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The Crips, the Bloods, the Aryan Brotherhood and the Bakers are just a handful of the gangs battling each other daily on the streets of Bakersfield and Kern County.
Police say the problem stretches from the outskirts of town into the most affluent areas. Both the BPD and the Kern County Sheriff's department both have gang task forces, specific teams targeting Bakersfield's gang problem.
And police say the problem doesn't just affect those involved, because whether you know it or not, most of us live no more than a mile away from a gang member.
Those who know gangs best have little hope of change.
"It's never gonna stop,'' said one Crip gang member interviewed by Channel 17's Madelyn Jarrett. "It don't matter how many police out there, don't matter how many gang units out there, it's never gonna stop.''
Stopping gang violence before it happens is the goal of the gang units on the streets.
"They're actively recruiting, the gang activity here in the city, there's spikes in it, there's lulls in it," said Sr. Police Officer Eric Lantz with the gang unit.
From gang territories and the streets, to restaurants and shopping centers, and your neighborhood, police say gang activity surrounds the greater Bakersfield area.
"They're robbing innocent people, they're shooting, they're creating havoc in the community," said Bakersfield Police Officer Kyle Ursery with the gang unit.
"You can be a target if you in the way,'' said a Bakersfield Crip who was only 14 when he was jumped into his gang. But it's not like gang members is only after gang members,"
The gang members spoke to Channel 17 on the condition their faces or identities not be revealed.
"I thought I'd fit in probably," said the gang member.
Police and gang members say for most, the problem starts at a young age. "Children that's already born into it and stuff like that.
Like cousins get killed and then that gives you a reason like you know, like, to be a gang member because you want to retaliate," said the gang member. And once you're in, members say you're playing by a different set of rules.
"Drive by shootings, just to show your loyalty to the gang. It's not by choice that i just want to jump out of my car and gun somebody down. There's a lot of voices, being said like oh, so you want to prove yourself, to somebody that ain't even worth proving in the long run," said the gang member.
"My brother was 25 and he died much too young," said Irene Aguirre.
Aguirre's brother, Adam Maya, was a Bakersfield Crip. He was shot and killed last summer while his six year old son and another gang member sat in his car. "I miss having someone to talk to," said Aguirre.
The murder remains unsolved, but police have called it gang related from the beginning. "If we can get the citizens in the gang areas to start coming forward more to start becoming witnesses and willing to go and testify in court," said Officer Lantz. But to a lot of witnesses, the risk is too great.
And police say, to gang members, snitching is snitching, and ratting someone out is something most won't do. "He spent so much time telling us we couldn't make any mistakes that he did and he made sure he was there to protect us, he made sure we didn't fall for that. So I think it was because he didn't have anyone to make sure he stayed on the right path," said Aguirre.
Gang members say, for them, the biggest part of the problem, is getting out of a gang, usually isn't a viable option.
"I don't believe there's any type of drop out, not unless you get killed or something like that, you move away," said the gang member. And as long as gangs can recruit new members, police say, that's a problem for Bakersfield.
Police say since the spring, they've seen a decrease in gang activity. But police say their work isn't enough to stop the gang problem in Bakersfield and how the community is getting involved in the solution.
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