A notorious amalgam of white supremacy and organized crime, flourishing within and beyond prison walls.
The Aryan Brotherhood, often referred to as AB or The Brand, is a white supremacist prison gang and organized crime syndicate founded in 1964 at San Quentin State Prison, California, by Irish immigrants. It emerged as a violent reaction to the desegregation of prisons, aiming to protect white inmates from other racial groups. Today, it is recognized as the oldest, largest, and deadliest prison gang in the United States, notorious for its extreme violence and criminal activities both inside and outside of prison walls. The gang operates under a strict code of “blood in, blood out,” signifying that membership is for life and can only be initiated through acts of violence and maintained through loyalty and further violence.
The Aryan Brotherhood has evolved from its origins of protecting white inmates to a major criminal enterprise, engaging in activities such as drug trafficking, extortion, male prostitution, murder, and armed robbery. Despite its white supremacist ideology, the gang’s primary focus has shifted towards profit, leading to alliances with other racial gangs for criminal endeavors. It has a significant presence in both state and federal prisons, with estimated members ranging up to 20,000, including those operating outside the prison system.
The gang’s organizational structure is paramilitary, with a hierarchical system that includes presidents, vice presidents, majors, captains, and lieutenants. It is divided into two main factions: one operating within California’s state prisons and the other within the federal prison system. These factions, though operating independently, share similar structures and are allied in their criminal activities. High-profile crimes and murders, often carried out with shocking brutality, have been a hallmark of the Aryan Brotherhood’s operations, reinforcing their fearsome reputation. Despite efforts by prison authorities to curb their influence, including placing members in supermax prisons and solitary confinement, the Aryan Brotherhood has continued to exert significant power and control within the criminal underworld.
image via The Daily Beast
