Gangs have been in existence every since the rise of humanity. Humans have always banded together for mutual protection and support - and to better dominate others. Gangs have always provided a way for people to more effectively get what they want, especially if it comes to force. And weaker members of society gravitate toward gangs that they feel can offer a sense of community and protection from others. The word “thug”, though, comes from India. In about 1200 CE, the word was used to describe a group of criminals that pillaged country towns. The thugs had their own slang, rituals and signs to help identify other members and create their own tight-knit society. Gangs today have similar practices of creating their own sub-language, symbols, handshakes and other identifiers.
Street gangs in the U.S. arose with Italian immigrants related to the Sicilian Mafia and others. These street gangs in New York City stole and killed to get what they wanted. One of the most famous street gang members was Al Capone, who later moved to Chicago in 1919 to help keep the other gangsters in order. Street gangs of this type were quite popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
Later, other immigrants and poor youth followed the trend set by this earlier generation. Hispanics, Asians and African Americans began banding together to form gangs in the 1950s and 1960s. By the 1970s and 1980s, there were national gang alliances, with gangs moving out of Los Angeles and New York City, and spreading across the country, with affiliates in many towns, as well as drug routes to finance gang activities. Teen violence between opposing bands, as well as senseless violence, flourished.
Gang activity has decreased in the 2000s, but there are still concerns, and there are still gangs that are formed so that some can take what they want, acquire power and dominate, and others can feel as though they belong and are protected.
Gang violence statistics
While it is true that gang violence has been decreasing, it still exists. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the
Witness Misidentification Freddricka Perry CCJ 4360-001 Monekka Munroe Misidentification can be defined as making a falsely or inaccurate identification. Witness can be defined as one who can give a firsthand account of something seen, heard, or experienced. (American Heritage Dictionary) When you put these two words together, you get witness misidentification which has been referred to as the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions nationwide, with nearly 75% of the…
Should Be Done About Gang Violence In Society? Many people in our society do not think that anything bad will ever happen to them. These people always hear about the issues and problems that are in the world today, but never think they will take place close to home. Gang violence is a major problem in our society today that takes place in many different areas of the world. If nothing is done soon, gang violence could take place in our neighborhoods. Gang violence is a big problem in our…
and fame amongst their peers. One would wonder what type of fame would be provided to a child for committing horrendous and heinous acts of violence, it is known to those children as “street credit “and in organizations where this type of behavior is not only tolerated but encouraged; it is called an initiation. Children, both male and females, join gangs for several reasons but one of the largest reason is because it is a fearful way to command the respect of others. In today’s society it is…
Youth Gang Violence Brian Wheeler Cm220 Each year, gang-related conflict leads to numerous, preventable deaths of young people in some of the largest U.S. cities. However, there aren’t many surveillance systems that collect the kind of detailed data researchers need, in order to better understand what gang homicide prevention efforts would work best. In today’s society there has been a rise…
like Gaddafi, Osama bin Laden are leaders of gangs that viciously kill and promote wrongdoing to hide the goodness on earth. Most sources of sin are gangs, they have been part of our society since earth was created. They are similar to Parasitism where the society is the host and the gangs are the pests that are slowly killing our world. All humans are unaware of the problems created by gangs hence this essay is to alert the reader about how evil gangs are. They target teens, destroy our Quality of…
Gangs And Violence Youth gangs and violence in Memphis, TN is a very critical problem. The streets of every neighborhood, from North Memphis to South Memphis are infested with drugs and gangs (Lambert, Joy ,“News Report”). Nationally, gang violence is not just in the streets of Memphis. Violence is bringing down the hope of a lot of people. Gang violence from the 1950’s to the 1980’s has a curious history. Gang members “hang out” and are involved in other normal adolescent…
Anthropology 157 Essay The city of Los Angeles has been hailed as the gang capital of the country and in 2002 there were 731,500 gang members in the country with nearly 1 in 8 of this number coming from Los Angeles (Leap 2012, 11). This paper will discuss gangs in Los Angeles and present a prevention intervention program to help relieve the gang issue. The paper will discuss key points and factors as to why people, especially youth, join gangs. Additionally, the program that this paper advocates for will…
Some local agencies deny the existence of gangs, while others do not clearly distinguish between criminal organizations and groups of rowdy teenagers. Gang members tend to wear similar styles of clothing, know as theirs colors, to identify themselves. They also clean claim certain areas as their territory. The origins of gangs activity are unclear, some researches claims that youth gangs first developed in Europe and that they may have appeared in the United Sates as early as late 1700s. In the…
Gangs and Prison violence in Brazil The ongoing violence and drug crime in Brazil is steadily getting worse, making the country one of the worst in Latin America. According to reports there has been a steady increase in crime during the past decade. From 1999 to 2009, the number of murders in the city of Bahia grew from 430 percent, to 4,709, and last year, the state’s murder rate of 34.2 per 100,000 residents was one of the highest in the country.1 Due to the…
Cohen English 121 Gang activity seems as a means of survival for those involved. Violence has been threatening the progression of our society due to the fear that has been put in everyone’s eyes. More and more people are becoming accustomed to gang life everyday. Some have no choice as they think its their only means of survival. Gangs are becoming more and more of a problem every day in America. More teens are being pressured into joining gangs than ever before. Now gangs are getting new members…
