Gangs in US - Research Paper Example

? Gangs in the United s Position Gangs in the United s are a result of the structures of society that have created a world in which inclusion is exclusive to certain types of lifestyles, leaving many on the outside of society without enough power to create a place for themselves within mainstream society. Books on gangs by Covey (2012), Duffy and Gillig (2004), Holmes, Tewksbury and Higgins (2012), Howell (2012) and Kontos, Brotherton, and Barrios (2003) provide an overview of the status of gangs and the responses by public agencies in regard to gang activity. Covey (2012) discusses the issue of gangs throughout the world, focusing on the influence of the United States on the development of modern gangs. Duffy and Gillig (2004) discuss a global view of teenage gangs, focusing on the socio-economic impact on the emergence of gangs, and the reasons for membership in gangs by members. Holmes, Tewksbury and Higgins (2012) discuss the pop culture connection to the increased membership and number of gangs across the United States as well as the power structures within which gangs operate. Howell (2012) discusses the history of gangs as well as giving solid statistics on the nature of gangs. Finally, Kontos, Brotherton, and Barrios (2003) provide insight into the types of gangs and particularly the nature of female participation in gangs. Through an examination of the relevant information, the nature of gang activity within the United States is revealed along with the potential for effective community action in minimizing gang activity impact on society. Table of Contents Introduction 4 Historic Perspective 4 Current Trends and Future Predictions 5 Current Research 6 Gang Types 8 Public Response to Gangs 10 Summation and Recommendations 11 Gangs in the United States Introduction The emergence of gang activities in urban environments has occurred through the influences of poverty and the powerlessness that comes from living within lower socio-economic states. In recent history the development of the pop culture phenomenon of the ‘coolness’ of gang membership has provided a fertile ground from which the gang culture has grown. The different types of gangs across the United States have allowed for all members of society to have a resource for joining gangs. The following synthesis of literature will reveal the trends and types of gangs that exist within the United States as well as discuss possible solutions to the gang problem that plagues the nation. Historic Perspective The growth of gangs as they emerged in New York can be understood through an examination of migration patterns as immigrants landed on the shores of the United States. According to Howell (2012) the emergence of gang activity can be seen through three phases. The first phase occurred as three elements developed in New York. These elements can be described as “(1) social disorganization in slum areas, (2) the establishment of green grocery stores, and (3) the involvement of politicians in street gangs” (Howell, 2012, p. 4). As social disorganization emerged, the need for control and support developed a need for the emergence of leaders who could help those they considered a part of their social group to succeed. Establishing access to good food, shelter, and economic support so that the members of the groups could find stability is at the core of the development of the early gangs. Early gangs were defined by ethnic origins, the Irish having some of the development of the first gangs in New York. The second phase can be seen as this type of organization of social groups expanded, the Chinese, as an example, developing highly organized gangs in Chinatown in the late 19th century. The 1930s saw the emergence of Hispanic groups who formed gangs in order to assist in survival. By the 1940s there was a development of rivalry between Italian American, African American and Puerto Rican heritage gangs in Harlem, leading to riots and unrest. Gangs were beginning to more routinely target younger members, using the youth who were feeling the effects of their socio-economic status and the feeling of disenfranchisement to boost membership. Gangs by this period were more organized and focused on financial endeavors than they had been in the past (Howell, 2012). This type of gang development can be seen to have grown and flourished across the United States, focused on youth and on the use of drugs as a primary earning resource. Current Trends and Future Predictions Current trends in gang activities can be described by two levels of impact. The primary impact comes from behaviors that disrupt the community and assert fear and respect for the power of the gang. This can include the disruption of school activities, warring activities in which rival gangs create violence against one another, and can even be as simple as hanging out on the corner to create a presence in a neighborhood. Members participate in these types of activities to assert themselves over the members of a community as well as to earn individual rank and respect from the types of approaches they make on the community (Duffy & Gillig, 2004). Secondary impact can come from the results of the influence of a gang in a neighborhood. This will include the avoidance of certain areas by members of the community who are not in or protected by the gang or the avoidance of wearing certain clothing or colors so that they do not insult the gang or indicate membership where none exists (Duffy & Gillig, 2004). Gangs are currently powerful and widespread across the United States. The emergence of the Hip Hop culture and the appreciation for the cultures in which gangs thrive has created a legitimizing effect on the gang culture. Starting in about the 1980s, the emergence of fashion and social trends that were associated with gang lifestyles provided a fertile environment for the gang activities to flourish. Gang activities became the subject of more national notice as the music industry began to see the emergence of prominent gang members who would serve as examples for pop culture. The consequences, primarily seen in the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. brought into the national consciousness the effects of gang activity, the music industry being involved in an East coast/West coast rivalry that had mortal results (Holmes, Tewksbury, & Higgins, 2012). Young people who are disenfranchised, without parental support, or who are looking for a place in which to assert power where they have observed poverty and hardship are vulnerable to the attraction to joining a gang. In addition, some youths are given little choice because of the territory in which they live, membership being the only safety they can have within the neighborhood because not belonging leaves them vulnerable to the gang members. Current Research Gangs are a phenomenon that has emerged within the historic civilizations throughout the world with the purpose of creating a resource for those who are oppressed to form a collective in which to create membership, financial security, and a form of justice. In contemporary society, American street gangs have been a dominate phenomenon and provided for an example for the development of street gangs across the world. According to Covey (2010), 85% of the gang membership in the United States is comprised of those who associate with ethnic divisions that are defined by skin color that is oriented towards ethnicities that are either of African or Hispanic descent. A police study quoted by Covey (2010) asserted that 55% of all gang members in New York are Hispanic, 36% are African American, with the remainder of the gangs being of either Caucasian or Asian ethnic backgrounds. Howell (2012) suggests that it is urban centers where there is a population above 100,000 where the emergence of gangs is most often observed. Gangs are commonly defined by racial exclusivity. Grouping that is done through skin color that has defined terms of ‘race’ has been the foundation of many of the gangs that have emerged in the 20th century. While there are gangs that exist in which racial mixing occurs, the primary pattern within the United States is that gangs emerge within racially defined parameters. Ethnicity is useful in determining who is likely to join specific gangs, how ethnicity is viewed by the membership, and the value that it has in defining the identity of the gang by the members. Covey (2010) states that ethnicity, even as important as it seems to be to the identity of a gang, has no value in determining gang structure. Gangs develop in neighborhoods where socio-economic levels are low, the relationship between socio-economic status and the emergence of gang activity being relational. Gang structures are most often defined by a hierarchal tradition in which the power is organized vertically. Gangs that form horizontally, such as the Crips, Bloods, or Latin Kings form an organization that has membership across territorial lines and that form chapters in different cities with the intention of creation organized crime that is beyond an immediate location (Holmes, Tewksbury, & Higgins, 2012). One of the problems in doing research on gangs is that they are secretive in nature, much of the activity defined by a membership that is exclusive so that those within the gang understand dynamics that are difficult that those outside of the gang would have difficulty understanding. Myths and legends are created by gangs in order to support their power, thus much of what is known about individual gangs is suspect because the stories and mythologies are a part of the power that the gang needs to survive (Howell, 2012). Gangs have a variety of ideologies upon which the foundation of the gang is built, but also individuals within a gang will have motivations and ideologies that are diverse. Time has created a divergence of ideologies about the purpose of gangs. Where social support and family was the primary reason for the emergence of gangs in the 1970s, the 1980s and each subsequent decade has shown more and more focus on financial purposes rather than purposes of a created ‘family’ (Kontos, Brotherton, & Barrios, 2003). Gangs run neighborhoods, creating inconvenient and dangerous structures through which businesses and those not in memberships with the gangs must navigate in order to live in those communities dominated by a gang presence. The popularity of gang mythologies that have provided for an emergence of gang style associations through clothing, attitudes, and music, has created an attraction through romanticizing the idea of the gang. The development of gang activities across the nation has impacted neighborhoods and created a more dangerous atmosphere for those who are forced to live in impoverished urban environments. Without effective programs to counter the influences of the gangs, the people of those neighborhoods are vulnerable to violence and terrorization from members of gang asserting power and authority over those within the community. Gang Types There are a great number of types of gangs through which different types of people can find membership and inclusion when they feel that they have been abandoned by the mainstream system. The most commonly thought of type of gang is the inner city youth gang which is typically comprised of young men from the age of 15-23. Females are not typically considered of value to these groups, their participation conditional upon subservience and more often as workers within the sex industry (Covey, 2010). While these types of gangs are the most often depicted and explored types of gangs within the United States, they are not the only types of gangs that exist. Gangs provide a great deal of security for members who otherwise would be vulnerable to the effects of lower education levels and socio-economic statuses. Motorcycle gangs emerged in the 1950s post World War II through returning soldiers who did not have a social position upon returning from the war. The structures of motorcycle gangs are often similar to the military, their jackets reflecting military traditions through patches that indicate rank and membership. A magazine article in the 1960s defined the nature of motorcycle clubs as being 99% benign with only one percent of all clubs being associated with illegal activity and violent behaviors. Those who associate themselves with the ‘one percenters’ are defined by their sales of drugs, their violent and bloody natures, and the intensity with which the brotherhood within the club exists. Once again, these clubs do not allow women membership and are highly misogynistic. Women are primarily used as sex workers and for the use of gang members (Holmes, Tewksbury & Higgins, 2012). Female gangs, counter to popular beliefs, have existed since the 19th century even though literature and research has been weak and limited. While there is a common belief that female gangs were merely extensions of the male gangs, current research indicates that this has not been the case and that female gangs provide shelter from male gang influences and the drudgery of lower socio-economic statuses that would otherwise subjugate them to both men and society. While female gangs are often affiliated with male gangs, they typically develop their own structures, financial endeavors, and are established as entities that are separate from the male gangs with which they may or may not be affiliated (Kontos, Brotherton, & Barrios, 2003). According to Howell (2012), much of the information that has currently been gathered about female gangs indicates that their activities tend to be more covert and with less public posturing than male activities. Thus they have been able to operate without as much attention as the male gangs. Public Response to Gangs The first line of defense that the public offers in regard to a response to gang activities comes from within the schools. Anti-gang actions that include school counseling, gang-reduction workshops, and active interventions that create “a sense of personal control and positive identity” are some of the recommendations made by Duffy and Gillig (2004, p. 35). Duffy and Gillig (2004) quote research done by Burrows and Reid from 2002 in which four factors were identified as central to addressing the problem of gangs within the schools: prevention, rescue, rehabilitation, and information. Armed with these four approaches, a school has the opportunity to diminish the effects of gang influences within their territories. The problem that often exists within the approaches taken towards gangs is in discounting the political enmeshment that many gangs have, gaining power from mainstream society that fuels the control asserted by the gang in communities and through horizontal development. According to Kontos, Brotherton, and Barrios (2003) “The gang response to the social forces that negatively affect their community, sometimes in the form of positive activities and political activism, is a truly organic feature of the urban gang” (p. 78). Gangs are often developed as a resource from which to support a community, even though it is often emphasized that they use illegal activities through which to create that support. In working with the gangs towards solving the problems that the gangs have addressed, the communities can hope to diminish the illegal activities and focus on gaining representation, support for revitalization of the communities, and in creating improved socio-economic opportunities. Acknowledging gangs and their leadership for the issues that they address and supporting the positive influences that they may have might have more impact than an adversarial relationship to gang leadership. The police respond to gangs by monitoring their activities and responding to illegal activities as they occur. Forming relationships with gang members allows an opening towards information that is effective in predicting and preventing behaviors that are counterproductive and dangerous to the community. Forming an understanding of gang relationships to one another, their rivalries and their territories, provides a framework from which to create more meaningful observation and response (Holmes, Tewksbury, & Higgins, 2012). Summation and Recommendations The socio-economic problems within the inner cities and the disenfranchisement of veterans who have come back from the war are some of the reasons for the desire to have membership in gangs. When mainstream society does not provide opportunity for an individual, membership in a gang may seem an attractive alternative in order to provide security and financial stability, as well as a brotherhood that provides social support for the individual. Although research does not often focus on the political interconnectivity and positive contributions of gangs, the existence of these aspects of the gang relationship to the community suggests that gang activity should be approached from the angle of the community problems that support the existence of the gang rather than from an adversarial position that is focused only the illegal activities that are a symptom of those problems. The desired outcomes of this type of an approach would be the development of the community, the development of opportunities for the members of the community that will afford them greater socio-economic potential, and the acknowledgment of gang leadership that can be redirected towards more positive community activities. Through a cooperative approach, the perception of a need for illegal activities might be diminished with the support of a community and its people providing the best possible outcomes through positive change rather than aggressions upon the people of those communities over which the gang has control in such a way as to create an adversarial relationship with mainstream authority. References Covey, H. C. (2010). Street gangs throughout the world. Springfield, Ill: Charles C. Thomas. Duffy, M. P., & In Gillig, S. E. (2004). Teen gangs: A global view. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. Holmes, R. M., R. Tewksbury, & G. Higgins. (2012). Introduction to gangs in America. Boca Ratan, FL: CRC Press. Howell, J. C. (2012). Gangs in America's communities. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications. Kontos, L., Brotherton, D., & Barrios, L. (2003). Gangs and society: Alternative perspectives. New York: Columbia University Press. Read More