The corner where Raymond Washington was killed

This is the location where Crips founder Raymond Washington was killed.

It is situated at the corner of San Pedro Street and East 64th Street in Los Angeles, California.

Washington grew up in South Central Los Angeles, where he quickly gained a reputation for being a formidable street fighter.

A number of locals described him as a Robin Hood-type character who defended them from outsiders. Others claimed that he was a muscular bully who only protected his neighbors so that he could pick on them himself.

During his teenage years, he was a member of a gang called The Avenues. However, he left after one of the leaders physically reprimanded him for bullying and robbing people.

In 1969, Washington created a street gang called the Crips. Although it originally started out as a small outfit of teenage troublemakers, it did not take him long to grow it into something that was much bigger.

His strategy during this "expansion period" was pretty simple.

He would approach rival gang leaders, challenge them to a fight, and then beat them. Once the toughest guy was on his back, the rest of the members usually fell in line.

Notably, this strategy only worked because guns weren't as prevalent at the time. Furthermore, bringing a weapon to a fist fight was seen as a cowardly move.

In 1971, a friend introduced Washington to Stanley "Tookie" Williams, a vicious street fighter from the West Side.

The pair liked each other and shared a mutual interest in fitness. They also respected each other's fighting abilities. As a result, they decided to join forces.

After agreeing to this alliance, "Tookie" began operating under the "Crips" banner.

Washington controlled South Central's East Side. Meanwhile, "Tookie" oversaw the West Side.

During the early 1970s, the Crips continued to expand across Los Angeles by absorbing smaller gangs. One newspaper report from the time likened the organization to an octopus that was quickly spreading its limbs over the city.

However, things started to fall apart in 1974, after Washington was sentenced to five years in prison for second-degree robbery.

When he was released on parole two years later, he was shocked to discover that everything had changed.

Guns had largely replaced fists, the Crips had fractured into warring factions, and his "organization" was now feuding with another gang called the Bloods.

Furthermore, his West Side ally, "Tookie" Williams, was a shell of his former self, as he had been wounded in a shooting and was now addicted to PCP.

Although Washington hoped to clean up the mess and bring some structure back to the Crips, he soon realized that he no longer had the power to do so.

Due to the expanding drug trade, gangsters were now using handguns and shotguns to protect their profits and settle disputes. Consequently, his ability to win street fights no longer awarded him the same influence that it once did.

Disillusioned by the disarray and wanton violence, he began to distance himself from the Crips.

On the night of August 9th, 1979, he was hanging around outside 6326 South San Pedro Street when a car with a group of men inside pulled up on this corner and called his name.

Judging by his behavior, Washington knew the occupants.

Following a short conversation, one of the passengers pulled out a sawn-off shotgun and blasted him in the stomach.

The 25-year-old succumbed to his wounds roughly one hour later.

Although rumors claimed that the shooting was carried out by local Crips members, this has never been proven.

Washington's murder remains unsolved to this day.

Photos

Photos of the corner and other related images.

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