In the rigid and often deadly geography of 1990s Compton, the 126th Street set were Crips.

Specifically, they were known as the 126th Street Compton Crips (sometimes referred to as the 1-2-6). Their identity as Crips meant they aligned with the color blue and were part of a massive, albeit fractured, network that stood in opposition to the Pirus (Compton’s version of Bloods).

Here is the breakdown of who they were during the era of your photograph:

Identity and Territory

The Set: They were a "neighborhood" set, meaning their entire identity was tied to the specific blocks around 126th Street in West Compton.

The Alliance: They were part of the "West Side" Compton Crip landscape. In the early '90s, this area was a patchwork of different Crip sets.

The Rivals: Their primary enemies were the Pirus (Bloods) from neighboring areas, but during this era, Compton was also plagued by "Crip-on-Crip" warfare. The 126th Street Crips often found themselves at odds with other Crip sets over drug turf and perceived slights.

The 1992 Landscape

When the Rodney King riots broke out, the 126th Street Crips were at the height of their influence. At that time, Compton was essentially a "warring states" period of gang history.

The 1992 Truce: Just days before the Marines arrived, the 126 were part of the famous Watts-Compton Truce. For a brief moment, the 126 (Crips) and their Piru (Blood) rivals stopped shooting at each other and turned their attention toward the civil unrest and the police.

The Armory Proximity: Your photo was taken at the National Guard Armory on 126th Street. This was the "heart of the beast" for the gang. Seeing the 1st Marine Regiment set up a base of operations on their namesake street was a massive symbolic blow to the gang’s territorial control.

The Visual Meaning in Your Photo

Knowing they were Crips adds a layer of color-theory irony to your black-and-white photo:

The Blue vs. The Green: While the photo is B&W, the viewer in 1992 would have known that "126" meant Blue. Seeing them "overwritten" by the Olive Drab of the Marine Corps' 1st Regiment was a visual representation of the federal government "painting over" the gang's influence.

The "CANT STOP" Tag: This was their way of saying that even though the "Green" (Marines) was currently occupying the Armory, the "Blue" (126 Crips) would never be fully erased from the pavement.