The other most important goal of a gang is to gain turf. A gangs turf is the entire areas where it is predominately your group running everyday operations and if someone decided to intrude on this, you must protect yourself and your gangs turf, in most cases this usually ends violently. The money allows them to fulfill their materialistic needs, buy drugs, weapons, etc. Clearly the more money you have the more powerful your gang will be. The money paves the way to buy the guns, to have the recruitment parties, which can in turn make your gang much, much stronger.
Gang involvement is becoming a big issue today. It has been associated negatively with criminal acts and deviance. One of their major targets for recruitment are young teens to run their errands. In this essay I will talk about what it means to be in a gang and the different theories that could explain as to how and why young people are being involved into gang memberships and gang related crimes. I will be exploring Edwin Sutherlands Differential association and will talk about how gang and criminal behaviour is learned just like anything else.
Assumptions The assumption is that youth join gangs to feel involved and have a support system which they do not have within their homes. According to the lecture, “Gangs allow for feelings of acceptance and gangs can provide structure and purpose” (lecture, 1/24/12). Other assumptions are that youth join gangs for protection from bullies or from other gangs, as well as for respect. Limitations The limitations for my point of view when examining the issue, is mainly the fact that I have never personally had prior experiences with gangs or have known anybody that has had experience with gangs. The most experience that I have had when it comes to looking at the issue of
Engl 101 July 1, 2012 THE CURES AND CAUSES OF AMERICAN GANGS Gangs are a violent reality in today's cities. Why do they exist? What makes children feel that being in a gang is a desirable, acceptable, and prestigious way to live? The long-range answer to these questions can only be speculated upon, but the short term answers are much easier to find. Superficially, gangs are a direct result of human beings' personal desires and peer pressure.
Special Report: Straight Outta Compton Benedict, Jeff and Keteyian, Armen. "Special Report: Straight Outta Compton" Sports Illustrated 5 Dec. 2011: 82-89. Print. The topic of the article mentioned above is the lure that gang members have on up-and-coming athletes and whether or not those athletes make the right decision even when it could mean death. In the reviewers opinion, the article is meant to inform people about the tough lifestyles and important decisions that young athletes, especially in the Compton area, have to make.
Recruitment is a continually evolving system that targets youth in many cases, with a focused message catering to their insecurities. Prison gangs have a surprisingly complex political system of hierarchy. Meticulous ways of communication are developed and spread throughout the various groups. From banging against the bars in specific patterns to micro writing on paper that is hidden in body cavities, communication is a vital part of how a prison gang functions. Gangs function with the methodology of creating strategic allies that will help them further their own destructive agendas.
In nearly every case of gang allegiance, the individual seeks gang membership because he is unable to find these rewards elsewhere. Additionally, there are a variety of cultural factors contributing to gang membership, both within individual communities and society in general. The failure of the police force and judicial system to adequately deter drug trafficking is a primary reason that gangs exist. Poverty, unemployment, fatherless households, and the insidious breakdown of the family structure are all contributing factors to the proliferation of gangs. It is argued in this paper that gang membership is a logical response by young individuals to socio-economic factors beyond their control.
It is also easy to understand how parents fail to recognize the gang identifiers, such as graffiti, signs and symbols, tattoos, or particular styles of clothing, worn or used by their son or daughter. How does this happen? They simply do not take the time to become aware. It is extremely important to realize and understand that not everyone who wears a particular color, or who has a tattoo, is a gang member. “Bloods” wear red, “Crips” wear blue.
The extent of gangs/drugs A proliferation in gangs will also mean a growth in drug and violence in our community’s and threatening society in general. There are more than 731,000 active gang members in the United States, most of which are active with drug distribution. Gangs will and have shown themselves notorious and without regard to society and family. Street gangs employ violence to control drug activities and even targeting local businesses with extortion. Violence ensures that members adhere to the gang’s code of conduct.
Final Project: The Gang Violence Problem Final Project: The Gang Violence Problem Gangs are found across the globe these days and almost everywhere they are associated with various crimes. While this happens in all types of neighborhoods, inner cities seem to be the most effected. Violence is a part of many gang activities and a good number of them demand that a new initiative to the gang must commit a violent crime to prove them worthy of membership. Michael Carlie (2002) explains that initiation ceremonies may include killing a police officer, being bumped or jumped in (One example of this ritual: Gang members form two lines, the initiative has to walk down between them while the gang members beat and kick him or her without showing sign of pain. ), commit a drive by shooting or another type of murder.