Gang Violence
“…This unbelievably barbaric gang rape, where you actually had the mother cheering on her 18-year-old, one of at least seven, maybe as many as 10 rapists… this case was really, really aggravated because it wasn't anything this young lady did. They were trying to get back at her boyfriend who, as you suggest, is a member of a rival gang,” (Rivera, G. www.accessmylibrary.com). Gangs have been a hot button issue for quite some time because they are making drugs more prevalent in schools and creating an unsafe environment in many communities. Gangs have become more and more violent in recent years as new “hot products” hit the market. They are constantly causing issues within a lot of communities. Gangs have also begun the recruiting at younger ages. Many elementary school students in some areas are already affiliated with gangs. We have to find concrete ways to help stop the rapid spread of gangs into newer communities, as well as prevent them from maintaining control of their current ones.
As new drugs hit the market, each gang finds ways to get their hands on them. Each set also has to establish a market for these new drugs. This is where most of the gang related violence, or gang wars, are stemmed from. Most gangs are driven by one thing, money. If another gang decides to impede upon their “turf”, then that takes away from their profits. Also, if they see a specific area doing well, they may try to increase profits by taking over a specific area from another gang. This is where a lot of the gang violence within the communities is coming from. To make matters worse, gangs are spreading more into the suburbs now in an attempt to make more money. Gang related violence is starting to spill over into the suburbs because of this. An 18-year-old male was shot in a California suburb in September because of a case of mistaken identity according to police. The man did not have any affiliation with any local gangs. This kind of violence has become more...
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