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In the late 1960’s a new revolution birthed within the neighborhoods of the Bronx, youth gangs. Over 1,500 Jewish, Italian and Irish families moved out of the South Bronx to the whites-only Levittown suburbs, once that happened African-American, Afro-Caribbean and Latino families occupied the South Bronx. White youth gangs would target newly arrived colored kids in schoolyard beatdowns, they ran the battles in the streets. Black and brown youths originally formed gangs for self-defense. After the recent population increase unemployment was high, the South Bronx had lost over 500,00 manufacturing jobs and 40 percent of the sector disappeared. The official youth unemployment rate reached up 80 percent in some neighborhoods, and the youth controlled the streets.

By 1968 a variety of teenage groups formed gangs and occupied most of the streets, parks and abandoned buildings within the Bronx. In the beginning, most of the gangs were predominantly Puerto Rican but later, east of the Bronx in a mostly African-American community a group called Black Spades formed, and even further east in the last white communities gangs like War Pigs formed. There were handfuls of gangs but the most feared and dangerous gang in all of the Bronx was the Savage Skulls, they were ruthless. They lived on Leggett Ave right next to an abandoned apartment building, the gang took over the vacant building and made it their club house,  it was referred to as a “fort in hostile territory”, if you were looking for trouble or protection the Skulls was the one to go to. Things got bloody and the Skulls would eventually be in over their head. Soon gangs and people of the Bronx were getting a bad reputation from the rest of New York, the police violently retaliated and gangs rebelled.

            New rebellions were showing up everywhere, a group called The Black Panthers staged movement rallies, over nine thousand Mexican American high school students marched against racism in the schools. Columbia University closed down their campus and hosted a antiwar protest. Students and workers of color would spray-paint walls “Be realistic, Demand the Impossible” Originating from the South Bronx the gangs had started a revolution, New York Post columnist Pete Hamill wrote, “The best single thing that has happened on the streets of New York in the past ten years in the re-emergence of the teenage gangs...These young people are standing up for life, and if their courage lasts, they will help this city endure.