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 activities, but drinking, drug

Trafficking, and drug use are common. Gang members (15% of the sample) self-reported

committing 58% of general delinquent acts. Cities in the United States are dealing with

much of the same problems in 1990 that have been troubling them for years: Illegal drug

use and trade, violent crime, floundering school systems, and lack of money to do any-

thing about these problems. Gangs members are a group of people who roam the streets

and associate with one another for social or criminal reasons (Ref.1).

Gang members now a days are at risk of multiple forms of antisocial behavior and/or

victimization (ref.2). Gang violence effects the economy in ways such as: increasing murder

rates, consistent criminal activity, and overpopulation of correctional facilities. Everyday

there is somebody that has either died or became seriously injured from gang violence.

There are different gangs that are roaming the streets hiding in the crevices of earth, in

search of trouble. It is honestly sad to say that we are living in a population of delinquents

who have no regard for human lives as well as themselves. Since the 20th century, gang

violence has become a widespread in this country. The government has programs such as

the G.R.E.A.T. program to teach adolescents the importance of avoiding violence, drugs,

and most important death. How strong are the effects of gang membership on the

behavior of individual members? Studies in three cities showed that the influence of the

gang on levels of youth violence is greater than highly delinquent peers.

Drug trafficking The value of illegal drug trafficking worldwide is $411.44 billion.

According to the United States Department Of State, 9 percent of all illegal drugs that

entered the U.S. in 2012 came from the Caribbean (ref.3). “In 2011, the percentage of

illegal drugs that came from the Caribbean was between 4 to 5 percent”, (ref.3). The percent of persons 12 years and over with illicit drug use in the past month

rate at 8.9%, and marijuana at 6.9% (ref.4). Drugs also play a major role in gang activity

today. If you don’t sell the drug then its for sure that you use it. Now a days even drugs

aren’t to be trusted, because people are experimenting with their merchandise, which

is messing up a lot of people, also increasing the overdose rate in the U.S. Over dose

was responsible for 38, 329 deaths in the U.S. from the abuse of drugs (ref. 5).

Some gang members become involved in drug trafficking to take care of their families

or whatever the case may be, but fail to realize the whole outcome of distributing drugs.

Drug use is strongly associated with drug trafficking. The Mexican Cartel for instance

is not a “gang” but are no different from street gangs. In Ecuador, they are battling against

drug trafficking of cocaine especially, because of the works of the Mexican Cartel(ref. 6).

Although Mexican drug cartels, or drug trafficking organizations, have existed for several

Decades, they have become more powerful since the demise of the Colombian Cali and

Mendellin cartels in the 1990s. Mexican drug cartels now dominate the wholesale illicit

drug market and in 2007 controlled 90 % of the cocaine entering the U.S. By the end of

The cartel (2006-2007), the official death toll of the Mexican drug war was at least