The next film that we watched in sociology was The World’s Most Dangerous Gang. This film was about the gang MS13. They are a worldwide gang that everyone fears. This gang uses there mean tactics, and tattoos to show symbolic interactionism. They also mark their territories with graffiti. Symbolic interactionism is a theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another. To be in MS13 you must show that you are worthy and loyal to the gang. They do initiations to let people into the gang. Initiations can range anywhere from the Person getting initiated being jumped by multiple people, to rape, or murdering someone. …show more content…
Some of the Ms13 member join at very young ages, some of them have started at 8 and 9 years old. One of the guys in the film shot and killed his first victim at 9 years old. You earn your stripes by doing bad stuff like killing people from opposing gangs, or raping someone, or even mugging someone. MS13 operates in Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States. There are 50,000-100,000 members worldwide in MS13. In the United States, there are 10,000 members across thirty-three states. This number is growing because they keep recruiting more and more members. Conflict theory is a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of groups that are competing for scarce resources. In this film, this gang is competing for different territories in several countries including the United States. MS13 is big in Los Angeles, but they spreading fast to other parts of the country. They have twenty-two gang territories in Los Angeles now. They take up most of the Gang territory there now out of all of the gangs. There are five thousand gang related crimes in Los Angeles, mostly by MS13. MS13 is always fighting with rival gangs over land. They will kill people over territory and not think twice about it. If you own a business on MS13 territory, MS13 will make them pay a profit to protect their business. If you are a drug dealer in their territory they will tax you if you want to sell drugs in their territory, if you tell them no they will kill you. In El Salvador, there were 5,000 murders due to MS13. If you against MS13 and you are in the gang they will kill you and take your genitals and feed them to their dogs. This gang doesn’t care about anything they will protect their own until the death. Functionalism is the theory that all aspects of a society serve a function and are necessary for the survival of that society.
In MS13 they will do anything to survive. They sell drugs, guns, and run their territories like a business. MS13 member can get any type of drug they want due to the power that they have. MS13 is divided into Clichés. These clichés work separately, but will fight together to help each other out of any situation. To make there gang bigger they usually go after young people to initiate into their gang, and those young people get more young people and that’s how they are starting to grow at a fast rate. Usually people who come to the United States illegally and are desperate for money and power join MS13. When you are a part of MS13 you feel unstoppable, and like you have all of the power in the world. These members of MS13 survive through drug trafficking since they can get any type of drug they want. Some of the biggest kingpins of the gangs are in jail. If gang member get caught and go to jail it is basically like going to school for them. The reason I say that is because when they go to jail these big kingpins and guys who have been a part of the gang for a very long time can teach them the ins and outs of the gang, and different techniques to help them in the streets. This gang is just like one big family that is trying to help the next person out. But once you decide you want to quit or go against the gang and the gang finds out they will hunt you down and kill you on spot. The main guy from MS13 who is calling all of the shots is in El
Salvador.
A Climate of Fear “The Gang Crackdown”, provided by PBS, communicates the everyday struggles that the communities of Nassau County face every day. The video’s focus revolves around the homicidal and violent crimes that have been provided by the “MS-13” and the details of cracking down on their development. The Latin American gang from El Salvador is known for their audacity to target the young population of Long Island and their homicidal tendencies. They have targeted children and teenagers at their workplace, their home, and their school. These gang members have left the community defenseless and struck fear into the hearts of many parents along with the government itself.
In my sociology analysis essay I will be discussing Menace II Society. There are five concepts that I will define and use to show a broader vision of scenes from the movie which are: master status, differential association, self-conflict, stereotyping, and street crimes. Also, there will be two theories I will be discussing about the movie which are symbolic interaction theory and social conflict theory.
These members that follow the rules blindly are subjected to loyalty. The consequences are grim if a member doesn’t obey the rules. In the documentary the reporter interviewed former members of MS 13. There is no hope for a former MS 13 member. “There’s no way out” states a previous MS 13 member “but either by hospital, jail, or death.” They’re jails strictly filled with all MS 13 members. If you’re a refugee to MS 13 jail is your safe haven. Many men who leave the organization flee to jails to seek protection. Because if they were on the streets they would end up dead. If you leave MS 13 there’s a target on your back. Once you’re in MS 13 you’re committed for life. No exceptions. No excuses. If you want out of the gang that is a sign of being disloyal. If you leave not only are you in serious danger, but your family are now at risk as well. The ultimate penalty of disloyalty is to be killed. That’s why many men who leave the gang go to jail for protection. The only correct answer in MS 13 rule book is to live your whole life solely devoted to the gang. These types of rules foster fear of leaving and that’s why a lot of members continue the path they’re on so that they can protect there family. The leaders of MS 13 make up the rules and their followers are required to follow them because there is no other option. When it comes to a right and wrong decision the leaders make the final decision. There’s only one
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
The MS13 is a perfect example of a counterculture. They are a world within themselves. The gang is very organized and structured; there is hierarchy with the gang. There is a significant amount of money flow within the gang. A few ways the gang obtains money is by drug dealing, illegal weapons, vendors pay the gang to work in their territories and for their protection, and drug dealers also pay the gang to earn the right to sell drugs in their territories. There are laws and rules that a gang member must abide by. One very strict rule for a gang member is silence. If a gang member becomes informant and it is found out that they are, it will more than likely result in death for the informant. The breaking of laws and rules are punishable, even by death. They have a law system and law enforcement of their own. Check courting is a punishment served by the gang to gang members who break the laws of the gang. There are initiations one must endure to become a member of the gang. Jumping in is one of the initiations, a brutal thirteen second beating by multiple people at the same time. (World’s Most Dangerous Gang) There is a communication system within the gang. They use stacking to communicate, tattoos, graffiti, and an overall dialect that is unique to the gang. This counterculture exists internationally inside and outside of prison walls. Within the gang there are individual cliques, but when threatened they will come together and fight alongside one another. It is instilled in a gang member to kill to maintain territory and to acquire new territories. T...
Franco, C., (2007, May). The MS-13 and 18th street gangs:Emerging transnational gang threats, Retrieved from http://opencrs.com/document/RL34233/2007-11-02/download/1006/.
Our team presentation focused on three Latino gangs, MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha), the Mexican Mafia and the Los Surenos gang. My part of the presentation was to provide information on the type of crime these three gangs are known to commit. The crimes committed by the MS-13 gang are varied, violent, and take place all over the country. The FBI even put together a task force called the MS-13 National Gang Task Force in December of 2004 to try to put a stop to this gang’s activities. (www.fbi.gov). Los Surenos or Sur-13, originally based in Los Angeles, has also branched out from turf wars with rival gangs to “for profit”, violent crimes across the country. The Mexican Mafia has a similar story to tell as well in regards to gang crimes, which again range from respect crimes, and retaliatory violence to crimes for profit.
These include “robbery, murder, vandalism, home invasions, drug distribution, and carjacking’s” (MS-13 Threat). MS-13 has one main rival, the Barrio 18, and at least one very dangerous ally, the Mexican Cartel known as the Zetas (MS-13). In my opinion, I would say that MS-13 is finically driven. They try to recruit members by showing off the gang member lifestyle, so, to me, if they were all broke and looked like bums, the attraction would fall, and without members, the gang would die out. This is obviously not the case, as MS-13 can be found all over the United States. From the list of crimes I have just stated, one could assume that the MS-13 are violent, and that assumption is correct. Wherever the gang is found, the murder rates spike (MS-13). However, we see crimes like graffiti as well. This is actually the way MS-13 came into my radar, as I saw “MS-13” spray-painted onto an old
Street gangs have been a part of the American culture for centuries. As a young child growing up in the 80’s on the North Side of Fort Worth, Texas I saw my fair share of gang activity and the violence associated with it. Little was I aware of a notorious and deadly gang that was transforming known as Mara Salvatrucha, also referred to as MS-13. What began as a street gang, MS-13 now has activity in much of the United States and according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is, “one of the most violent and rapidly growing transnational street gangs.” The people of America need to realize the great danger MS-13 possess.
The story, Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh, is a ethnographic study of a Black King Gang in the Robert Taylor community. Venkatesh accidentally stumbles upon the gang lead by J.T. and decided to study them. Throughout his journey he learns from the violence and illegal activity he witnesses that “in the projects it’s more important that you take care of the problem first. Then you worry about how you took care of it”’ (Venkatesh. 2008:164). He witnesses beatings, selling of illegal drugs, and exploitation of residents; but he also gained a lot of knowledge about the community. He works with J.T. and Ms. Bailey, the community leader, closely through his study. J.T. has taken a sociology class and he allows Venkatesh to shadow the gang
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.
According to the 2015 National Gang Report (NGR) from the National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC) almost half of law enforcement juristictions across the United States reported a rise in street gang membership and street gang activitiy. My communitty is no exception.
There are stark differences on how a street gang member dresses compared to how a biker gang member dresses. Street gangs dress in the actual color of their gang affiliation, for example, Crips dress in blue while Bloods dress in red. The gang affiliated color is usually displayed in the hats, shirts, and shoes of the gang member. However, the essential piece of the outfit is the colored bandana which is usually always on display. It can be displayed on their heads, attached to a part of their body or worn hanging out the pockets on their jeans. This is in contrast to the normal attire of a biker gang member. Their attire is put together of boots, jeans, and a shirt. The biker gang member’s essential piece of their outfits is the sleeveless
...for the purpose of being “hard.” At first, it may be fun and games, but when real gangbangers confront them, they are in serious danger. Many middle-class gang members usually back down because they are afraid of confronation from a real hard-core gangbanger. Middle-class gang members do not have the same mentality as hard-core gangbangers. Suburban gangsters have something to live for while inner city gangsters feel that they do not. As a result, when comfronation does arrive, suburban gangsters die at the hands of a real gangbanger. Lower-class minority familes are forced to live in the ghettos and the projects that are surrounded by violence and crime. Children are forced to live in dity neighborhood filled with gangsters and no proper guidance. Throughout their lives violence and gangs have surrounded them and they have become accustomed to that kind of lifestyle. Soon it is the only lifestyle they know to live. Although socioeconomic suppression plays a big part in the gang trend, proper guidance and love from parents are more important than anything. If a child is raised properly then it is less likely that they will even think of living the dangerous life of a gangbanger.
The next step up from being a drug dealer is to perform acts of violence to keep your gang feared. These are the kids who nobody dare mess with because rumors and stories spread quickly which makes them seem more popular. When the gang kids hear about them they instantly try to recruit them bribing them with drugs and money. These kids then have to be ready to fight the gang’s battles if anything ever gets bad.