Gangs are very unsafe to every person in society. “Gangs are groups of people (mostly young males) who band together for security and a sense of belonging. The U.S. Department of Justice officially defines a youth gang as a group of young people involved in criminal activity”. There are about one million gang members in more than 20,000 criminally active gangs in the United States. Also, that group of about one million people is accountable for up to eighty percent of our nation’s crimes. Since 2005, gangs have nationally added about 200,000 members. This is why more action from the community needs to be taken to help with the growing gang-related crimes here in America. To start off, origins of gangs are unclear, but some researchers say that gangs came to America in the early 1800s. These first gangs were in New York and Philadelphia and members of these adult gangs were from the Irish, German, and Italian ethnic groups. Youth gangs did not start to form until after World War II (Opposing Viewpoints Gangs 109-110). Additionally, what kinds of people are in gangs? Well first off, there are Latinos, which make up forty-nine percent of gang members'; African Americans, thirty-four percent; White, ten percent; Asian, six percent; and the other one percent is just the other category (“Facts About Gangs” 109). Also in 1996, according to the National Youth Gang Survey, the members of gangs were fifty percent under eighteen years old and fifty percent were eighteen or older. In that survey during 2006, the number of juveniles dropped to only being thirty-six and a half percent of member, on the other hand, the percentage of adult gang members consisted of sixty-three and a half percent of the gang population . Gang members wear simila... ... middle of paper ... ...th twenty-eight passengers were murdered by gun men that had stopped the bus. These people were killed by members of a street gang (that is also in America that has around nearly 10,000 members and is present in thirty-three states and counting (Campo-Flores 1)) called Mara Salvatrua or better known as MS-13. This attack had chosen their victims at random and it had nothing to do with who was on the bus. This attack was said to show protest (and a warning) against their government’s crackdown on different gang activities (Arana 1). Also, back to America, gangs can be found anywhere, not just in the inner city, so everyone needs to be aware of what is around them and what could possibly happen to them or the people around them. That is another reason why it is so important for us to teach students about gangs and the possibilities that could come from joining a gang.
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...
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...
A gang is a group of people who claim a territory and use it to make money through illegal activities. Gangs are usually split up into race or territory and are made up of 10 to 30 members. There are three types of gangs there are the Ethnic Gangs, Turf Gangs and Prison Gangs and each have different ways of doing things. Ethnic gangs are gangs made up by thei...
The earliest history of chain gangs holds the cause for the bad views of them. The public sees chain gangs as a racist part of the old South. The first chain gangs began in England and the northern part of the United States during the eighteenth century. (Reynolds 180) Even though chain gangs were legal in almost every state, the South seemed to be the only region using them.
Throughout the centuries, gangs have been rapidly growing. As early as the 1730s different groups of people in Europe began forming gangs. At first they were composed of people upset with the government who started riots to rebel against the government. Decades later, gangs began to spread worldwide very quickly. Gangs made their way all the way to the United States, or the 13 colonies at the time. They were largely created by people upset with the government. There were gangs for federalists supporters, and gangs for people who supported the Anti-federalists (“Gangs” 2015). As centuries passed, people formed gangs for different reasons. Beginning in the 1940s in cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit, gangs of white
Gang violence is a growing problem in this world. No parent would like to imagine their kids dealing with weapons or being threatened by them. These violence’s affects each child individually and their families as well. These gangs recruit multiple different individuals for many reasons such as bribery, family traditions, or even threatening. Although, many kids feel like they have to be a part of it but there are many resources out in this world to prevent them from believing so. Gang violence has been a problem in society for several of years and is a growing problem each and every day.
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.
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.
Gangs are responsible for ten to twenty percent of the criminal activity in the United States, which estimates to an approximate thirty to sixty billion dollars of taxpayers' money a year. Gangs are often associated with the use of drugs, including heroine and marijuana. Gangs also are connected to the illegal use of many weapons and as a result, many bloody murders. So, it is...
Gang’s myths are very popular because it creates media coverage and is a serious topic when it comes to the safety of our society. When the media is interviewing members of a gang; they are being told exaggerated stories of gang activity and misinforming leads to society. Without accounting for credibility, these reports created false perception and fear. Gangs distort their image to improve their status and to generate fear as a defense mechanism. Several inmates stated to being more than a gang, but a criminal organizations in drug trafficking. The fact of the matter is that media coverage created the illusion of power of gangs and force fed the information upon society. Members in the streets began to attach to this false image and gave
Across the United States and Europe, suburban gangs are growing as never before, estimations that in a typical inner city American community of 50,000 or more, there are 200 to 500 gang members. Some even larger organization called super gangs, which have more than 1,000 members spread over several states, have been known to operate in small town America. You cant say that any community is insulated from this activity," There's no restriction on where gang members can live. Gang members living in the suburbs share traits with recruits in the cities, and many of those factors have been exacerbated by tough economic times, The list of factors include divorce, separation, physical abuse, sexual abuse and having a parent with
Gang activity and violence is a major problem in cities. Joining a gang makes a person feel a sense of belonging and need when one feels alone or unneeded. It’s a bad outlet for a person. Some examples of gang activity is graffiti, drive-by shootings, fraud, robbery, and assault. 100% of cities with a population greater than 250,000 reported to have gang activity and violence. Knowing the signs can stop the problem at the source.
Gang violence is a major problem in our society today. If nothing is done soon, gang violence could take place in our neighborhoods. MW Klein, a gang researcher, says that gangs are an aggregation of youths who perceive themselves as distinct, and that are viewed as distinct by the community. Klein also states that the gangs call forth a consistently negative image of themselves through their actions (Klein). To those involved in gangs however, gang membership provided a youth means of attempting to consolidate their gender identities (Douglas). Most of the early American street gangs have historically been ethnically based. Early gangs were mainly Irish, Polish, or Italian (Klein).
Gangs have been around for a very long time. Gangs were still around back in the late 1800s. Now gangs have evolved so much from that time period. In the 1920s – 1930s, gangsters were very classy dressed men, these people were in the gangs to make a lot of money. Yet, there was people that were in prison gangs also, they were in them for protection. Now in today’s times, things have changed. People don’t carry the same ideals on why they want to join up with a life of crime. Yet, here is some a few of the reasons behind why people do the things they do with a gang. Poverty, is the first reason I would like to talk about. To this day, money still makes the world go around. Meaning that some of the gangs are created to be a money making
A gang can be defined as a group of people who unite to serve a common purpose and engage in violent or otherwise criminal behavior. (http://www.ci.torrance.ca.us) The types of crimes committed by gang members differ between gangs, but the crimes generally associated with gangs include vandalism, robbery, drug-trafficking, assault, arson, and murder. There are many reasons why teenagers may join gangs. The root causes of violent gang formation are poverty, stressed families, unemployment, under-employment, under-education, racism, and the breakdown of sociocultural institutions. (http://www.instanet.com) Many people join gangs for protection from violent people in other gangs. (http://www.public.iastate.edu) Other people join gangs for the sense of family that comes along with it. The youth gang satisfies a void - the child's desire to feel secure. It provides the child with a sense of identity, belonging, power, and protection. The gang provides a protective barrier against the outside world. (http://www.highways.com)