Peckerwood
Peckerwood is the inverse of the word woodpecker. In most parts of the country where the word originated, the woodpecker is considered to be a pest and or nuisance. Like other words sharing a similar meaning (a nuisance, bother, pest etc.), it quickly became a common retort in most social circles and groups of friends. It can also be used as a derogatory term referring to southern whites, similar to "rednecks".
Street gang
| Founding location | Southern California |
|---|---|
| Years active |
early 1970s-present 1997-present (motorcycle club) |
| Territory | Western and Southern United States, primarily Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas |
| Ethnicity | White American, Hispanic |
| Criminal activities | Murder, drug trafficking, extortion, burglary, and theft |
| Allies |
Prison: Aryan Brotherhood, Mexican Mafia, Nazi Low Riders Street level: Hells Angels, Nazi Low Riders Sureños, |
| Rivals | Bloods, Crips, Nortenos |
Peckerwood, also known as PW (P-Dub) or the Woodpile, is the name of various prison and street gangs, and an outlaw motorcycle club. The term is also used to refer to most people involved in the Peckerwood subculture, which includes other gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood and Nazi Low Riders. In the Peckerwood subculture, the male members are called "peckerwoods" and female members "featherwoods".[1] In the 1940s, the abbreviated version "wood" entered California prison slang, originally meaning an Okie mainly from the San Joaquin Valley. This has caused the symbol of the woodpecker to be used by white power skinheads and other pro-white groups.[2] It is usually drawn with a long beak, sometimes drawn to resemble Woody Woodpecker or Mr. Horsepower. Sometimes the letters "PW" or "APW" (Peckerwood and American Peckerwood) are used.[2] Within the prison system, "Peckerwoods" are considered the lowest on the hierarchy of white prison gangs. Peckerwoods generally aspire to move up in the ranks of the prison system and become that of a Nazi Low Rider or a member of Aryan Brotherhood, depending on the prison. Becoming a higher ranking member involves the act of committing more and more serious crimes.[3][4]
Criminal activity
The Peckerwood gangs are concentrated in California, with their primary income from the sale of methamphetamine.[2]
Culture
Under Peckerwood law, members are required to physically harm any other white person who has had a history of child molestation. On May 4, 2013, Charles Gaskin, who was a member of the gang according to his probation report, was sentenced for 26 years to life for the murder of registered sex offender Neil Lee Hayes.[5]
See also
- Mr. Horsepower, woodpecker mascot of Clay Smith Cams
References
- ↑ "Double-Tongued Dictionary".
- 1 2 3 Hate On Display: Pecker-wood Anti-Defamation League's hate group resource page. Accessed 31 December 2014.
- ↑ Glenna Jarvis (July 16, 2004). "Gang a 'lifelong commitment'". The Madera Tribune.
- ↑ David Holthouse (November 20, 2005). "Hate Crimes in Prison". Alternet.
- ↑ "White Supremacist Gets 26 Years For Killing Child Molester". Headlines & Global News. Retrieved 2013-05-04.