Editing Raymond Washington (section)

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Short description|American gangster}}
{{Distinguish|Raymond, Washington}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox criminal
| name              = Raymond Washington
| image_name        = Raymond Washington.png
| image_caption     = 1974 mugshot
| birth_name        = Raymond Lee Washington
| birth_date        = August 14, 1953
| birth_place       = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{Death date and age|1979|8|9|1953|8|14}}
| death_place       = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| death_cause       = [[Homicide]]<br>([[drive-by shooting]])
| allegiance        = [[Crips]]
| known_for         = Criminal activity and being one of the founders of the [[Crips]] street gang
| apprehended       = 1974
| criminal_charge   = Robbery
| criminal_penalty  = 5 years in prison
| imprisoned        = [[Deuel Vocational Institution]]
| organization      = Crips
| occupation        = Gang leader
| children          = Raymond Washington Jr.
}}
'''Raymond Lee Washington''' (August 14, 1953{{spaced ndash}}August 9, 1979) was an American [[gangster]], known as the founder of the [[Crips]] [[gang]] in Los Angeles.<ref name=laweekly.com>{{cite web |title=Tookie's Mistaken Identity: On the trail of the real founder of the Crips |first=Michael |last=Krikorian |publisher=LAWeekly.com |url=http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/tookies-mistaken-identity/48/ |date=December 14, 2005 |access-date=January 6, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080101051326/http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/tookies-mistaken-identity/48/ |archive-date=January 1, 2008 }}</ref> Washington formed the Crips as a minor street gang in the late 1960s in [[South Los Angeles]], becoming a prominent local [[crime boss]]. In 1971, Washington formed an alliance with [[Stanley Williams|Stanley "Tookie" Williams]], establishing the Crips as the first major African-American street gang in Los Angeles, and served as one of the co-leaders. In 1974, Washington was convicted of [[robbery]] and received a five-year prison sentence, during which his leadership and influence in the Crips declined.

On August 9, 1979, Raymond Washington was murdered in a [[drive-by shooting]] shortly after his release from prison.<ref name="Alonso, Alex A.">{{cite book|last=Alonso|first=Alex A.|date=October 9, 2010|title=Death Certificate of Raymond Washington|publisher=streetgangs.com|location=Los Angeles |url=http://www.streetgangs.com/crips/deathcertificate}}</ref><ref name=bio>{{cite book |last=Fortier |first=Zach |date=February 9, 2015 |title=I Am Raymond Washington |url=https://www.amazon.com/Raymond-Washington-authorized-biography-original-ebook/dp/B00RUQEP6M |publisher=SSP |pages=159–160 and Picture 8–4 |isbn=978-0692359877 |access-date=May 6, 2018 }}</ref>