Gangs can show up anywhere in America, from coast to coast, in any town or city, even near you and your family.
Given this, it is important to know how to keep your loved ones safe. This means learning to recognize the signs of a gang member so you’ll know to avoid them.
Gangs use tattoos to broadcast in-group membership and to mark their territory on their members’ bodies.
There are a wide variety of different gang tattoos. One common sign that someone is in a gang is that they have a “14” or “88” tattoo.
This identifies them as a member of the neo-Nazi Aryan brotherhood, a large prison gang. It is common for those who spent a long time in prison to join a gang for protection, and many such gang members will have a spiderweb tattoo on their elbow.
Teardrop tattoos are famous, though their meaning changes depending on the gang. Most often, this tattoo designates a murder committed on behalf of a gang. You will also see a “three-dots” tattoo on some gang members.
