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In the book “The Gang: A Study of 1,313 Gangs in Chicago,” by Frederic M. Thrasher, the main topic of this book is on older generations of gangs in America. Gangs and some types of gang cultures have been around for centuries. The book talks about how gangs were geographically shaped, and those poor neighborhoods had a higher rate of producing or influencing gangs to emerge. Around 1,313 gangs were discovered in the streets and areas of Chicago, Illinois. The gangs contained approximately 25,000 members that were a mixture of young men and boys. The places that you will typically find gangs are communities such as Churches, schools, clubs, banks, and the usual list of wholesome institutions. These areas were known to as the “hangout spots,” this means that if you were around those local places, you were bound to come across a gang of some sort. The early types of gangs were created in crowded cities. They were mainly just kids competing with each other in sports or doing any sort of gambling. For instance, when a kid would move from neighborhood to neighborhood they were allowed to leave “the gang,” there were no penalties from jumping gang to gang. …show more content…
Out of the many types of gangs the criminals because they are conventional and seek incorporation into the structure of the community. To under members of a gang you need to set foot in their life to understand how members can have a romantic
This book was about a street gang called the Mighty Vice Lords. They were the second largest gang in Chicago with about 30,000 members. The Vice Lords started in the Illinois Training center (Juvenile Correctional Facility) for boys in St. Charles Illinois during 1958 and was led by Edward “Pepalo” Perry and Alfonso Alfred. This group was known to be brutal and violent. It discussed how a violent gang can become a community organization and change the way things were done for the betterment of the community. This information is important because it showed that gangs can become a positive force.
This book review covers Policing Gangs in America by Charles Katz and Vincent Webb. Charles Katz has a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice, while Vincent Webb has a Ph.D. in Sociology, making both qualified to conduct and discuss research on gangs. Research for Policing Gangs in America was gathered in four cities across the American Southwest; Inglewood, California, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Phoenix, Arizona. This review will summarize and discuss the main points of each chapter, then cover the relationship between the literature and class discussions in Introduction to Policing and finally it will note the strengths and weaknesses of book.
Gangs have been in existence since the beginning of the Roman Empire. There were speeches made by Roman orator, Marcus Tullius Cicero, which references groups of men who constantly fought and disrupted Roman politics (Curry, 2013). The history of street gangs in the United States begins with their emergence on the East Coast around 1783, as the American Revolution ended. Though many believe the best available evidence suggests that the more serious street gangs likely did not emerge until the early part of the nineteenth century (Sante, 1991). Although our country has had their share of feared gangs like in the 1980’s with the turf war between the Bloods and Crips, back in the 17th and 18th century the Mohocks of Georgian, England were one of the most feared gangs. What draws juveniles to the gang lifestyle? Many people will say that most gang members are children from impoverished communities, single family homes where there was no father present, or maybe there is a more psychological/sociological answer? By appearance and presence most gangs cause fear, crime, and disillusionment in the communities they occupy. Throughout history joining a gang has been perceived as a life without any reward, yet by joining this lifestyle many juveniles are able to gain the needed stability and security in their lives.
It is surprisingly difficult to pinpoint the origin of street gangs. This may be because of the inherent nature of gangs: a group of individuals who come together for the same purpose and in the case of str...
Surprisingly, little has been written about the historical significance of black gangs in Los Angeles (LA). Literature and firsthand interviews with Los Angeles residents seem to point to three significant periods relevant to the development of the contemporary black gangs. The first period, which followed WWII and significant black migrations from the South, is when the first major black clubs formed. After the Watts rebellion of 1965, the second period gave way to the civil rights period of Los Angeles where blacks, including those who where former club members who became politically active for the remainder of the 1960s. By the early 1970s black street gangs began to reemerge. By 1972, the Crips were firmly established and the Bloods were beginning to organize. This period saw the rise of LA’s newest gangs, which continued to grow during the 1970s, and later formed in several other cities throughout the United States by the 1990s. While black gangs do not make up the largest or most active gang population in Los Angeles today, their influence on street gang culture nationally has been profound.
Gang involvement has been quite higher than past years. The 2008 National Youth Gang Survey estimates that about 32.4 percent of all cities, suburban areas, towns, and rural counties had a gang problem (Egley et al., 2010). This represented a 15 percent increase from the year 2002. The total number of gangs has also increased by 28 percent and total gang members have increased by 6 percent (Egley et al., 2010). This shows how relevant gang related activity is in today’s society. More locations are beginning to experience gang activity for the first time. Gang crime has also been on the rise in the past...
The presence of gang violence has been a long lasting problem in Philadelphia. Since the American Revolution, gangs have been overpopulating the streets of Philadelphia (Johnson, Muhlhausen, 2005). Most gangs in history have been of lower class members of society, and they often are immigrants into the U.S (Teen Gangs, 1996). Gangs provided lower class teens to have an opportunity to bond with other lower class teens. However over time, the original motive of being in a gang has changed. In the past, gangs used to provide an escape for teens to express themselves, let out aggression, and to socialize with their peers. It was also an opportunity for teens to control their territory and fit in (Johnson, Muhlhausen, 2005). In the past, authorities would only focus on symptoms of gang violence and not the root. They would focus on arresting crime members instead of preventing gang violence. Gangs are beginning to expand from inner-city blo...
Tobin, Kimberly. Gangs: An Individual and Group Perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.
The origin of "Gangs" can lead all the way backk to the post revolutionary times. In the early days, gangs were meant to only protect or act as clubs to some. The revolutions of gangs have since taken a turn for the worse. There are an estimated 785,000 known and active gangs in America only. Gangs have popped up in almost every country, every continent, each with their own distinct style. Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians are all linked to the history of gangs.
I have a red bandana hanging from my back pocket to let people know I’m a gangster. However, my whole entire outfit has the color red on it from my pants to my shoes and shirt. It is to show civilians and other rivalry gangs and gangster that I’m a blood. What is a blood some people may ask me? I would say, a blood is a person that is in a street gang that originally started in Los Angles. I have particular tattoos to describe what gang I am an affiliated with such as a letter “B” on the back of my shoulder that stand for blood. Although, if a person has a tattoo that look like a rain drops coming down the face or eye is a bad sign. That tattoo mean he or she had kill someone so the name of that tattoo is called tear drops. With that being
Gangs originated in the mid 1800’s in the cardinal direction using it as a method to defend themselves against outsiders.The idea of gangs became populous, powerful, and a broad influence. But like all powers, they tend to corrupt and recognizes violence as a way of getting what they want faster than other methods.They turn violence into fun, profit, and control.Creating a situation that affects youth in today’s society.
arose with Italian immigrants related to the Sicilian Mafia and others. These street gangs in New York City used to steal and murder whoever they needed if it was for the gang. One of the most famous street gang members was Al Capone, street gangs were very popular in the 1920's and 1930's. Most immigrants and young teens were involved in gangs due to lack of money and goods. Hispanics, Asians and African Americans began banding together to form gangs in the 1950s and 1960s. By the 1970's and 1980's the gangs were forming together in Los Angeles and New York forming gangs, mostly out of the same race. Teen violence between two different gangs, as well as senseless violence, flourished. In 2007, there were an estimated 775,000 gang members in the U.S., according to the National Youth Gang Center. In 2011 the NGIC or National Gang Intelligence Center, said that "There are an estimated 1.4 million street, prison, and outlaw gang members living here, more than 33,500 gangs in the United States."An estimated 230,000 gang members were in U.S. prisons or jails in 2011. Many types of gangs make up the general structure of an organized
Gangs have existed for hundreds of years, possibly going back as far as the 12th century with groups of highway robbers(Howell). Modern, organized street gangs street gangs began in London in the 1600’s, and appeared in America around 1783(Howell). Theses were mostly young men fighting over territory. With continued immigration to America, however gangs got much serious in the early 19th century. In New York, for example gangs like the “Forty Thieves” grew in slums
Hallswort, S. And Young, T. (2004) Getting Real About Gang. Criminal Justice Matters [online]. 55. (1), pp 12-13 [Accessed 10 December 2013]
Many stereotypes of gangs have been fabricated. The problem is that a majority of gang members do not fit these stereotypes, which, in turn, makes it hard for the to be caught (Klein). Traditionally they organize their group around a specific neighborhood, school or housing projec...