Gangs: Turning Innocents Into Militants

   One of the most prevalent factors for inner city youth delinquency is the heavy and persistently glorified aspect of street gangs.  Street gangs started as a method for public safety back in the days of the 1960's and 70's during the civil rights movements.  The Black Panther Party and the Brown Berets were known to utilize the structure of a "gang", but were using it for social progression and inner city assistance.  They started programs that battled youth hunger, tutoring programs for the children who needed assistance with their school work as well as an organized neighborhood assistance unit.  Since the days of standing up for the political mistreatment of people of color, these gangs were instituted to minimize the oppression handed out by the police and their intolerant allies.

   Since then, organized street gangs have left the uplifting political aspect of their mission and have become engulfed in the illicit drug trade, extortion, and fueling a mindset designed to divide and conquer the very people responsible for the happenings throughout the country and the world; themselves.  One of the stats that stands out is that from 1975 to 2000, gangs have increased from 4,481 to 30,818 with over 750,000 members in over 3,000 different jurisdictions.  Media glorification has exposed people to the negative aspects of gang life and the culture, but it is also partially responsible for the consistent increase in numbers for gang membership since the gangs were developed.

   Shows like Gangland and video games such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas have shed light on the various aspects of gang life ranging from murder to drug trafficking.  Even though shows like Gangland express the negative role that gangs can play, that information does not show itself until the final fifteen minutes of the show, thus celebrating the other things that encumber gang activity and gang life.  The video game openly encourages you to go out and look for rival gangs to then mutilate them as the player sees fit to gain respect in the virtual world.  These things glorify the lifestyle that many people see as an easy going life choice with many opportunities to gain the fancy cars, the respect, and whatever else society sees in relation to the positive aspects of gang culture.  Although they do show the negative connotations, much of their show is glorifying the lifestyle while giving terminology that the viewing audience (which is mainly younger people) uses.

   The culmination of such an influential entity has become a predator for impressionable, young and misguided youth throughout the inner cities of this country.  This In the inner cities of Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and New York, the mixing the constant despair with a lack of structural resources and psychological stability has guided the inner city youth into a separate sector of street militia that has transformed into an international phenomena.
   http://www.streetgangs.com/