Vice TV series goes into histories, culture and stories of America's most notorious gangs

Hector Bravo joined the California Department of Corrections in 2006 and his first assignment was a maximum and medium security institution.

During his eight years as a correctional officer, he says he saw riots, assaults on staff and murders.

Throughout his career, he has been involved in over 500 incidents, often applying force to quell the violence.

In 2014, he was promoted to correctional sergeant, then to lieutenant in 2017.

Bravo jumped at the chance to be involved in Vice TV’s “United Gangs of America.”

He appears on the episode “Fresno Bulldogs,” which is available to stream on vicetv.com.

The episode spotlights the space and housing issues that led to violence between the Fresno Bulldogs and rival gang members that was related to a November 2022 prison fight.

“There’s a lot of history with the Fresno Bulldogs,” Bravo says. “Within the prison system, it’s been problematic on where to house them and how to place them. They have their own yard or space, and up until the integration, where they attempted to mix everyone, it resulted in massive riots.”

“United Gangs of America” is one of the highest-rated original series for Vice TV — and its second season began airing in June.

Season one looked at the hidden world of gangs, from the recruitment of women in MS-13 to the most powerful prison gang in California, the Fresno Bulldogs.

Vice TV President Pete Gaffney said season two highlights the histories of different gang formations, including their cultures, hierarchies, crimes and stories of the violence that result from gang-to-gang rivalries.

“ ‘United Gangs of America’ isn’t just about gangs — it’s about power, loyalty, fear and survival,” Gaffney says in a statement. “We’re going inside worlds most people never see, and every episode is as gripping as it is eye-opening. This show has connected with our audience in a big way, and season two raises the stakes even higher.”

According to Vice TV, each week, a new episode of “United Gangs of America,” presents a guide to a different criminal organizations from the rapidly evolving and dangerous world of gangs.

Gaffney says the first installment will tackle the origins of the Pagan Biker Gang and its rivalry with the Hells Angels.

Episodes to follow will include explorations of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, Fresno Bulldogs, Nuestra Familia, Black Mafia Family, Vagos, Aryan Sisters of Texas, Nazi Lowriders, Black Guerilla Family and the yakuza, Gaffney said.

Due to his work with the California Department of Corrections, Bravo was brought into the production as an expert on gangs.

“To be quite honest, the California Department of Corrections controls the narrative and they have for 50 years,” Bravo says. “It’s important for me to let the public know exactly what is transpiring, as opposed to what the department is putting out. It’s a huge contradiction. I believe that the public has the right to know.”