Jackson Street Boys
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jackson Street Boyz or Jackson Street Boys (積臣街小子) are a San Francisco, California based Asian street gang. The gang is composed of Chinese and Vietnamese members, and is centered in San Francisco's Chinatown.
However, there are members of the gang in middle schools and high schools in addition to their Chinatown presence. The gang was involved in many criminal acts including the burning of a Chinese restaurant sparked by the owner's debt to the gang. Although the suspects were arrested, they were soon released.
The Jackson Street Boys are also connected with the Seven Stars gang.
The Jackson Street Boys gang is the successor to the Wo Hop To Triad which ruled the streets of San Francisco Chinatown in the 80s and early 90s. The Jackson Street Boys was founded by three brothers; Bobby Tsan, Johnny Tsan and Tommy Tsan. The three brothers were former Wah Ching members who defected to the Wo Hop To. The Wah Ching gang of Southern California was originally based in San Francisco. After the Wo Hop To forced the Wah Ching to head south, the Jackson Street Boys would be able to gain a stronghold in the mid-90s and become the largest Asian crime organization in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Unlike many other Asian street gangs which are composed primarily of American-born or Americanized Asians, the Jackson Street Boys are comprised of a mix of foreign-born and American-born members. The gang is unique in that though some members engage in low-level street crime like stealing cars or drug-dealing, other members also engage in sophisticated money-making schemes such as credit-card fraud, racketeering, illegal gambling, and other white-collar crimes. Slowly, but surely, the gang has branched out of San Francisco Chinatown and spread out across all the Asian-dominated neighborhoods in San Francisco.
