Asian Boyz

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The Asian Boyz street gang was formed in Long Beach, California around the middle 1980's. Its members are of predominantly Southeast Asian descent. The gang name is frequently abbreviated to ABZ, particularly in street graffiti. Its members are between the ages of 12 to 40 years old. The Asian Boyz gained notoriety from a deadly pool hall shooting in December 1993 which involved members of the Asian Boyz and the Wah Ching gang. Programs such as the Fox 11 Undercover News and America's Most Wanted aired the deadly pool hall shooting which was caught on surveillance tape. The shoot-out left one ABZ gang member dead.

[edit] History

Around the late 1970's and early 1980's, the city of Long Beach began to experience an influx of Southeast Asian refugees coming from their war-torn countries of Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. The newly arrived refugees settled in poor inner-city neighborhoods impacted by Black, Hispanic and Samoan street gangs. It was difficult for these refugees to adapt in their new host country. Often times, they were bullied on their way to and from school by Hispanic gang members who viewed them as a threat to their neighborhoods. Being naturally territorial, Hispanic gang members belonging to the East Side Longos gang, would conduct random assault against the Southeast Asian refugees on a daily basis.^{[citation needed]}