Gangs and Gun Violence Affecting the African-American Community

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Issues surrounding gun violence have been prevalent for decades, however in recent years the crime rates have spiked drastically due to gang violence. These gangs are involved in a host of different crimes like homicides and the illegal sale of narcotics. Street gangs are setting up shop in predominantly Black communities threatening the lives of many innocent civilians. As if the presence of gang activity in these communities isn’t bad enough, these gangs are robbing young girls and boys of their future often recruiting them involuntarily. It is extremely important for the citizens of these gang-infested areas to grasp the totality of the issue and decide to fight against it despite feelings of hopelessness. In 2011, the number of African-Americans under the age of 22 was more than triple the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Sadly, the number of African-American children killed by gunfire since 1979 is more than 13 times the number of Blacks lynched between 1883 and 1968. Since 1969, homicides involving firearms have been the leading cause of death for African-American males between the ages of 15 and 19. The primary cause of violence in the African-American community is gang activity. These sobering statistics are affecting our community in a terrible way. Street gangs have been around since the nineteenth century. (CITATION) Gang violence is a problem in every major city in the United States and membership in gangs is on the rise The FBI’s 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment report states that there are more than 1.4 million active gang members in the United States. This is a 40% increase over the estimated 1-million gang members in 2009. There is a direct correlation between gang activity and violent crime, particularly gun violence. Gang activity accounts for an average of

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