This page is dedicated to the understanding of the Asian gang subculture in North America, mainly focusing on the Jackson St. Boyz a criminal street gang, based in the West Coast. Explanation of the various Asian organized crime groups, known as triads, or underground societies will be included.

Information
Here we delve into a glimpse of the J.S.B. gang subculture by analyzing its roots, the Northern California Asian attitude and subculture. J.S.B. usually will not carry tattoos, and are reluctant to proclaim themselves as gang members. They try to dress as casual and usual as possible, not sporting colors, or other gang paraphanelia. As like most other traditional Asian gangs, they are not territorial, do not engage in "gang banging", move quickly and stealthily, and avoid trouble unless money or face(respect) is involved. J.S.B. engage in traditional Asian activities such as loan sharking, illegal gambling, quasi-legal businesses(usually nightspots), money laundering, armed robbery, extortion, theft, illegal smuggling, drugs, etc. Cooperation with other gang memberz, or regular people is a must to earn the most money. Most Asian communities recognize gangs in their areas, but usually out of fear, are reluctant to report any type of crime even if it is enacted upon them.

Membership
Members range from the age of 13-35, recruits may or may not be indoctrinated by a sophisticated initiation process. For the younger members, they hang out with friends and their friends are usually recruited, for older members, people that are in need of cash and are near desperate measures are usually helped out and then forced into membership. The gang is based on a loosely hierarchial system, with usually several elders as the heads, based on age, experience, and membership in other larger triads, or associations. Then the members spread out and do their own form of crime, with the leader being called the Dai-Lo, and the followers, Sai-Lo, or Lang. Lang are usually the teenagers and they are asked to do jobs for the Dai-Los and receive merit, appointments, money. The heads usually only act as figures, and settle arguments between the Dai-Los, and treat the members to eat or entertainment since they are usually the owners of quasi-legal businesses. When the living is good, a part of the earnings of the various Dai-Los may be exacted to the heads. When Langs reach a certain rank and if they have enough connections(need to get jobs for Langs), they can recruit followers and be considered a Dai-Lo. Langs are to be trained by the Dai-Lo in the practices of the gang, and they are taught to never, never, snitch on their Dai-Lo, which makes recruiting followers somewhat of a selection process. Occasionally, some teenager members try to revolt, they are taken care of and the heads(if severe) or Dai-Los judge them and remove them from the gang and/or kill them. This is basically the structure of a Chinese street gang, which originates from the triads. To learn more about indoctrination/initiation, triad ranks, membership, try Wah Ching Gang a site about the Wah Ching Gang, prominent in Southern California, and includes articles on triadz and other aspects of Asian-American youth culture.

Whereabouts
Life as a JSB can be quite difficult, in the day time, JSB's are sitting in restaurants in Chinatown, sitting in coffee/tea shops, sleeping at home, or down to their local gambling houses. The younger ones may be cruising around looking for girls, exploring neighborhoods outside of Chinatown and just kicking it. Nearing the nighttime is when they have the most action, if there are no activities planned, they usually group up and go to clubz, pool hallz, bowling alleyz, karaoke studioz, barz, or restaurantz. Girlz of all agez are called upon to be 'associates/partnerz' and everybody hitz the nightspotz with a bang. They are like the other youngsters that may flock to those places, but they are a much bigger group and are usually armed so that they will not lose face to any challengerz. The older memberz are usually at a Chinese bar, a gambling house, restaurant, or brothel, where they will spend all night. Any illegal activities will also be done during nighttime, if possible. Though memberz do not 'gang-bang' if they happen to see an enemy that has caused trouble before, they will act accordingly. If for example, they are just rival gang memberz that co-exist in peace, nothing will happen because no body wants the five-o to come and crash the party.

Affiliationz
About Affiliationz with other Gangz, there is no true affiliation with other gangz, everybody sticks to their own little group of JSB and are reluctant to tell another group of JSB about their planz, though in a fight or such all JSB help out their own and not the enemy. There will be cooperations with other gangs when the opportunity for making money requires it. Otherwise there is little interaction between JSB and other gangz for fear that other gangz may know their secrets. Smuggling to Canada, HK, S.E.A., Taiwan, or China is constant, though their is not a direct affiliation with any gang in Asia, everybody cooperates because making money is the ultimate goal. There might be an affiliate living in the U.S. who knows a certain HK faction and is also in good terms with JSB, a deal would be worked out between the two gangz and their they would have their affiliation, after the deal, everybody collects their money and goes their own wayz. JSB have worked with triadz such as 14K, BCB, and many others which do not go by names anymore. Names are no longer significant, and are actually easy identifiers for law enforcement. A person might have been indoctrinated as a BCB but he might work with all 14k or SunYeeOn, nobody will question his loyalty, because everyone is loyal to money. Nobody can stay with their own Triad/Gang forever, they usually move to another city and group with people who are interested in making money. When they return to the gang'z main city, they use their former connectionz within their triad to make even more money, and if the people he grouped with aren't with any other triad, they are indoctrinated as well, to make the gang bigger.

All Triadz and Chinese Law Enforcement Officers pay homage to
Guan Yu,the god of war, for he exemplifies loyalty and courage, important to both criminal groupz, and police.

Here's a look at the popularized look of Chinese gangterz from HK:

One of the enjoyed pasttimes of Asian gangsters in the daytime is definitely:

Most feared of the Original J.S.B.'s is

click on the image to see an article on J.S.B. or click here, here, here, here, or here.