Gang Characteristics

When discussing the topic of gangs you must realize that no two gangs are the same. This uniqueness is made up of many different characteristics that are personalized to each individual gang. The three main characteristics that make up a gang are: 1) being unplanned and spontaneous in their creation, 2) having face-to-face interactions between members on a daily basis, and 3) moving forward together at the same pace and being met with some sort of criminal situation that they must deal with together. The fact that a gang must be unplanned in origin is because most are created through a group of individuals meeting on the street one day and creating a group based off of their meeting and interaction. Face-to-face interactions are crucial to the makeup of a gang due to the fact that a gang is a close knit
They look out for each other at all times. In regards to looking out for each other they share common enemies and conflicts that they must learn to deal with together. These enemies may be rival gangs, police officers, or even gang members that have turned away from the group. The stereotypical example of rival gang conflict is the Bloods and Crips dynamic in Los Angeles, California. These gangs are bitter rivals that have led to a multitude of gang related crimes just because they defend their own gang pride and despise the other gang. However, during their downtime the majority of gang members spend their time loafing around or going out to perform (criminal or noncriminal) activities together in order to further build their bonds. They may even go so far as to live in the same house or compound in order to spend as much time together as possible. The activities that the gang members do together often times include gambling, stealing, drinking, and even having sex. This is why quite a few gangs own bars where they can do all of these activities in one controlled