Role Of Political Violence In Criminal Organizations

Historically, violence by criminal organizations has been regarded as illicit, but in many ways criminal violence can be compared to political violence generated by states. Previous literature separates these types of violence stating that organized crime is motivated by the accumulation of resources while the state is motivated by political or ideological goals. This assumption diminishes and oversimplifies the political goals criminal organizations have and instead focuses on their illegal projects. While criminal organizations don’t necessarily have a political agenda to replace the state, they have found ways in which to engage in politics to advance their own projects. On the other hand, political violence is similar to criminal violence

Marginalized groups such as young black men are treated as criminals and second class citizens therefore any act of resistance would have to be through a form other than the politics of rights. Young black men are exploited by employers and discriminated in the workplace and job market. They are beaten and taken advantage of by the police. This is what justifies their violent actions and gives reasoning to the blood they take. When these citizens see no way of getting ahead, the are more inclined to join organized criminal groups that promise protection from the state and better opportunities than those they are presented with. A criminal organization challenges the state to create better policy for the every citizen. It challenges current policies like the police’s right to kill and the way the justice system is ran. In Sao Paulo for example, the PCC, Primeiro Comando da Capital (first Capital Command), was created to protect those who are not protected by the state. The PCC recruit its members and motivates them to be a part of their projects to make money, to have power and to control drug trafficking which can compare state backed NGO’s, philanthropies and religious groups who target black men as an issue in society that needs fixing. The PCC organizes and brings them together, putting their anger and frustrations with

Even if these organizations could be stopped, it’s members would simply find a new product to deal or a new place to run their businesses. Criminal organizations especially those involved in drug trafficking will always be around. It’s explained by the balloon effect, you squeeze them in one place and they pop up somewhere else. This is due to the high profits and limitless supply involved. For example, the cost to grow drugs such as cocaine are not very high. The street price reflects the markup after the product reaches places like the US. A kilo of coke may cost $300 and sell for $188,000, over 600 times it’s cost so changing it’s initial cost from a crop eradication program initiated by the government would have a miniscule effect. Trying to get rid of these organizations does not reduce the overall drug flow, it just changes the structure of the industry allowing other smaller organizations continue to play a bigger role in the industry, and by interrupting the current state of their businesses, criminals retaliate against the state and disrupt their organizations by killing police officers, political figures and government