My Intro to CRJ students should find this one rather interesting! :)
Rather interesting documentary on the 18th street gang which is one of the major street runners in L.A. This particular gang is responsible for the highest gang related murder rates in the South Central area and seems to be getting larger. A lot of the rival gangs are scared of this group and fighting over turf takes place daily. Check some of it out and let me know how you think this problem should be resolved!
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There's not much anyone can really do to stop gang violence in my opinion. Gangs go back in time and have always stuck around no matter how many gang members are caught and put away. Gangs fall under a federal, state, and local level. Whether on the street or in jail there are still gangs. Suggestions maybe on ways to resolve these problems could be cooperation or having gangs compromise someway. The only downside to this would be the leaders saying, "no way" and just continue on with what they are doing. These people kill and know that they can rule territory through numbers.They also know that people fear them and they can get away with almost anything they want. Recruitment is a way that they make themselves grow and become more prominent. Resolving problems between rival gangs would probably be a start but where to start is the question. Some say to just break their spirits and take them down that way, but spirit like theirs seems too proud and pure. I don't see gangs ever going away. And we would need a lot of people to work together to even make a dent in what they have established.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Katie when she wrote, “I don’t see gangs ever going away.” Although I do not believe we “...need alot of people to work together to even make a dent in what they have established.” I personally believe that one little action could cause a dent in the 18th Street Gang and many other gangs. The little action is simply having the Department of Labor lower the age limit for teenagers to work. Gangs are based highly on respect and family. If the age limit was lowered, than many teenagers could be working before they became gang members. The teenagers would be earning respect from their parents or other adults and there co-workers can act as family. Also many of the people interviewed in this documentary seem to not have a high support system. If the age limit was lowered than they would have a support system and wouldn’t need to join gangs. They would be able to start a job, make real money, and gain the family they wish for, while gaining high respect for the responsibility of the job they are undertaking.
ReplyDeleteI agree that being able to fully resolve the problem of gang violence is almost impossible. In my opinion, when we look at the issue of gang violence and why it is increasing, we have to visit the root causes of why people join gangs in the first place. Also, why there is so much violence associated with gang activity. Little to no parenting in the homes, poverty, peer pressure, drugs, and acceptance are just a few of the reasons people say they join gangs. These are also some of the same reasons there is a significant amount of gang violence. Completely resolving the issue of gang violence is highly unlikely. However, I do believe that minimizing the amount of violence in gangs is possible. In order to successfully minimize the problem, our community and all levels of government have to visit, recognize and continue to work on correcting some of the issues that influence people to participate in this worldwide epidemic of gang violence.
ReplyDeleteAmayes,
ReplyDeleteStrongly agree with you on your opinion about gangs never fully coming to an end and like you mentioned, "...minimizing the amount of violence is highly possible." I believe that in order to be able to minimize the amount of violence throughout gangs, the work should start from the bottom up. What I mean by this is that we first need to fix the causes as to why individuals, especially young teenagers, are joining gangs. These reasons could be due to high school dropouts, family violence, experiences with drugs and many more reasons. Therefore, these are issues that should be worked on in order to try minimizing the amount of individuals that are joining gangs at such a young age. However, some of these young individuals in the 18th street gang truly have no choice but to do their "duty" as one of the teenagers states throughout the video. Even though some do not choose" to be in a gang, they are chosen". The question now is, what to do to eliminate such situations from happening.
-Lis
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ReplyDeletewell i what i think about this is that everything starts from the family because in all of this you can see that almost no one has kind of solid family on their home... so here is when the roll of family can change everything... and all young people is looking for some support sadly here is where they find it... in fact... gangs and crime never going to disappear from society.... and maybe only maybe the way to fight against this problem is starting since the begging and that would be from home.....
ReplyDeleteThis video was shocking. I really wanted to slap some sense into that girl as she was getting “initiated” into this gang. I somewhat understand the attraction to a gang, if your life at home is not a loving one simply because a gang at least offers you some sort of stability and acceptance. I obviously do not agree with the gang’s activities but sympathize with the youth that feel that the gang life is the right life. I do agree that families need to start doing more at home to keep our youth from viewing the gang life as the way of the life and their only way of being “successful”. As far as Salvador is concerned, I feel that the people need to stand up and say that they are not going to take it anymore. The citizens need to take back their city, and let the gang know that is activity will no longer be tolerated. The United States has some responsibility to destroy this gang as well since they have been allow to penetrate our borders and recruit followers here. If the people start standing up for their country and city, and showing the gangs that they no longer fear them, the gangs will have a harder time committing their criminal acts. These gangs count on fear and intimidation and if people would stop rolling over for these gangs, eventually the gangs will stop being able to recruit and eventually be destroyed.
ReplyDeleteThis video was not to shocking growing up from a messed up neighborhood. No matter what we do there is gonna be gangs all around the world. Some big, some small and some more dangerous then others. Only thing people who are not in gangs or live in neighborhood like these is just keep a look out for your family and invest in some sort of security. But i agree with some of the blogers who say that families should do a better job of making sure their kids don't get involved with these activities. Unfortunately some kids are born into these situations all we can try to do is give our piece of mind. Life is a choice and death is a decision. If someone wants to waste their life away just make sure you are not caught up in it.
ReplyDeletei think that gang initiations in this video were rather shocking seeing kids younger than me killing and beating people. i think that gang violence will never stop and some people are less fortunate than others growing up in neighborhoods that have bad gang violence. i grew up in a pretty good wealthy city were there was no gang violence. but there are other people that grow up in bad neighborhoods and get started with gang violence at an early age.
ReplyDeleteWatching this video showed me a different view of gangs, and just a piece of how they work. When gang members go jail it’s hard for them to be a changed person sometimes even with god because you’re still surrounded by your members of the gang, your still around the environment. We should have a different system where there “locked up”, but with a different concepts. Something for view them a whole new idea of life. Even they though they right from wrong, once you’re in, you’re in theirs no turning back. That’s just their nature. That’s how they were brought up to be. And it’s really sad to say it or hear, but gangsters are just a part of life, we can keep fighting it, but it just keeps growing in different ways.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this video was a great insight towards this notorious gang. It provided numerous aspects of the lifestyle acquired once you have become a part of the 18th street gang. It's like a network expanding all over, yet a tight nit family whose problems are addressed right away.
ReplyDeleteI find the most interesting part about all of this is that it's a subculture that's slowly been building in our world today, due to many different things. For example poverty and not limited to one's own state of mind. We all make chooses everyday it's our action that lead us towards the type of lifestyle which we want to live. You always have a choice it's in your hands.
I don't ever see gangs going away.. Even if you were to get some under control in one area, like they said in the video there are 7,000 people who participate in this eighteen gang and it's just too hard to regulate for authorities to truly be able to do something.. I don't think that we should just completely throw the towel in because we do need to make efforts in at least slowing down gang involvement and spreading to the younger generation.. it's crazy to me that this kid is 16 years old and running a neighborhood and giving older people orders and is doing like he said "a man's job".. how he thinks it's any persons job to kill anyone is beyond me. This is a lifestyle that people thrive off of and that people truly feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves so they're willing to do whatever it takes to be that ideal gang member. In order for gangs to dismember, it's going to take literally everyone in them to want better for themselves and to change their lives around for the better.. but like they say once you're in, you're in.. there's no easy way to get out and the people who truly do want to remove themselves from the situation don't have the resources or a clean record to flee to where they could start a new life.
ReplyDeleteWe all have no idea why people join a gang? For the sense of love they are shown by the gang? Maybe they dont get enough love at home? Maybe it is a sense of protection? I dont know, everyone has their reasons, I am thankful God blesses me with the family that I have. But I understand everyone person in this world is different and some people will join the gang, knowing it is not right. I dont think we can do much to prevent people from joining a gang. The kid in this video is 16 years old! I didnt even know what alcohol tasted like at that age, but this kid is ordering hits on people and giving people much older than he...orders? Are you kidding me? I honestly dont understand how we can stop these gangs from growing. 7000 members in the 18th street gang alone...they are only going to grow. They are violent, so people will listen because of fear. People will join to be protected...its just the way they grow up I guess. Only thing we can realy do is pray for these individuals...but like the video said, once youre in....you are in....they will continue to recruit for the gang inside or outside the prison walls.
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