Question about the prevalence of gang culture

[ChickenGuy]

Over the years I've seen a few documentaries and reports about it, most of them taking Los Angeles as an example, but I don't know how accurate these programs that I watch are.

So there was one or two that talked about the Bloods and the Crips and the continual turf warfare, hand signs, tattoos, colours etc., and how young blacks are indoctrinated at an early age - a cycle of behaviour involving guns and drugs.

And then another told the story of the Mexican/Latin American gangs and their influence in California, and how violent and murderous they were, and how the whole system still operated out of U.S. jails.

And there was even one about a white-supremacist gang in Orange County. They hated blacks and Jews with a passion, and expressed it in their heavy rock music.

So I was wondering....

Is all of this sort of gang culture a serious and growing trend in America?

Or is it just a caricature of a minority that is over-played in the media?

Opinions welcomed.

 

[Corny]

Thanks for that thread Chickenguy, thanks for the reply TMOS - I often wondered that myself. This seems so *unreal* from here, I always thought this is way too exaggerated. Movies like Menace II Society only reinforcing this opinion ..

 

[DeStzjl]

Gang Culture is one of those things that do exist but are very much avoidable they do exist and are not something to just be takin lightly (trust me as an x member myself) but they mainly reside in the lower rate places.... they do stretch out with the distribution of drug traffiking and such but they have died down greatly in the past few years

 

[BabiGayPimp]

A lot of the 80s and 90s gangstas got old or went to prison, as the crack wars waned. That lifestyle was a dead end anyway. The real gangstas by the 2000s were Wall Street derivatives analysts and speculative condo flippers.

 

[The_Reaper]

I can't speak for America, but areas here in Canada are experience a 'boom' time for gangs, to put it frankly.

My hometown, which is a small city of 15,000 people and a fairly safe place when I was growing up, now seems to be in the throws of two or more rival gangs that have made the place a little less safer...

As for my city now, with it's 250,000 people; on the East side of the River, you wouldn't notice or think there was much gang activity. But on the west side of the river, you're going to notice some problems. I'm not thumbing my nose down on the west side of the city, but there is a very real problem in that side of the city.

I remember my ex and I walking home from a theatre once, even though the neighbourhood really wasn't a great place at that hour, and having someone yell across the street if we were members of a rival gang. We promptly informed him that we weren't, to which he replied 'good, or you'd be dead.'

While we don't really have 'gang wars' as was seen in areas like LA back in the day, we do have a gang problem in that many poverty stricken young men are quickly drawn to organizations like gangs for a variety of reasons; money, the power/authority/respect they gain, or even just a place where they feel they fit in, a 'second family' if you would put it that way.

Sadly, few governments seem prepared to address the issues that drive these at-risk teens into gangs in the first place. Granted, addressing the problems are going to stop ALL teens who want to join a gang, but it would help in the long run...

At least in my socialist opinion.

 

[Yooper]

Short answer: Yes, it is a growing problem still.

A lot of it depends on where in a city you are located but the gang problem is creeping into the 'burbs and in some cases small towns where you'd least expect it.

More tonight when I have more time. Have to go off to the mall now.

 

[hylas]

this may be a stupid question, but... with all the crack and violence, why dont they just, you know, die out?

 

[Wajdan]

It is still very much there though not as intense as it was in the 90s.

 

[ljghba1]

I don't know if it's as bad as it use to be, but my father was a police officer around the California Bay Area region for over 10 years and his main concentration was the Latino "mafia" or gangs or whatever. It got really bad for him. He had locked up some contract killers and other members and we had our house tagged by these gangs and he got a lot of death threats.

It got to the point where he was concerned about our safety and he quit his job and moved the family to the east coast. He still talks about how he is still afraid of what the repercussions might be when the people he put away get out of prison.

 

[ljghba1]

yeah but what has already been said here, and my father agrees, the real problem is poverty and the influences these young kids have in their lives...who knows where i would be if i had grown up in that situation. its just a really sad cycle. There will always be poverty so who knows if there is anyway to completely eradicate this problem

 

[ljghba1]

I agree with the legalization of drugs and educational programs in urban areas, but killing gang members is something that i do not. In America we believe in the perfectability of people, and believe me there have been many gang members who have reformed and have done good things in their communities teaching kids the downfalls of gang life.

 

[bounder]

Problem is these gang members are like some horrible virus. They get locked up yet just multiply. Which is why I believe cops should be able to line up every gang member, even if they are really young, and shoot them. That will eradicate this cancer.

Good thing you're not in charge.

 

[Drebin]

If drugs are legalized, what happens to the cartels and enterprises that profited heavily from the once illegal trade? Who controls production and distribution post legalization?

I always envisioned that if drugs were legalized in the US, they'd be a violent conflict between the drugs gangs, cartels or whatever you want to call them and drug enforcement agencies since such a policy change would take out the huge profitability.

Maybe it'll be an easy and peaceful transition since the some national intelligence agencies allegedly have some involvement in the illegal drug industry.

I just don't see drugs being legalized in this country as it is now. It's too profitable to keep it illegal for both the gangs, cartels, drug enforcers, the prison industry and others that profit of off misery.

 

[Yooper]

Hi, I'm back.

Gangs are still quite prevalent in the major cities, although you don't hear quite so much about them these days, as it seems that they have become a bit more sophisticated in the way they operate. There are still younger 'kids' getting involved at early ages but as the gang members themselves have aged, the crimes one hears about are usually more than the garden variety types.

Right now there's a trial in Denver involving gangs and the death of a Denver Broncos player, although I haven't been following it too closely (too much going on for me right now...). If I'm not mistaken it involves some big names and folks running gang activity from INside of prison, etc. but I just don't know the details.

In my much smaller (80K people) town, there's a gang 'problem' mostly involving Hispanic (and I know I'll get flamed for this, but read 'Mexican') youth, turf battles, etc., primarily for control of the drug trade. Occasional shootings, fights, etc. The local police spend quite a bit of time and money on the Gang Task Force in town so it keeps the problem to a dull roar...but I do hear the helicopter landing at the Hospital about 6 blocks away from me about every third Saturday Night and read in the paper that the 'victim' was a suspected Gang Member and was being airlifted to a Trauma Center in Denver.

In a nutshell, the Gang problem is alive and well but not quite what it once was 5-10 years ago.