Information AboutGang |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT GANG | |
| gangs | |
| crime | |
| urban decay | |
| types of organization | |
For other uses of the word, see Gang (disambiguation) . A gang is a group of individuals who share a common identity and, in current usage, engage in illegal activities. Historically the term referred to both criminal groups and ordinary groups of friends, such as Our Gang . Some Anthropologists believe that the gang structure is one of the most ancient forms of human organizations. Some commentators use "gang" to refer to small, informal, and disorganized "street gangs", while " Syndicate " or " Organized Crime " are used to refer to larger, more powerful organizations, such as the Italian-American Mafia , which may control entire legitimate businesses as "fronts" for their illegal operations. The word "gang" generally appears in a pejorative context, though within "the gang" itself members may adopt the phrase in proud Identity or defiance. GANG ACTIVITIES Most commonly, the word "gang" refers to street gangs or sometimes "youth gangs", groups who take over territory or "turf" in a particular City and are often involved in "providing protection", often a thin cover for Extortion , as the "protection" is usually from the gang itself, or in other Criminal activity. Since roughly the 1970s , street gangs have been strongly connected with Drug sales (especially Crack Cocaine ). Some commit Burglaries , Car Theft , and Armed Robbery . Most members retain their gang affiliations when sent to prison (see Prison Gang ). Many gangs use Fronts to demonstrate influence and gain revenue in a particular area. These clandestine bases may include Restaurants , Bars , Casinos , race tracks, Strip Clubs , or other business. Gangs often spread by a parent or family moving out of the gang neighborhood, and the children taking the gang culture and lore with them to a new area and recruiting new members for their old gang. This concept has been referred to as ''satellite'' gangs. Some very well known gangs are the California-based Crips and Bloods , or the Sureños and Norteños . Other large gangs include the Aryan Brotherhood , a mostly prison-based White Power gang, the Nazi Low Riders , or NLR, the Latin Kings , the Gangster Disciples of Chicago , the Los Angeles -based 18th Street Gang , and the Jamaican Posses . In the 1980s , other gangs, such as the Central America n Sureño gang named Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), the Miami based International Posse or In/p and the Asian Boyz (ABZ) emerged. GANG IDENTIFICATION Most gangs have Gang Signals and other identifying characteristics specific to their clique or gang affiliation. Mid-20th-century gangs usually wore elaborate gang jackets (still common among motorcycle gangs, who have a practical need for leather jackets); these were known as their "colors". More recently, the Bloods, for instance, wear red bandanas and the Crips blue. Any disrespect of a gang member's color by an unaffiliated individual is grounds for violent retaliation, often by multiple members of that gang. Tattoos are also common identifiers. For instance, a triangle of tree circles is a blood identifier and an "18" above the eyebrow is a common 18th Street gang member tattoo. Tattoos help a gang member gain respect and help add the essence of dedication for life. They can not only be inked on, but burned as well, with all matter of instruments from lighters and cigarettes to power-drill bits heated and then drilled into the flesh. The Sureños, for instance, wear blue bandanas and have tattoos like "13" and "XIII", "x3", "southside", whereas the Norteños wear red bandanas and have tattos like "14" and "XIV", "x4", "northside". GANG TYPES Apart from street gangs, there are Motorcycle Gang s (such as Hells Angels , the Gypsy Jokers , Mongols , Vagos, etc.), as well as other clubs that might be designated as gangs based around other shared Hobbies or activities. These gangs tend to go international with their activities as soon as they can.In Los Angeles County today,there are 88 incorporated cities and dozens of other unincorporated places in Los Angeles County (LAC) with Crips firmly established in 24 cities and areas in the county. There are approximately 20,000 Asian gang members in Los Angeles County , with a diversity of backgrounds and affiliations. There are Asian gangs affiliated with Sureños, Bloods and Crips, as well as independent entities such as the Chinese wah chings, Philipino , Cambodian and Vietnamese gangs. There are Hispanic gangs in Los Angeles County . The Sureños ("southerners") are Mexican , Salvadorean , and Guatemalan . They assist the Mexican Mafia through their presence in the streets, through drug-dealings and through violence and homicide. There are an estimated 500 gangs in Los Angeles County region. There are other Hispanic gangs like the 20,000-member 18th Street , the largest gang in Los Angeles County. Most of them are Mexican and Chicano , with some Salvadorean membership, and a few Blacks. There are other Hispanic gangs outside of Southern California like in California Central Valley and Northern California . They are called Norteños ("northerners"). Most of them are Chicano or Black; a few are Caucasians . There is a strong rivalry between Norteños and Sureños. There are also numerous Prison Gang s or Security Threat Group s (such as the Mexican gang la Eme —the Mexican Mafia ), Organized Criminal Mafias (a term deriving originally from the Italian , but now also applied to the Russian Mafia ). There are also ethnically identified gangs, such as Asian criminal gangs (Such as the Chinese Triad s, Korea n Gangpeh , and the Japan ese Yakuza ) as well as Chinese-American identified, and that many gangs (especially prison gangs) maintain some ethnic majority or stereotype. Street gangs tend to be less organized than Mafias, Such as the Chinese Triad s, The infamous italian mafia crime families. GANG MEMBERS Individual members of gangs may be referred to as s". GANG WARFARE Gang warfare is the conflict between opposing Gang s. Gang warfare is commonly held over turf boundary disputes, the takeover of an area in order to bring in Narcotics to push on the streets, personal rivalries, or simply the fact that the opposing group is different in some way. Gang warfare takes a huge toll on cities, families, and communities involved, especially many cities in South/Central America and South Africa where the levels of gang violence have long dwarfed even American cities. SEE ALSO
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|