sign, and address each other as "dog"—giving the Bulldogs a separate identity from the Norteños, despite their common red gang color.^[6] They also adopted Fresno State apparel as de facto uniforms; causing a tenfold increase in royalties to the university from licensed merchandise sales from the 1990s to late 2000s (decade).^[7]

Location

The Fresno Bulldogs originated in Fresno, California but have been slowly extending their reach into neighboring areas. They are also in some of the minor cities outside of Fresno, but with less frequency.^[8][9] There are several thousand members in the gang but the vast majority of them live in Fresno County and the Central Valley area. The relocation of gang members has started to expand their influence and control in these other areas. There have been reports of Fresno Bulldog drug trafficking as far north as Wyoming and as well as Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Canada, and Idaho, and as far south as Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Bulldogs have many "sets" and streets in which they claim. Fresno Bulldogs can be found throughout the city. Despite miscellaneous streets or "block" numbers, BDS (abbreviation for BullDogs) gang members identify each other with street names or tattoos. The Bulldog gang lacks infrastructure and leadership hence making them the largest and most dangerous gang in Fresno. The biggest or "original" hood that spawned Bulldogs is the East Side or commonly known as the "Ea$t". The "S" is crossed out due to the fact Fresno Bulldogs are rivals with the Sureños, a prominently Mexican south side gang. Known streets or "cliques" of Fresno Bulldogs include: Lewis st., Pleasant st., College st., Calwa BDS(CVL's), Fifth st., ESF BDS, NSF (North Side Fresno), VPD BDS (Varrio Pinedale), RTL (Ruthless Thug Life), STL (Stanislaus BDS), Sunset BDS (aka West Side), Bond Street, Highway City BDS, Malaga BullDogs, PSF (Park Side Fresno). Etc...

Fresno also has an issue with the BullDog gang outside city limits but with in County lines. Also known as "County Dogs", these particular gang members affiliate themselves with the Bulldog gang except they are further out of the city. With no allegiance to a street or "set" they represent with their City (FRESNO) despite what area. VOCR (Varrio Orange Cove Rifa) is a Bulldog gang located in Orange Cove but inside Fresno County.

^[10]

Culture

Having rebelled against the hierarchical structure and shot-calling directives model of the Norteños, Fresno Bulldogs pride themselves on not having any centralized leadership. Similarly, the Fresno Bulldogs do not have any allies and are one of the few Hispanic gangs in California that claim neither Sureños nor Norteños affiliation.^[11] Each Bulldog set operates totally autonomously. Fresno Bulldogs gangs include Lewis st., Pleasant st., College st., Calwa BDS(CVL's), Fifth st., ESF BDS, NSF (North Side Fresno), VPD BDS (Varrio Pinedale), RTL (Ruthless Thug Life), STL (Stanislaus BDS), Sunset BDS (aka West Side), Bond Street, Highway City BDS, Malaga BullDogs, PSF (Park Side Fresno).

.^[12]

Criminal Activity

Their main revenue is from the street level distribution of marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine.^[13] The Fresno Police Department and the Fresno County Sheriff's Department have tried various different crackdowns on Bulldog gang activity. In November 2006, Operation Bulldogs was launched to wipe out the Bulldog street gang. The operation has led to thousands of arrests, but the independent nature of the gang has complicated police efforts to contain crimes attributed to gang members.^[14][15] The Fresno Police Departments efforts have led to 2,422 felony arrests of Bulldog gang members and associates. However, even with increased gang suppression tactics the Bulldog gang continues to exert its influence on the community. Bulldogs gang members sometimes fight each other because of affiliation with a rival Bulldog gang sect.^[16]

References