The Anti-Gang Group in the USA - Essay Example

Section II: Organization We have all witnessed the proliferation of gangs in our societies. It is so bad in some cultures that people suffer in silence not wanting to be victimized by these gangs. Therefore, this interest group, named “The Anti-Gang Group” is aimed at lobbying the government to be more stringent in their control of gangs in order to protect the citizens from the wrath of the gangs who are also involved in the control of drug cartels. The mission statement for this group will be “To rid the American society of illegal gangs that pose a threat to peace and stability through the enactment of more stringent legislation”. This group is counting on the assistance of a wide range of organizations and government departments. There should be a shift from the community from protecting their members who belong to gangs to all people volunteering information that may be valuable in the eradication of such gangs. The major role of the group as stated above will be to push for legislation that reduces the proliferation of gangs that disrupt the peace that is enjoyed by ordinary Americans. The group will be composed of like-minded citizens who have witnessed the dangerous effect that gangs have on drugs, youth and the society at large. The interested members will be required to register with the group that is aiming to launch a webpage that will better serve their interest and will make it easier for members to communicate. This group will petition the congress to push for the legislation that it publishes. Additionally, other forms of influence will be used including public peaceful demonstrations and aggressive letter writing. Section III: Legislation Bill Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that: Section 1: This bill will control the proliferation of gangs in the country and will be helpful in protecting the citizens from oppression by gangs. Those individuals belonging to illegal gangs will be affected by this bill. Section 2: The regulations stipulated in this bill will affect all citizens of the United States. Section 3: The federal government will be charged with funding all activities arising from this bill and the all arms of the police will be charged with enforcing the regulations stipulated herein. Further regulations will be included and enforced by the respective state police offices. Section 4: Any person found to be in contravention of the stated regulations will be liable to not less than 15 years in prison with fines imposed accordingly. Section 5: The laws stipulated herein will take effect immediately they are passed. The initial step in pushing this bill will be to seek out a representative who is sympathetic to our cause and is willing to support it. Then this draft bill is taken to that appointed representative so that he/she can table it in the house (Edwards, Martin & Robert 41). The representative, together with leaders of this group may jointly make appropriate amendments to this bill so that it articulates what we are championing in a format that is clear and without any contradictions or omissions to the particular cause’s parameters. From here, the bill will be discussed in the house and then in the senate and will eventually get to the president who will accent it into an act by appending his signature (Wilson, John & Meena 320). Section IV: CAUSE  It is no secret that prison gangs, street gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs are the major traffickers of drugs. They are not only involved in the distribution of these drugs but are also involved in the importation of drugs from other countries. It is widely known that these gangs import powdered cocaine and convert it into crack cocaine in addition to distributing all the PCP available within the US. Other drugs that they peddle in include heroine, methamphetamine, MDMA and marijuana. These gangs vary in organization, size, location and structure. In addition to the distribution of illegal narcotics, these gangs are believed to be very violent. This behavior comes as a ‘necessity’ so as to rake the millions that they do with minimum resistance from helpless citizens. These gangs lauder their proceeds by investing in construction companies, real estate, and motorcycle shops. Others include restaurants, catering services, barbershops, strip clubs, tattoo parlors and music stores. The sole purpose of these legitimate businesses is to commingle the legitimate earnings with those gotten from trafficking in drugs. In all states and US territories, there are 21,500 estimated gangs which command a following of over 731,000 members. The gangs are expanding at a very alarming rate and are moving away from their traditional locations in urban areas into rural areas where they are increasingly violent due to the resistance they face. These gangs put a lot of pressure on existing law enforcement and increase public spending in general (O'Connor, Larry & Alixandra 652). Violence is used to expand territories as well as take over those already under the control of other rival gangs. It is also used in coercing people to pay extortion fees. Furthermore there is the use of violence on members who wish to quit these gangs. The results of gang activities are assaults, fatalities, drug addictions among other negatives. Children between 12 and 18 years have reported seeing gang members in their schools meaning that these gangs operate unencumbered and freely roam the country with little consequence. This action of imposing stringent penalties on those found culpable for involving in gang activities will derive criticism from human rights groups who will claim that such actions are too dire and will attempt to advocate ‘better’ methods for dealing with them. Our stand is that we advocate tackling fire with fire (Hetherington & Bruce 301). Section V: Working at state level In addition to the legislation that is to be passed in the house and the senate, an initiative will be submitted to be voted on in California. The initiative will be in form of the petition below. Petition We the undersigned, support the adoption of stringent measures stipulated below to rid our state of illegal gangs. Gangs have played a very destructive role in the development of our society. As such stringent measures including jail terms of not less than 15 years including additional fines be adopted for dealing with said gangs. Failure to do this, will only seek to further empower these gangs to continue their illegal operations in our state. . Name Address Signature The initiative process begins by submitting a petition signed by 8% of the voters who had participated in a most recent election for a constitutional amendment and 5% for a statute. The petition is handed to the attorney general along with a set fee. The petition is then forwarded to the secretary of sate for the specific state (in this case California) so that the signatures that have been appended can be validated. If the validated signatures account for more than 50% of registered voters, then the amendment is made part of the state constitution or state statutes for a statute. The governor then signs it in order to make it such. We will seek to recall the California governor, who has been against our cause using the process stipulated in the constitution (Barone 92). The initial step will be to publish serve, file and publish a notice of our petition to do so. The notice will be personally delivered to the governor. The governor is expected to file an answer to our petition within 7 days after receipt of the copy and after it has been published and filed. The petition will have a heading, space for signatures, declaration from the circulator and approval from the secretary of state for California. The petition will then be circulated so that it gathers the required 20% of votes cast in the last election (Maisel 214). Then we will have 160 days within which we will have gathered the requisite number of signatures. In order to enlist public support for our cause, we will use paid adverts in state media as well as banners in selected locations. In addition, we will enlist the help of people afflicted by gangs and who have had traumatic experiences in the hands of gangs in order to draw public sympathy and in turn signatures. We will as a strategy visit areas most affected by gangs as this is where we will get the most number of votes. Section VI: Getting the Public’s Attention  There will be multiple rallies that will be held in various social halls in California with the aim of letting the citizens hear first hand accounts of people who have been victims of gangs. The major focus will be on letting the public see what the negative consequences of having gangs are. We will also seek to catch the attention of psychologists and other professionals who understand the negativity of gangs and who may have not had the opportunity to interact with our group. Members of our group as well as like-minded students from various universities in the state will be the primary participants. In addition, reformed gang members, reformed drug dealers and rehabilitated drug addicts will also feature. There is also a concerted effort aimed at enlisting as many members of the public who have been victims of gang violence as possible. We will use a paid up radio advertisement making a plea for people to join our cause as we will articulate what we are fighting for. In addition, we are going to persuade the church to join our noble cause and in turn help us in getting more people for the rallies. Finally, we have two celebrities and a politician in addition to reformed gang victims who will address the public in the series of rallies that we will hold. Section VII: Wrap up  The United States has usually been regarded as a very democratic country. The constitution has entrenched various safeguards that are aimed at guaranteeing that democracy for which the country is reputed. The systems of government function autonomously and the country is ruled by institutions rather than individuals. That is why no single officer of state is above the law and they have to continually perform to retain heir positions in government. However, if there is a noble cause to be furthered, it is very hard to get the process going as there are too many requirements which might ultimately halt the progression of such a cause. There is need to relax some of the requirements for some processes to make it a bit easier to change (Aaron 62). For example, in removing a state officer, the officer has as much influence as the group opposing him even if their cause was legitimate in nature. In conclusion, the system works up to some level but not on all levels signaling that changes are inevitable. Works cited Aaron, Henry J. "Sowing the seeds of reform in 1994". Health Aff (Millwood) 13 (1); (1994) 57–68 Barone, Michael et al. The Almanac of American Politics. New York: National Journal Group, 2009. Edwards, George C. Martin P. Wattenberg, & Robert L. Lineberry. Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy (14th Edition). New York: Pearson, 2009 Hetherington, Marc J., & Bruce A. Larson. Parties, Politics, and Public Policy in America (11th edition). Washington: CQ press, 2009 Maisel, L. Sandy, ed. Political Parties and Elections in the United States: an Encyclopedia 2 vol. New York: Garland, 1991. O'Connor, Karen, Larry J. Sabato, & Alixandra B. Yanus. American Government: American Government: Roots and Reform (11th ed.). New York: Longman Publishers, 2011. Wilson, James, John J. Diiulio & Meena Bose. American Government: Institutions and Policies (12th ed.). Stamford: Wadsworth Publishing, 2010 Read More