It is one of the curious mists of history that the Hasidim, once considered the enemies of Orthodoxy, today consider themselves its bulwarks. Besieged from every direction by what they perceive as a decadent, morally bankrupt world, they shun its preoccupations, rebel against many of its social conventions, spend as much time as possible in their neighborhood fortresses, and devote themselves to perpetuating the ideals of Jewish religious life. This is especially evident on the eve of the Sabbath.

The Bloods and Crips are likely the largest gangs in the region, with each boasting dozens of sets across teh five boroughs and Long Island. The Bloods appear to have more members, due to especially high membership rates in and around low-income housing projects in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, as well as on Rikers Island.

The Bloods boast higher membership numbers largely because of their decades-old presence in impoverished pockets of the city—areas that have withstood several of many local Bloods sets—despite scores of gang sweeps and crackdowns over the years—has been remarkable.