Rival Crips And Bloods Call First Truce In 27 Years, March Together To Remember Nipsey Hussle

The Crips and Bloods are two of the biggest rival street gangs in Los Angeles, but the two called a rare truce this week and came together in a march to honor late rapper Nipsey Hussle.

The rapper was shot to death last weekend in front of the store he owns in the city’s Hyde Park neighborhood. The killing sent shockwaves through the community and an outpouring of condolences for the rapper, who was a popular figure across the Los Angeles area for the work he had done to give back.

As The Sun reported, the tributes included the first truce between the Bloods and Crips in 27 years as the gangs participated together in a march to the clothing store where Nipsey Hussle was shot to death.

There are some other major tributes planned to remember Nipsey Hussle’s life, including a memorial service that will be held on Thursday at the Staples Center. Officials chose the venue because of the widespread interest across the community to come together and honor the late rapper’s life.

Many in the music community have mourned his death, as well as some of the friends Hussle has in the NBA. That includes Houston Rockets star James Harden, who went to elementary school with the rapper.

Nipsey Hussle Memorial To Be Held Thursday at L.A.'s Staples Center https://t.co/yjW5MrhBMc

— TMZ (@TMZ) April 6, 2019

The last time that the gangs called a truce was in 1992 when they came together in the midst of the L.A. riots. As The Sun report noted, this week’s truce came about after gang leaders from Watts, Compton, and Inglewood met to call a cease-fire so the entire community could mourn Nipsey Hussle.

“It’s in honor of Nipsey,” community leader Big U told TMZ. “There’s a lot of people who said they wanted to get together and come to a vigil and pay respect because Nipsey was the first real LA artist that was from LA.”

Nipsey Hussle was heavily involved in efforts to stop gang violence and was reportedly set to meet with representatives of the LAPD the day after his death to discuss ways to get young people out of gangs and away from violence. Nipsey also chose to invest in his community, opening his store in the neighborhood where he grew up.

Big U said he hoped Nipsey Hussle’s death could help the gangs come together and work on a long-term truce. The TMZ report noted that there was no time limit discussed for the current truce, so there is a chance it could be extended indefinitely.