Grove Street Families

GANG
Grove Street Families
The primary members of the Grove Street Families from left to right: Ryder, Big Smoke, Carl Johnson and Sweet.
Games: GTA San Andreas
Locations: Ganton, Glen Park, Idlewood, Playa del Seville, Santa Maria Beach and Temple, Los Santos
Leader: Sweet
Leaders: Sweet
Carl Johnson
Type: Street gang
Enemies: Ballas
C.R.A.S.H.
Los Santos Vagos
Russian Mafia
San Fierro Rifa
Affiliations: Varrios Los Aztecas
Triads
Colors: Green
Vehicles: Greenwood
Savanna
Voodoo
Weapons: Pistol
Tec-9
MP5
Desert Eagle
Knife
Micro Uzi
Fronts: Johnson House
Sweet's House
Emmet's
Members: Sweet
Carl Johnson
Big Smoke (deceased)
Ryder (deceased)
OG Loc
B Dup (former)
Big Bear
Big Devil (deceased)
Little Devil (deceased)
Tony (deceased)

The Grove Street Families, also known as The Families or GSF for short, are a Los Santos street gang based in Grove Street in Ganton. The gang is led by Sweet and Carl Johnson, and are heavily involved in the criminal underworld of Los Santos and San Andreas.

Gang history

The gang, a long standing gang in Los Santos, are known to be heavily involved in a gang war against their closest enemies the Ballas, although they are also rivals of both the Los Santos Vagos and Varrios Los Aztecas. The 1987-1992 period saw the Families begin to lose ground to the Ballas who became heavily involved in the drugs trade. Sweet, however, remained adamant in his objection to the Families becoming involved in the trade. Big Smoke, a high ranking member, began to see the fall of the gang and the potential for power, influence and money the trade could bring. He joined an alliance between the Ballas, Los Santos Vagos and the corrupt Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums department of the LSPD, while remaining involved in the Families to pass on information about their activities.

The Families continued to lose influence and later unity when the gangs factions began to fight against each other. The gang also began to lose influential members such as Big Devil, Little Devil and Tony, all of whom by 1992 were deceased. B Dup and Big Bear also began to move into the drugs trade, with Bear becoming heavily addicted and the man servant of Dup. The gang also split into two subsets; Seville Boulevard Families and Temple Drive Families. The Ballas, becoming more powerful and influential, decide to try and kill Sweet in a drive-by shooting but succeed in killing his mother.

The death of Beverly Johnson causes Sweet to phone his brother Carl in Liberty City. Carl returns for the funeral. Carl, initially intending to return to Liberty City, decides to stay and help the gang overcome their arch rivals. The gang's fortunes, with Carl performing various jobs, manages to tackle the Ballas threat and even takes control of the Glen Park neighborhood. The three sub-groups also attempt to reconcile their differences, although this was interrupted by the police.

The Ballas, however, continue their assault by attempting to take control of Ganton and later work with Frank Tenpenny, the head of C.R.A.S.H., to set up Sweet in a shoot out under the Mulholland Intersection. Sweet is shot during the shoot out while Carl attempts to fend the Ballas off but both are arrested by the police. Sweet is taken to prison but Carl is taken to a small town where he is manipulated into doing jobs for C.R.A.S.H.

During this time the Families had become subservient to the Ballas and Los Santos Vagos. Families members also began to run drugs between a drugs factory in Doherty, San Fierro back to Los Santos. Carl, after becoming a leading criminal figure in both San Fierro and Las Venturas, returns to Los Santos to take control of Madd Dogg's mansion. While at the mansion he is contacted by undercover government agent Mike Toreno, for whom he had previously worked, and steals a military jet and destroys five spy boats. Carl manages to perform the task and is rewarded by Toreno with the release of Sweet.

Carl attempts to convince Sweet to join him away from Los Santos but returns to take control of Ganton when an adamant Sweet informed him he would not be leaving. The Families, now being led by both Sweet and Carl, begin to exert their influence on the city again, including taking control of Glen Park and Idlewood. The gang, however, finally re-assert their dominance in the city when Carl and Sweet killed Smoke and caused Tenpenny's death.

Trivia

  • The original beta name for the gang was Orange Grove Families.
  • The player can choose to take control of all Ballas and Los Santos Vagos turf for the Grove Street Families, although this is not needed for completing the game.
  • The favorite radio station of Grove Street Families members is Radio Los Santos.
  • Many members are seen wearing basketball jerseys, green bandanas, green hats, sweatshirts or plaid button-up shirts.
  • Possibly a coincidence, but in GTA IV groups of men wearing outfits similar to the Grove Street Families can be seen in some locations around Liberty City.

Gallery

Members

Gang tags

Non-interactive graffiti

References