Demographic-based gangs
Winnipeg's gang activity consists of a number of demographics, primarily of Indigenous peoples, newcomers, and black Canadians, along with other ethnic groups, namely European and East Asian (Filipino and Vietnamese).[4][85][73] Moreover, in 2001, the overwhelming majority of identified female gang members (between 60% and 98%) in Winnipeg were found to be "Aboriginal" (i.e., Indigenous).[1] Nonetheless, poverty and homelessness are much greater indicators of gang involvement than race,[4] as well as addiction, intergenerational trauma, broken families, and social isolation.[73]
Ethnic-criminal organizations (active and inactive) centered in Winnipeg include:[4][2][73][74]
Indigenous gangs: Indian Posse, formed in 1988;[76] Manitoba Warriors (or 1323), formed in the 1990s;[73][77] Main Street Rattlers (defunct), formed in the 1980s;[77]Most Organized Brothers (MOB);[78] Native Syndicate, formed in the 1990s; Redd Alert, formed in the late 1990s; East Side Crips; Deuce (formerly The Over Lords, or TOL); Nine O; North End Brotherhood; Terror Squad;[80] West End Boyz
Black/African-Canadian gangs: African/Afrikan Mafia, formed in 2005;[75] All 'Bout Money (ABM), formed in 2008;[79] Da Pitbull Army (DPA), formed in 2006;[79] Mad Cowz; MMM (Money Making Mali's);[73] and TFN (Tax Free N*ggers)[73]
Newcomers have been susceptible to fall into gang associations often due to the lack of access to resources and/or alienation in their new environment.[2][75] The largest proportion of Winnipeg immigrant-gangs in 2013 was African-Canadian—around 35% (including the Mad Cowz and the African Mafia).[2] One reason is that many newcomers come from especially violent backgrounds in war-torn countries (such as Somalia, Kenya, Congo).[3] In early 2018, Winnipeg Police identified at least 2 gangs that were heavily recruiting immigrants.[75]
The African Mafia, which was formed in 2005, is notoriously violent and has since splintered into other factions and regions.[2] As late as 2019, Central Winnipeg is said to be a "stronghold" of Mad Cowz, with an additional presence of TFN and MMM, both gangs being splinters of the African Mafia. Recent shootings in the city are believed to be gang-related, including a fatal double homicide in 2019 in the Exchange District.[73]
Formed in the early 1980s, the now-defunct Main Street Rattlers was the first Indigenous street gang in Winnipeg, chiefly operating as drug traffickers for biker gangs.[77] About one year after the Rattlers' emerged, Asian gangs would begin to appear, engaging in much more serious violent crimes than other gangs of the time, such as extortion and armed robbery, mostly directed at the local Asian community. Around the end of the 1980s came the Vietnamese-Canadian "Halloween Gang", who were reportedly responsible for the 1988 murder of a teenage prostitute named Charlene Orsulak.
Indigenous gangs that followed the Rattlers were the Indian Posse in 1988 and the Manitoba Warriors in the 1990s, the latter beginning primarily as security on reserves and subsequently becoming a key player in the Winnipeg drug trade. The Native Syndicate would emerge soon after, as a prison gang at first.[77]
By May 1996, there were approximately 730 active street gang members, 75% of whom were Indigenous and 75% adults.[84]
In 2012—six years after it first caught the attention of Winnipeg Police Service (WPS)—WPS said the MOB had grown into a major criminal threat with over 100 documented members and associates. In 2008, the MOB began affiliating with the Manitoba Warriors, who would supply them drugs in exchange for committing violence on the Warriors' behalf. However, the two gangs have since become violent rivals.[78]
