Essay On Gang Violence
“Gang violence in America is not a sudden problem. It has been a part of urban life for years, offering an aggressive definition and identity to those seeking a place to belong in the chaos of large metropolitan.” Dave Reichert, United States Congressman. Street gangs have been around in the United States as far back as 1783. In contrast to today’s modern street gangs, many early gangs on the east coast were even multi-ethnic, the gangs were compromised of boys from the same neighborhoods (Howell and Moore, “History of Street Gangs”). Just like todays gang members these boys engaged in violence and the gangs compromised these boys basic socialization through adolescence (Howell and Moore, “History of Street Gangs”). Gang violence does not
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Children at the psychosocial stages of development are trying to figure out who they are and usually this development would come from their parents. If the parents are absent though, or are modeling bad behavior themselves, they will turn to their peers in the gang (Taylor 343). The main thing is if these boys feel secure and loved in their home life, and if their parents take an interest in their life, these boys would be far less likely to turn to a gang or be susceptible to being introduced into gang life (Maughan).
Another contributing factor to why these boys join gangs is their socioeconomic status (SES); this is the combination of education, income, and their occupation. Klein had this to say about street gangs;
Street gangs are an amalgam of racism, or urban underclass poverty, of minority youth culture, of fatalism in the face of rampant deprivation, or political insensitivity, and the gross ignorance of inner-city (and inner-town) America on the part of most of us who don’t have to survive there.
In a 1999 survey, respondents were asked to identify gang members by social class. The following table illustrates the
Children at the psychosocial stages of development are trying to figure out who they are and usually this development would come from their parents. If the parents are absent though, or are modeling bad behavior themselves, they will turn to their peers in the gang (Taylor 343). The main thing is if these boys feel secure and loved in their home life, and if their parents take an interest in their life, these boys would be far less likely to turn to a gang or be susceptible to being introduced into gang life (Maughan).
Another contributing factor to why these boys join gangs is their socioeconomic status (SES); this is the combination of education, income, and their occupation. Klein had this to say about street gangs;
Street gangs are an amalgam of racism, or urban underclass poverty, of minority youth culture, of fatalism in the face of rampant deprivation, or political insensitivity, and the gross ignorance of inner-city (and inner-town) America on the part of most of us who don’t have to survive there.
In a 1999 survey, respondents were asked to identify gang members by social class. The following table illustrates the