Founded by John Stinson, a white supremacist inmate, the gang was originally formed to act on behalf of the powerful Aryan Brotherhood. Aliances were made and the NLR acted as errand boys to the AB.
In the 1980s the authorities worked hard to break up the AB by isolating its known members in maximum lock-up prisons like Pelican Bay and other Security Housing Units (SHUs) and the NLR was needed to conduct AB business in the medium security prisons.
Up to this point the NLR was viewed by prison officials more as a troublesome group rather than a gang. But with its strong alliance with the AB, which had proven to be the most powerful and ruthless prison gang, the NLR began to grow and prison officials took notice.
Unlike the AB with its strict - whites only - policy, the NLR permitted some Hispanics to join. Money, not racial purity, seemed to be their ultimate goal. However, in 1999, the NLR was officially classified by CDC authorities as a prison gang causing its membership to also be housed in SHUs, thus diminishing the NLR's usefulness to the AB.
Organizational Structure
Unlike their AB mentors, the NLR has a simple structure which is adhered to more inside the prisons than on the streets.
There is a three-tier system:
- Seniors: Requires five years of gang membership and at least three seniors must elect the candidate.
- Juniors: Act in capacity of foot soldiers and may recruit new members, but cannot induct new members into the gang.
- Kids: Are recruits generally coming from smaller gangs.
Symbols - Tattoos
- Swastikas
- NLR - Nazi Low Riders
- SS - Lightning bolts
- HH - Heil Hitler
- 88 - The numerical equal to "HH"
- WP - White Power
- WSU - White Student Union
- AYM - Aryan Youth Movement
Enemies/Rivals
- American Mafia
- Bloods
- Crips
- Norteños
- Black Guerrilla Family
- Nuestra Familia
- Mara Salvatrucha
- Los Angeles crime family
- Russian Mafia
- Friends Stand United
- Los Zetas
- Outlaws
- Israeli mafia
- Aryan Brotherhood
- Public Enemy No.1
Internal Struggles
In recent years the gang has had some internal struggles over the race issue. One group wants to adopt the Aryan Brotherhood policy of pure white members only, while others want to remain with a "half-white ancestry and no black ancestry" policy for membership.
The Nazi Low Riders Oath
- I, as a Nazi Low Rider, hereby swear an unrelenting oath upon the green graves of our sires, upon the children in the wombs of our wives, upon the throne of god almighty, sacred to his name, to join together in the holy union with the brothers in this circle and to declare forthright that from this day moment on that I have no fear of death, no fear of foe, that I have a sacred duty to do whatever is necessary to deliver our people from the Jew and bring total victory to the Nazi Low Riders.
- I, as a Nazi Low Rider Warrior, swear myself to complete secrecy to the Order and total loyalty to my comrades.
- Let me bear witness to you, my brothers, that should one of you fall in battle, I will see to the welfare and well being of your family.
- Let me bear witness to you, my brothers, that should one of you be taken prisoner, I will do whatever is necessary to regain your freedom.
- Let me bear witness to you, my brothers, that should an enemy agent hurt you, I will chase him to the ends of the earth and remove his head from his body.
- And furthermore, let me bear witness to you, my brothers, that if I break this oath let me be forever cursed upon the lips of our people as a coward and an oath breaker.
- My brothers, let us be his battle axe and weapons of war. Let us go forward by one's and two's, by scores and legions and as true Nazi Low Riders with pure hearts and strong minds face the enemies of our brotherhood and families, with courage and determination.
- We hereby invoke the blood covenant and declare that we are in a full state of war and will not lay down our weapons until we have driven the enemy into the sea and reclaimed that which is rightfully ours. Through our blood and gods will, the land will be that of our children.
