Fresno Bulldogs, or BDS for short, also known by the abbreviations FBD and F-14, are a primarily
Mexican American
Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...
criminal
street
A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, ...
and
prison gang
A prison gang is an inmate organization that operates within a prison system. It has a corporate entity and exists into perpetuity. Its membership is restrictive, mutually exclusive, and often requires a lifetime commitment. Prison officials and ot ...
located in
559
Year 559 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 559 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevale ...
, California. They are considered to be one of the biggest drug gangs in
Central California
Central California is generally thought of as the middle third of the state, north of Southern California, which includes Los Angeles, and south of Northern California, which includes San Francisco. It includes the northern portion of the San J ...
with membership estimated to be around 39,000 in the cities of Fresno, Fowler, Selma, Kerman, Sanger, Clovis, Madera, San Joaquin, Coalinga, Huron, Mendota, Parlier, Dinuba, Orosi, Orange Cove, and Avenal. They are engaged in a wide range of criminal activity and have been subject to many high-profile cases over the years.
Fresno Bulldogs are largely conflicted with other prison gangs and are the biggest Hispanic gang in California unaffiliated with
Sureños
Sureños (; Spanish: ''Southerners''), Southern United Raza, Sur 13 or Sureños X3 are groups of loosely affiliated gangs that pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia while in U.S. state and federal correctional facilities. Many Sureño gangs have r ...
or
Norteños
Norteños (Spanish: meaning ''Northerners''; ''Norteñas'' for females) are the various, affiliated gangs that pay tribute to Nuestra Familia while in California state and federal correctional facilities. Norteños may refer to Northern Calif ...
.
History
The Fresno Bulldogs can be traced back to the 1970s 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. Back when there were still allegiance between Norteños and F-14ers, the gang was known as F-14. In 1986 the F-14ers went to war with the Norteños, which led to a violent war in the California prison system known in gang folklore as "The Red Wave". The F-14ers began using the bulldog name and mascot of
Fresno State University
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bache ...
including the paw print and bulldog head image in their graffiti and tattoos. They also bark to one another as a call sign, "Bulldog Calling" and address each other as "Dog", "Perro" or "Efe". 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).
Location and sets
They are in some of the minor cities outside of Fresno CA, but with less frequency. There are bigger sets located in Fresno Ca Maple ave.93702.
Culture
Fresno Bulldogs do not have any allies and are one of the few
USA American Indian Chicano gang in California that claim neither
bloods
The Bloods are a primarily African-American street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. It is identified by the red color worn by its members and by particular gang symbols, includin ...
,
crips
The Crips is an alliance of street gangs that is based in the coastal regions of Southern California. Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams, the Crips were initially a single alliance ...
,
Sureños
Sureños (; Spanish: ''Southerners''), Southern United Raza, Sur 13 or Sureños X3 are groups of loosely affiliated gangs that pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia while in U.S. state and federal correctional facilities. Many Sureño gangs have r ...
and
Norteños
Norteños (Spanish: meaning ''Northerners''; ''Norteñas'' for females) are the various, affiliated gangs that pay tribute to Nuestra Familia while in California state and federal correctional facilities. Norteños may refer to Northern Calif ...
affiliation.
Criminal activity
Their main revenue is from the street level distribution of
marijuana
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
,
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
, and
methamphetamine
Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...
. The Fresno Police Department and the Fresno County Sheriff's Department have tried various different crackdowns on Bulldog gang activity. In November 2006, Operation Magic 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. 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 set.
In prison
One rising concern in the
California State Prison System
The California State Prison System is a system of prisons, fire camps, contract beds, reentry programs, and other special programs administered by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Division of Adult Institutions t ...
as well as the
Fresno County Jail
The Fresno County Jail is a detention center made up of three different adjacent complexes, located at 1225 M. Street, in downtown Fresno, California, operated by the Fresno County Sheriff's Department. The facility is made up of the Main Jail, t ...
and
Fresno County Juvienile is gang violence between the large Hispanic gangs, particularly the Fresno Bulldogs,
Norteños
Norteños (Spanish: meaning ''Northerners''; ''Norteñas'' for females) are the various, affiliated gangs that pay tribute to Nuestra Familia while in California state and federal correctional facilities. Norteños may refer to Northern Calif ...
, and
Sureños
Sureños (; Spanish: ''Southerners''), Southern United Raza, Sur 13 or Sureños X3 are groups of loosely affiliated gangs that pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia while in U.S. state and federal correctional facilities. Many Sureño gangs have r ...
.
At the heart of the problem is the Fresno Bulldogs, who have participated in over 32 battles with other
prison gangs
A prison gang is an inmate organization that operates within a prison system. It has a corporate entity and exists into perpetuity. Its membership is restrictive, mutually exclusive, and often requires a lifetime commitment. Prison officials and ot ...
from 2018 to 2019, ranging from small fights to full-scale
prison riots
A prison riot is an act of concerted defiance or disorder by a group of prisoners against the prison administrators, prison officers, or other groups of prisoners.
Prison riots have not been the subject of many academic studies or research inquir ...
, according to data prepared for the AP by the inspector general's office.
Many correctional officers have often stated the members of Fresno's notorious Bulldogs gang have been particularly resistant to peacemaking, with gang members brawling in what critics labeled “gladiator fights”.
Officials say the Bulldogs are the highest security threat in the
Fresno County Jail
The Fresno County Jail is a detention center made up of three different adjacent complexes, located at 1225 M. Street, in downtown Fresno, California, operated by the Fresno County Sheriff's Department. The facility is made up of the Main Jail, t ...
.
The Bulldogs are also considered one of the highest security threat groups in many of California's State Prisons, such as
Corcoran State Prison
California State Prison, Corcoran (COR) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Corcoran, in Kings County, California. It is also known as Corcoran State Prison, CSP-C, CSP-COR, CSP-Corcoran, and Corcoran I. The facility is just north ...
,
Pleasant Valley State Prison
Pleasant Valley State Prison (PVSP) is a minimum-to-maximum security state prison in Coalinga, California, Coalinga, Fresno County, California. The facility has housed convicted murderers Sirhan Sirhan, Erik Menendez, X-Raided, and Hans Reiser, ...
,
Soledad State Prison
Correctional Training Facility (CTF), commonly referenced as Soledad State Prison, is a state prison located on U.S. Route 101, north of Soledad, California, adjacent to Salinas Valley State Prison.
Facilities
The institution is divided in ...
, and
Valley State Prison
Valley State Prison (VSP), previously the Valley State Prison for Women (VSPW), is a state prison in Chowchilla, California. It is across the road from Central California Women's Facility. It was formerly a prison for women.
It is north of ...
.
Within the last 5 years, the Bulldogs have started small-scale to large-scale riots in each of these prisons.
References
{{Reflist
Street gangs
Latino street gangs
Gangs in California
Organizations based in Fresno, California
Hispanic-American gangs