According to some reports, Stanley (“Tookie”) Williams

Why did Bloods and Crips start fighting?

Alliances and rivalries The Bloods initially formed to provide members protection from the Crips. The rivalry started in the 1960s when Washington and other Crip members attacked Sylvester Scott and Benson Owens, two students at Centennial High School.

Why is it called Crips?

The “Crips” derive their name from “cripples,” which in turn derives from the “pimp canes” they carried as their badge and as a weapon with which to cripple anyone who messed with them.