I am Raymond Washington: The only authorized biography of the original founder of the Crips by Fortier Zach & Barton Derard

Author:Fortier, Zach & Barton, Derard [Fortier, Zach]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: non-fiction, compton, gangs, law and order, gang leaders, watts riots, craig craddock, gang violence, gang theft, 70s life, bunchy carter, african american figures, biography, gang figures, death, police, ann rule, inglewood, tookie williams, los angeles, true stories, BET, derard barton, ice cube, knives, theft, guns, crips, street gangs, gang life, the bloods, victims, 70s gang, drugs, gunplay, ice-t, black panthers, Murder, california, rape, true life, african american, cop, the 70s, street gang, who founded the crips, crip founder, violence, True Crime, knifeplay, crips leader, gang history, biographies, raymond washington
Publisher: Steele Shark Press
Published: 2015-02-19T22:00:00+00:00

RAYMOND AS A MENTOR/LEADER/LEADERSHIP STYLE

Raymond Washington’s leadership style was very situationally oriented. Reading through these accounts I can see examples of each of the six recognized styles of leadership as discussed in the article “Leadership Style” in The Wall Street Journal.[51]

This is not remarkable by itself, but remember that he started the Crips between the ages of fifteen and sixteen, with bare minimum education, and absolutely no management or leadership training. He just understood leadership at a gut level and perfected his skills by trial and error. He called meetings of the Crips (democratic), demanded unflinching toughness and heart in the face of adversity (pacesetting), and when necessary he took control of an incident in an emergency (commanding). There are also accounts of mentoring (coaching) and of Raymond discussing the direction the Crips were headed (visionary). Keep this in mind as you read the accounts of the life of Raymond Washington. There are many levels to each of these stories.

Derard stopped for a moment and started to become emotional as he recalled this next story. He said that everywhere Raymond went in the city, whether it be Compton or Watts, the East side of Los Angeles or the West, he would get out of the car he was driving, and once the neighborhood Crips recognized him they would come running up to him and call out, “Raymond, Raymond, our righteous leader!” (See Pics 5-1, 5-2) Raymond would shake hands with his fellow gang members and ask how they were? Was there anything they needed in their neighborhood? He would spend some time talking to them and sharing stories about battles they had fought with rival gangs, make plans on retaliation, and then leave to the next neighborhood. Derard said, “It was like that everywhere he went. The people worshiped him and loved him.”

This account struck me as very interesting for a couple of reasons. First, military commanders use this very same tactic worldwide. Troop commanders will visit troops in the field and do “health and welfare” visits. It helps them to establish a face-to-face relationship with their troops and to hear firsthand how things are in the field. They find out what is needed, and how the battles are progressing from a foot soldier’s point of view. It is standard practice in the military today. Raymond Washington knew the value of the practice and did it intuitively. He had never served a day in the military. Additionally, it was surprising to hear the way the rank-and-file gang members referred to him as their “righteous leader.” I first found this to be a little unbelievable. I assumed it was just Derard’s own hero worship of his older brother coming out in the story, and was greatly embellished. Later, after conducting several more interviews, talking to Crips who were there at the beginning, I heard this same exact comment over and over. They actually referred to Raymond as their righteous leader, and worshiped him with a religious fervor that reminded me of the way people viewed John F.

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