The Gangs of New York Map

The Daily News has mapped the territories of gangs and street crews in New York City based on data from the New York Police Department's Juvenile Justice Division.

The Gangs of New York is a simple interactive map showing the areas in which street gangs operate within the city. The map shows 'active' and 'inactive' gang territories on the map with colored polygons. You can click on any of the shaded areas on the map to reveal the name of the gang and the precinct in which they operate.


If you find the Gangs of New York Map worrying then you might want to reassure yourself by looking at how much worse New York gangs were in the past. My own Gangs of New York story map recounts the famous street battle between members of the Dead Rabbits gang and the Bowery Boys in the Nineteenth Century.

Martin Scorsese's film the Gangs of New York retold the story of the gang war between rival groups in the Five Points district of Lower Manhattan in the mid-Nineteenth Century. The film was based on the true gang wars which took place in the area. One of the most notorious battles between the gangs was the Dead Rabbits Riot, a two-day battle which took place on July 4–5, 1857. You can see how the battle progressed simply be scrolling down on this story map.