History of Street Gangs and Reasons for Joining

When I think of when and how street gangs began, I also think of who were the first groups to create gangs.

History of Street Gangs

Some of the factors that played a role in the emergence of gangs are immigration, poverty, prejudice, urbanization, inadequate living conditions, and ethnicity. Youth have formed groups since the outset of time, usually of their own age group. Gangs of the 1880’s consisted of German, Polish, Irish, and Italian youth. Some of these groups committed what can be considered harmful acts of crime. The response for these types of gangs was that these “maladjusted” youth just needed proper guidance to lead healthy and successful lives. This makes me ask myself why were the German, Polish, Irish, and Italian youth gangs seen differently than the types of gangs we most commonly hear about now, Chicanos, African Americans, and Central Americans.

Ethno-Historical Considerations

Chicanos

Since the inception of Los Angeles: Chicanos were original inhabitants, submerged by changes under Anglo influences, rediscovered later and framed as newcomers throughout different flows of large scale immigration in the 1920’s. Immigration increased the original Mexican plaza settlement, and they were located in ecological inferior spaces/enclaves subjected to flooding or on hills with limited and poor travel routes.  

African American

American Blacks migrated to Los Angeles after WWI and WWII due to jobs. They faced racism and discrimination, and they were zoned to Central Avenue district. They also faced persistent poverty and disruption of social control. The struggles to change the conditions grew during and after the 1960’s, in addition to the lack of leadership after the Civil Rights Movement.    

Central American

The Central American population settled in the 1980’s. They fled their homeland in the midst of a highly charged civil war. They were war torn countries, exposed to high rates of torture and trauma, economic instability, and anti-immigrant social and political climate. This population concentrated to Mid-City (Pico Union/East Hollywood).     

These groups, Chicanos, African Americans, and Central Americans, were already marginalized prior to entering the United States. So now we have to pay special attention to the social control agents: family, school, and law enforcement. Some key factors about social control agents are that they are primary agents who are uniquely adaptive and responsive to the concerns of society. Its joint actions or inactions exacerbate street socialization.

What are Reasons for Joining Gangs?

Every youth has basic needs for feelings of self-worth, identity, acceptance, recognition, companionship, belonging, purpose, and security. When families, schools, churches, and communities do not meet these needs, gangs may! Gangs can often supply what traditional systems have failed to provide (i.e. love, affirmation, encouragement, hope, and a chance). Although this may sound completely dysfunctional, this is what is happening with the current gang problem. Some identifying variables are single parent families (female centered), inadequate supervision of children, domestic violence, family history of alcoholism and drug addiction, below poverty level, inadequate housing, and pressures of acculturation and discrimination. Youth at high risk of joining a gang may show poor school attendance/performance, anti-social behavior, telltale signs of gang activity, gang association, poor family involvement, neighborhood influence, and active gangs in schools.           

 

The history of street gangs plays a large role in the way we view gangs today, and it is also an explanation of why youth are driven to join gangs. It is difficult to understand gang youth mentalities, but it is possible to intervene at an early age to prevent high-risk youth from making irrational decisions.

What is a Gang and Their Culture?

So What is a Gang?

I’ve always wondered how politicians and law enforcement define a gang. According to the California Penal Code 186.22, a gang is “Any on-going organization, association or group of three or more persons, whether formal or informal, having as one of its primary activities the commission of crime (including fights, intimidation, and threats), having a common name or common identifying sign or symbol, whose members individually or collectively engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal activity.”

What is the Definitional Problem?  

The definitional problem is that there is no accepted or straightforward definition of a gang. Criminologists, sociologists, and other gang researchers have struggled with a definition for years! The U.S. Department of Justice held a series of meetings between researchers, policy makers, community activists, police, and others, but was unsuccessful.    

What are the Consequences of the Definitional Problem?

A gang can be any group that you or another responsible person think is a gang. For example, no disrespect towards any members of Greek life, but fraternities and sororities can be seen as gangs. They fit the definition of a gang. They are on-going organizations of three or more who have a common name, identifying signs and symbols, and to some extent, engage in criminal activity such as underage drinking and hazing.     

Now that I’ve discussed the definition of a gang, the definitional problem and its consequences, what’s missing from the definition?

CULTURE is missing! “The distinctive set of values, beliefs, customs, and morals that have been learned and transmitted through generations and are shared by a small or large group of people with common language and geographical proximity.” Culture is not static. It evolves from dynamic multi-leveled social interactions between individuals and their ecological environment. Culture allows individuals to give meaning and interpretation to life experiences.

  

What can we take from all this information?

When cultural norms are tested and challenged by: individuals or groups (e.g., racial tensions), environmental, social, political, and/or historical differences (e.g., school context, civil war, 3rd world), adaptations occur and give rise to subcultures or contracultures. A subculture or contraculture is “a group of people with a distinct normative system of beliefs, values, attitudes, and behavioral habits that conflict with that of a larger dominant culture.” Gangs emerge when adolescent alienation occurs, and adolescent alienation occurs when family, schools, and other institutions fail to meet youth needs. Identification with the gang contraculture provides: sense of belonging to a family type system, sense of being fully accepted and validated, sense of competency and mastery, an accepted means of managing psychological distress, and sense of personal cultural identity.        

The Gang Culture

The rejection of dominant culture values is evident in the: unique style of dress, slang language and hand signs, tattoos and graffiti symbols, and antisocial behaviors (criminal activity and drug use). The gang contraculture secures prestige, financial success, and status for alienated youth. Some of the gang values include power, respect, loyalty, attachment, commitment, protection, security, unity, and acceptance. These values can be found in the dominant culture; however, gangs maintain a twisted interpretation of them. For example, power is gained by the amount and type of trouble a member experiences. Displaying toughness through physical strength and fighting ability earn respect. Loyalty may be determined by the willingness of a member to commit a drive-by shooting.

The ambiguous definition of a gang and its failure to include culture has caused lots of confusion among society. Culture is very important when defining a gang because it is ultimately one of the primary reasons of gang emergence.