Gangs : Americ Growing Problem

1401 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gang Problems in America

GANGS IN AMERICA: GROWING PROBLEM Currently in the United States of America, there are 33,000 or more active gangs, that operate on a regular basis. Many gangs in America are violent and radical. Yet there are also gangs that start with good intentions but soon turn to multi-million drug enterprises. Common gang members are embossed in a community that already possesses ties to the local economy. To fully understand gangs and the lifestyle of their members, a knowledge of the history behind gangs and why they are popular, the characteristics and appeal of a gang, and the programs and education being put forth to stop the growing industry known as gangs. HISTORY OF GANGS Marcus Hoover of Stanford University credits California as the origin of gangs in the article “Where All the Madness Began: A Look at Gang History” since it is the home of both the notorious Bloods and the opprobrious Crips. Hoover defined a gang member as this: “any person who actively participates in any gang with knowledge that its members engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal gang activity, and who willfully promotes, furthers, or assists in any felonious criminal conduct by members of that gang.” Research shows that the leading cause for gangs popularity and growth is the lack of a stable home system and a non-family presence. During the time of mobs, author Claire Sterling states; in her article “The Mafia Poses a New Threat to America” from Gangs: Opposing Viewpoints; teens and adults would find comfort in a group, which they believed had their best interest in mind. Gangs are not just in America, gangs operate all over the globe. Gangs know good and well exactly what they are doing. Although not all acts of certain individuals can be b... ... middle of paper ... ...ang constituents are more loyal and prone to commit nefarious acts that tend to be violent, obstreperous, or illicit. Communities that entail an active gang tend to be reluctant to admit to their predicament, gangs have ties over the area in which they operate (Genelin). Laron Douglas explains; in “Gangs Seek Progress” in Gangs: Opposing Viewpoints; gangs conduct business in a variety of ways, gangs often target local businesses so they can get a grasp of the local economy and obtain an expanded cash flow and profit. “Not all gangs have names, identifying signs, or symbols; and gang members may include associates affiliated with the gang for purposes of criminal activity. Hardcore gang members devote their lives to the gang, but criminal associates do not” (Hoover). Gangs that are not recognized due to the fact the difficulty of classifying or analyzing involvement.

Show More
Related

  • Piru Street Gang Research Paper

    936 Words  | 2 Pages

    Did you know gang's first started off as a way to help stop police brutality? Some gang members are “jumped in” or have to prove their loyalty by committing criminal acts. In the 1960s many gang organizations joined the Black Panthers. The Black Panthers wanted blacks to control businesses, education, employment, and the media in their area instead of having these businesses controlled by white people. They wanted to act as a community army so they can stop police brutality and racism. The leader of this important organization was Bunchy Carter. Street gangs had completely stopped as more black empowered organizations began to form in Los Angeles. After the Black Panthers disbanded that is when street gangs began to become popular because

    Read More

  • Sociological Reasons behind Gang Violence in South Central Los Angeles

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over the past 60 years there has been a recent phenomenon in the development and rise of gangs and gang violence. This is exceptionally apparent in South Central Los Angeles where the Bloods and the Crips have taken control of the social structure and created a new type of counter culture. Poverty in this area is an enormous problem caused by a shear lack of jobs; but just because there is a lack of jobs doesn’t mean that there will be a lack of bills to pay, so sometimes selling drugs in order to keep a roof over your head seems like the most logical option. Crime often times flourishes in these regions because the inconvenient truth is; crime pays. Senator Tom Hayden stated “It’s been defined as a crime problem and a gang problem but it’s really an issue of no work and dysfunctional schools.” this statement is in fact true, but with an exception it is a more broad issue than just involving school, and lack of jobs but goes beyond into social structure as a whole and more specifically the judicial system, this can all be supported by three sociologists Chambliss, Anderson, and Durkheim.

    Read More

  • Why Juvenile Choose a Gang Lifestyle?

    1784 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Gangs in Oklahoma

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    People think most gang members are crips or bloods who came from Los Angeles, but today there are a lot of neighborhood sects that cause a lot of mischief (Million). "Gangs are no longer just an urban problem. Ten counties account for 59.2 percent of juveniles handled by the state between 1999 and 2006. These counties account for 74 percent of the identified gang members"(Million). "Many gang members have similar background factors: low educational achievement...

    Read More

  • Gang Intelligence Methods in Law Enforcement

    2252 Words  | 5 Pages

    A gang is defined as a group of individuals with the same objective that are bound together by a bond of trust. The majority of gangs are young people, but not every gang member is in his prime. The people that make up a gang are usually trying to achieve something, either money, respect, freedom from the oppression of another gang or law enforcement agency, the need to belong to something greater than themselves, or a combination of any of these. The individual that joins a gang is usually after the same goal that the gang is seeking to obtain.

    Read More

  • African-American Street Gangs in Los Angeles

    6209 Words  | 13 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Gangs in America

    2717 Words  | 6 Pages

    This paper will cover issues that young minorities encounter in the movies; Crips and Bloods: Made in America (2008), Gran Torino (2008), A Better Life (2011). Movies will be summarize, and compare and contrast youths experienced. Criminological theories shall be utilized to further elaborate issues. Finally steps and theories will be utilized towards solving issues, also possible methods to correct the issues will be addressed in the end.

    Read More

  • Gangs and Injunctions

    1320 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Street Gangs: Removing them from the community

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    Street Gangs are becoming popular in many cities across the country. According to the Department of Justice's 2005 National Gang Threat Assessment, there are at least 21,500 gangs and more than 731,000 active gang members (Grabianowski). Gangs bring fear and violence to neighborhoods, drugs, destroy property, involve youth in crimes and drive out businesses. When you have gangs in a community, it affects everyone in the community. An alarming amount of young adults are joining gangs and becoming involved in illegal activity. Most gangs have a rule that when you join the gang you are a member of the gang for life. Gangs can be removed from our communities with more community involvement and education.

    Read More

  • Essay On Native American Gangs

    1634 Words  | 4 Pages

    Tobin, Kimberly. Gangs: An Individual and Group Perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.

    Read More

  • Juvenile Delinquent Gangs

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    Social Class Most of the gang members that have been reported come from the lower social economical class. When these kids are out in the streets they have nothing better to do so they begin to commit delinquent behavior. Since these economically challenged kids have no money to go anywhere, they tend to hang around their neighborhood. These kinds of groups encourage each other to commit criminal activity. They feel that if one does it, all of them can do it too.

    Read More

  • Gangs: Power, Conflict, And Trust

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gangs have become a harsh reality in today's society. But despite what one might think, gangs illustrate many communication theories. This is done through the power gangs possesses, "gang warfare", and the trust between gang members.

    Read More

  • Gang Violence : The City Of Los Angeles

    1208 Words  | 3 Pages

    The City of Los Angeles is the “gang capital” of the nation. There are more than 450 active gangs in the City of Los Angeles. Many of these gangs have been in existence for over 50 years. These gangs have a combined membership of over 45,000 individuals. Gang violence has for a long time been a major issue. Now it may not be as bad as it was back in the 90’s when it really first surfaced but gang violence is still a critical issue. A place where gang violence has really been an issue is none other than the state of California.

    Read More

  • Gangs Around the World

    526 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Solutions to Gang Violence in Society

    2296 Words  | 5 Pages

    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...

    Read More

More about Gangs : Americ Growing Problem

Open Document