Savage Nomads

Savage Nomads
1981 photograph by Frank Espada of man holding Savage Nomad jacket, photographed in Hartford, image held by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
FoundedJuly 23, 1967
FounderBenjamin Buxton
Founding locationNew York City
Years active50 years
TerritoryThe Bronx, New York and Hartford, Connecticut
EthnicityMostly African American and Puerto Rican
ActivitiesSmall crime
RivalsSeven Immortals, Savage Skulls
Notable membersIran Nazario

The Savage Nomads were a mostly Puerto Rican and African American street gang started in the South Bronx area of The Bronx, New York during the late 1960s, gaining popularity in the 1970s.[1][2] The gang was involved in a number of running battles with rival gangs Seven Immortals, Savage Skulls, and the Dirty Dozen. The Savage Nomads were alleged to be involved in numerous small crime activities in the New York City area.

History

The Savage Nomads were founded on July 23, 1967 by Benjamin Buxton, who was nicknamed "Black Benjie".[3] The members were mostly Puerto Rican and African American, but they had one teenage Jewish girl.[4]

Like the Savage Skulls, gang members would appropriate Nazi symbolism to project "how menacing and terrible they were." This included wearing swastikas, wearing Nazi helmets and having positions called "Gestapo" within the gang's ranks.[5]

In 2017, after many Savage Nomads members were released from prison, the gang made a resurgence, with 2 homicides being linked to them.[6]

In popular culture

In 1979, the gang was one of many featured in the documentary film 80 Blocks from Tiffany's.[7][8][9]

References

  1. ^ Savage Nomads and Savage Skulls: 1979 documentary on street gangs of the South Bronx
  2. ^ Gangs of New York: The Savage Skulls and Savage Nomads, October 4, 2010.
  3. ^ CUSTODIO, JONATHAN (3 June 2023). "The 'Black Benjie Way': Bronx Peacemaker Whose Killing Led To Gang Truce Honored With Street Naming". The City.
  4. ^ Brozan, Nadine (9 May 1972). "For Hundreds of Girls in City, Street Gangs Offer a Way of Life". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Soraya Nadia McDonald (June 21, 2015). "Kanye West once wore the Confederate flag. What does he think about it now?". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  6. ^ "GANG OF PAST PART OF PRESENT". Hartford Courant. 25 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Savage Nomads and Savage Skulls: 1979 documentary on street gangs of the South Bronx". DangerousMinds. 2011-01-31. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  8. ^ "AllMovie | Movies and Films Database | Movie Search, Ratings, Photos, Recommendations, and Reviews". AllMovie. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  9. ^ Phanor-Faury, Alexandra (October 25, 2010). "Director Gary Weis on His Influential, Long-Lost Doc '80 Blocks from Tiffany's'". BlackBook. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012.

See also

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Organized crime groups in the United States
African-American
East and
Southeast Asian
Chinese and
Chinese-AmericanHispanic and
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White AmericanEuropean-AmericanIrish-AmericanItalian and
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Native AmericanWest and South AsianWest AfricanOutlaw motorcycle gangsWhite supremacist
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