The Bloods are one of the Los Angeles, California gangs. The Bloods (Black Liberation Organization Of Defense) are identified by the red color worn by their members and the gang is largely composed of African Americans. The Bloods are made up out of various cliques between which significant differences exist.

The Bloods was formed in response to the growth of the Crips, who at one point had outnumbered non-Crip gangs by 3 to 1. When several members of the LA Brims and the Pirus were killed by Crips in 1973, the two embattled gangs met to form an alliance called the Bloods, joining an existing gang nation called "The People." Other smaller gangs besieged by the Crips soon joined the Bloods.

While there have been bloody rivalries between the Crips and Bloods, a peace treaty was recently negotiated, partly by Crips' former member and founder Stan "Tookie" Williams, prompting a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for him. The Blood gangs have branched out throughout the United States and even internationally. During the 1990s, some Blood gangs in the New York City area became infamous for a spate of slashings of people on the street. Various rappers have connection to the Bloods such as Suge Knight and Black Wall Street artist The Game.

The Bloods are known to feud with Chicano gangs. The Bloods' use of red was originally inspired because the Pirus already had red so the other blood gangs like Brims, Bounty Hunters and other gangs wore red and called themselves Bloods.

The Young Bloods was a name used for the Mohocks in 18th Century London.

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Gang nations