Nisa Marckese

English 114 B

Professor Jordan

February 12, 2013

Gangs, Drugs, and Power

            Gang violence and drug abuse has been a huge problem in Los Angeles, CA for years. The United States have been dealing with the Bloods, Crips, MS-13, 18^th Street Gang, and even little smaller street gangs that have now become problems nationwide.  A gang is a group of people who take part in an internally run organization that involves illegal acts of crime and violence. There are different types of gangs all over the United States fighting and standing up for all types of issues but the gangs we are most familiar with are the ones that are affiliated with drug smuggling/ usage, violence, and even death. Gangs are like countries within themselves usually with rules and regulations each member must abide by and if they do not comply with the rules the member must pay the consequences.  Gang violence and drug abuse in Los Angeles can best be prevented by hiring more police officers to patrol and control the city, motivational extracurricular activities to motivate gang members to participate in positive group activities, more rehabilitation centers for drug abuse and education, and to promote and make people aware of the negativity that gangs bring into environments.

In America we have police to help serve and protect us from dangerous things such as gangs but do we have enough police to control the problem gangs bring to neighborhoods? If Los Angeles were to increase the number of police that patrol the areas gangs control then gangs could see that police department is sending out more patrols which could potentially reduce their violence, and drug dealing. According to this article, “Baltimore police focus foot patrols on violent areas” published by Wbaltv.com, Baltimore police have come up with a strategy to control violence and crime that Los Angeles police should consider using. Anthony Guglielmi, a police spokesman who was quoted in the article stated, "You'll see officers walking on foot in various neighborhoods. You'll see officers driving with their flashers on,” (Wbaltv.com) which tells me that these men are taking the extra precautions to make their city a safer environment by patrolling on foot around neighborhoods where they suspect gang rivalry is the cause of violence and illegal drug acts. It might not even have to be an everyday routine for police but once or twice a week would be sustainable enough to make gang members aware that there are being measures taken to take them down.

            Extracurricular activities are usually activities people do for fun on their free time. However, if Los Angeles created extracurricular activity programs for gang members to come together and bond in a positive way doing activities such as, sports, hiking, etc., without including violence and drugs then Los Angeles’ streets will be free of gangs. This would be helpful for gang members because it will force them to socialize and be friendly toward one another despite their past differences. Parks and Recreational sports is a prime example of a program that includes extracurricular sports, dance classes, and fitness classes that people can participate in. Los Angeles could create a program similar to the way cities Parks and Rec’s are run to send these gang members to so they can potentially learn how to work together, form healthier relationships and stay off the streets. A program called The V2K Helper Foundation, which is currently in Los Angeles, is an example of a program that helps gang members focus on bettering themselves through “counseling, mentoring, parenting classes, anger management and life-skills training, after school activities such as sports, art programs and field trips,”(Helperfoundation.org). This program also helps control problems between gangs and solves rivalry issues by holding multiple interventions. It will even offer job training if a gang member is in need of a real job instead of dealing drugs as a form of income.

Drug rehabilitation is usually for people with serious drug addictions and if most gangs sell drugs illegally they are most likely consuming them as well. Not saying each gang member needs serious drug rehabilitation but for some gang members drug awareness is necessary and they should know the harmful plus the illegal side of dealing and taking drugs. For gangs, dealing drugs is the quickest and easiest way to make money but also dangerous. When selling drugs not only do they have to worry about law enforcement catching them but they also have to worry about rival gangs coming after them. This website called TheGoodDrugsGuide.com which talks about gangs and their affiliation with drugs and alcohol and numerous ways to treat these gang members. According to the website, “it’s not easy reaching out to a young person involved in a gang and helping them overcome their dependence on drugs or alcohol. The process is a challenging one because: image is everything, an acceptance of drug and alcohol abuse, and retribution” (thegooddrugsguide.com). Having being in a gang comes with a lot of power. Looking tough and remaining loyal is an important image to keep when being in a gang and showing any signs of weakness will get them on bad terms with other members. They always say the only way to fixing an addiction is first admitting you have one. The acceptance of drug and alcohol abuse is common in gang members because they think it is okay but once they hear other perspectives it makes it difficult for them to comply. Retribution is a very serious thing amongst gang members because there’s usually no way out of being a part of the gang unless they kill you and that’s usually another reason why it is hard to give it up. The website also lists the benefits of going through rehabilitation, “they have a much clearer perspective on life that shows them how precious life is, and how many options await them outside of the gang” (thegooddrugsguide.com).

Gang awareness is not something usually seen on television being promoted. Most people know that gangs are terrible enough to stay away from and to try not to get involved with them or to be caught in the cross fire. To be able to control the problem in Los Angeles promoting gang awareness about the negative effects it has on members and on neighborhoods should be considered as well. Running commercials advertising programs that help support gang members through becoming clean and changing their lives is one route Southern California could make.

Not every member of a gang is necessarily trouble. There could potentially be members of a gang who maybe did not have a choice to join or not and were simply raised and brought up around people who affiliated themselves with gangs. As soon as these children were old enough to kill or join they forced and what would be the consequences of saying no? Could it be death? Or maybe it would be a brutal beating. However, just because these members were potentially forced into the gang does not make them as bad as those who join for the wrong reasons.

Gangs and their affiliation with drugs and violence in Los Angeles is a very serious problem and have been for many years. Most gangs which started off small in Los Angeles have now spread throughout the United States. By increasing police, introducing more ways to promote gang awareness, offer extracurricular activities, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation are all ways to eliminate gangs and make the streets of Los Angeles a lot safer.

Works Cited

"Baltimore Police Focus Foot Patrols On Violent Areas." Editorial. Http://www.wbaltv.com.                 

N.p., 28 Nov. 2012. Web. <http://www.wbaltv.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/Baltimore-police-focus-foot-patrols-on-violent-areas/-/10131532/17575448/-/wjuo5a/-/index.html?absolute=true>.

"Gang Affiliated Drug and Alcohol Treatment." Gang Affiliated Drug and Alcohol Rehab

Centers. Thegooddrugsguide.com, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. <http://www.thegooddrugsguide.com/drug-and-alcohol-treatment/population/gang-affiliated-treatment/index.htm>

"V2K H.E.L.P.E.R. Foundation." H.E.L.P.E.R. Foundation Provide Gang Intervention

Prevention Services. Helperfoundation.org, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2013.    <http://helperfoundation.org/programs.html>. 

Kevin Marquez

Gangs have been around for many years and have been good and bad for people. They are good for most indivual but bad for society and cummunities as a whole, but there are both pros and cons to being and having gangs around. Most of the good reason are that it creates good connection and strong relations between each other but then on the other hand it causes death and violence. The good thing is that state government departments are doing whatever they can to keep things calm and keep them from killing each other.93 They are starting up programs to help slove the problems of gangs such as sports leagues and monthly meets to talk about isues and situations that are ocurring and causing problems that will cause violence. The right steps are being taken to help the community and keep the streets clean from violence and drugs. I feel that one day that we can turn all gangs away from violence and to a straight and honest path.

Kevin Marquez

Professor Rachael Jordan

English 114B

Feb 12th, 2013

Gangs good or bad?

There is a very important issue going on throughout the entire world and it's rapidly growing at a pace that we can't contain it at. If you don't know what I'm talking about here is a hint, it has to do with gangs. My question that has really got me thinking about whether gangs are good or bad or rather the pros and cons of gang life and what they contribute to people and society, they are spreading throughout the world at such a rapid pace that no can control. My personal opinion is that gangs are bad even though there are many pros to being in a gang. I'll let you decide for yourself if gangs are good or bad for society and the people in it.

Let's first start with how to even get into a gang or be ignigiated into one sense that's how it all starts. When people first want to get into a gang they have to be initiated. They usually "jump" you or beat you up in order to be a part of the crew. This is physical punishment to show you won't break and will always stay loyal to the gang even if someone is beating them to death. They get about 5-7 gang members to do the beating and they beat you till they feel it is enough that they can’t take anymore. That alone in its self is negative because why would anyone beat someone up to let them join in your gang or crew and pledge. Next is that they always have to be "down" or in other words always have each other’s backs whether they have to kill or lie for them. Usually after the beating later they will have to prove yourself and kill or rob someone to show that you’re not afraid to get down and dirty and do whatever it takes. If they have to kill or rob someone just to prove that they have their backs that are terrible in it altogether. They  might start to question and ask why they would even want to go through such a harsh punishment just to get inside of a gang.
Imagine, chilling and hanging out with friends on a nice and beautiful day at the park. Everyone is laughing, talking, and having a great time. Suddenly another group of people walk up and everyone scatters except one person. One person from the group starts talking to the lone person by themselves and then all of a sudden the entire group starts to beat that one indiviual up. Defense less from the kicking, punching, and grabing they just take it. Everntually they stop when the person can't take anymore and the group walks away and says "welcome to the life"
If physical punishment isnt enough to top it all off  putting teir own life at risk by killing someone and having them try to kill them back, not to mention retaliation from other gangs member they just tried or did kill. Even getting caught by the authorities and spending  life in prison just for something as dumb as that. Murder is life in prison without payroll. Is that really worth it? Many gang members say that it gives them respect when they kill or do a job for their gang, that it's all about status and how high on the ladder they are. Never should anyone have to show allegiance to someone by killing another human beinging just to get status points and respect within their gang. Anyone that asks to do something like that can't be a friend at all much rather than a family member, the gang life is tough when you have choose between killing someone and your family. No family member would ever make someone kill someone else for something no matter what. They would just want to make sure that they are always safe and well taken care of not worrying if they will kill someone for them. That kind of pressure should not be put on anyone, especially teens and young adults. Being a teen or young adult and have to decide whether to obey family or have basic morals and not kill someone is to much to handle. No one should never have to choose between family and taking a life at such a young age.

Well many people that join gangs have a variety of reasons to join a gang whether its because of a bad home life or are loners and are trying to find somewhere they can fit in and have a home and family, or maybe just to have an outlet to get away from something for a while. Many gang members say that they are in gangs because mostly it runs in the family and they don't know any other way then the gang life. So gangs help having a stable home for many lonely and desperate people that are begging to fit in somewhere and have people to truly have family members or care about them. Another thing about being in a gang is that they can make a good living through the gang and make a lot of cash money. You can make money through numerous ways through the gang life such as drug dealing, killing people, cooking drugs, sex, ect. Making money off these things are very easy and can make a large sum of money within a short period of time, which is good. Most popular is prostitution which is where they have sex slaves and have people have sex with them for money.

Many people might protest that this is no way to make a living, but for many people this is their only option in life. Most people are born into the gang life, meaning that it runs in the family. Peer pressure plays a big role in joining a gang than many may think. Some kids feel obligated to be a part of a gang because they have to live up to their parents name or that’s what all their friends do and it’s the "cool" thing to do. They can't tell their parents or brothers and sisters that they don't want the gang life because the gang life chooses them. People could say "well they always have a choice with their actions" and well that might be true but try telling your whole entire family that you dont want to be when they all are apart of it. It's very rare for something to happen like that that you can fight against the odds and make a true and honest life.

There are many issues when it comes to gangs and their violence. They use a variety of ways for violence such as using guns and knives or even their fists. Gun trafficking is also big into gangs now a days that quickly spread into violence and death. They buy guns illegally from the black market or even smuggle them in from other countries. There are many deaths that come from gangs from stabbings to shooting everyday throughout the entire world.

There are alternatives to help find a solution and solve these major issues that gangs are creating for themselves and everyone else. Cities should start programs where if one gang has a problem with another one they can come in with police and settle things peacefully and not have to go out and kill them and possibly innocent lives. That is one solution they could happen and if that doesn’t work then they should start up sports leagues for gangs or dance battles. You might laugh when you read dance battles but in some cities gangs dance against each other underground to show who is better and to also get respect. Doing something as weird as this can really help the community. As for the sports leagues they could play football against each other which is a contact sport that could help release anger. Many ciites have started teams and leagues such as these to calm gang violence and let them show who is better on the field or the court. I feel that all theses actions that state departments are taking to help keep the streets clean and safe will and should be effective with these leagues.

Dealing with the reasons

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Gangs In LA
Jordan Escobar

           

Violence consisting of gangs and drugs can be noted in mostly all places around the world. In North America gang violence is occurring the most in the heart of California. “The County and City of Los Angeles are the “gang capital” of the U.S nation.”(Delgadillo) Violence is the culture in gang activity, anybody in the area is fair game, including men, women and children. Once, gang members used chains, and knives, they now use shotguns, automatic rifles, handguns and explosives. Once, victims of gang violence were rival gang members. Now they are often innocent bystanders killed or injured by stray bullets. Small communities are being harassed by gang wars and drug extortion that innocent people are becoming victims to, such as children raised with gang culture around, business in drug distribution with young teens, and streets that need to work as a community to fix the problem, the best way to solve the problem would have to be start at birth which is the children and give the “role model” that is needed to raise the future of the communities.

Gangs often form along ethnic and racial lines, although there is an increasing trend of young people joining gangs for brotherhood in a way because of no guidance of parents and protection. In Latino gangs the homicides that occur the most or are the usual street stories are the initiation of going into manhood and respect from the elder gang members. The office of justice states that “Those that are gang–involved tend to be motivated by mutual antagonism with rival gang members, disputes over territory or turf, a desire to show fearlessness or loyalty to the group, an effort to promote one’s social status or self–image, or retaliation against real or perceived disrespect or insults.”(Brotherton) The reason to know this is that not all gangs think the same way, eventhough the media depicts the gangs as killing machines and kill everyone there are many factors on which why it all starts and the main conflicts with other rival gangs. “Much of the violence springs from rivalries between black and Latino gangs, especially in neighborhoods where the black population has been declining and the Latino population surging.” (Archibold) Since there is not much support with the image children are being faced with young teens are seeing this violence as a form of protection for themselves which can be understandable when there is no support of media showing positive outcomes from there neighborhoods.
From these racial hate crimes that emerge a lot of protection is needed for the community living through the war zone and innocent kids are even involved with the racial hate. With having a disorganized community with not much support of the city departments gangs take control in there own way.“In Harbor Gateway, the neighborhood where Cheryl Green was killed, tension had grown so severe that blacks and Latinos formed a dividing line on a street that both sides understood never to cross and a small market was unofficially declared off-limits to blacks. Ms. Lovett had warned her children not to go near the line, 206th Street, but Cheryl had ridden her scooter near it to talk to friends when she was shot.”(Archibold) The hatred that the gangs has made for each other is unbearable for many innocent people and are living life with fear because of racism between minorities which should be minorities helping each other go forward in life. The problem with young kids living in gang infested neighborhoods is the reason to join the gang become even higher with there surrondings. “Children may be living in fear on a daily basis and see joining a gang as a solution to problems.” (Brotheron) As the saying goes if you can not beat them, join them is a common saying many kids would try to go for when joining a famil of protection and a form of brotherhood, when in reality it is all corrupted with how the gangs are ran with corrupted cops, and a corrupted community council that can show no hope, but come to help when there is someone dead.

As the years go by there is always a drop and a rise in gang violence, its as if there is no control of sustainability with the people in it and there actions. According to the Spergel model, which is a project made to reduce gang violence in small communities “Gang problems result from the interaction of sociological, demographic, economic, and cultural factors along with social instability and lack of economic opportunity.”(casa) How this project is trying to fix the problem with gangs is by incorporating the youth and the reasons on why they have joined a gang. The model focuses on providing them with support services by involving their families, local organizations, and communities. With having this solution for young teens and kids that are surrounded by gang influence, this can help letting people know that being involved in gangs is not the only option for them. Although researchers noted very small changes in the communities with kids going to school and suspensions in the schools, most were not gang violence that were caused in the streets. The other solution that is going through is by taking away the power of the gangs. City Attorney Delgadillo advocated by “removing the gangs' monetary power by filing civil suits against them for damages they cause to neighborhoods and then using the settlement money to improve those neighborhoods.”(Delgadillo) He said he currently has a bill pending that would allow him to file civil suits against gangs. Both solutions are being incorporated with different approaches to gang violence, but the most important matter is that the kids should live in a safe area with a balance of strict LAPD force but also mentoring with community volunteers or programs that would satisfy psychological needs for kids that need a positive role model to live by. 

Today, gang-related homicides are at an all time low. Many gang members have found themselves in jail due to a huge police focus on reducing the crime rate. At the same time, there has not been a large decrease in the number of gangs. Today, the political nature of gangs has been completely lost. For many people, gangs fill some sense of family or belonging that was missing in their life, however, it has come at a price. Gangs have had a destructive effect on the community. They have torn apart communities rather than build unity. The media has glorified and created an image of gang members as heroes and survivors. But most people that have been touched by gang violence in their own personal lives and know that there are ways to receive help and help others in this problematic situation.  The support that one gives to a community helps more than justifying and making the community resemble a place of no hope when in reality it just needs a helping hand to the innocent children that are affected by the people that did not receive the same help.

Understanding The Reasons

 

Gangs are not a phenomenom, it has always been evolving and transforming  by no acceptance of scociety, rapid and uncontrolled urban growth, community disorganization, racism,  presence of  drugs and weapons, politics, mental health issues, problematic families and most important lack of a positve role model.There can be so many reasons on why there are never good reasons on joing a gang, in an attempt to address the gang issue and the problems gangs cause within our community and society as a whole, at times we become focused on what gang involved youth are doing rather than what they are missing in their lives which is contributing to their behavior and involvement with gangs. Why are they involved with gangs when there are other youths who live in the same neighborhoods and go to the same schools, play together and even attend the same churches that have not fallen into the gang lifestyle? Adolescent children receive more information with there eyes rather than words. When there is violence around thats what they are raised with. Unless there is a solution of organizing the community, have stronger authority to distribution of guns, and drugs, and have positve role models to the children in the urban communities.  

A young kid representing the notorious 18th st. gang that was started in the Rampart area of Los Angeles which then became so stong with 2nd generation hispanic immigrants that became worldwide is recruiting with no restraints of age and ethnic race.




Jordan Escobar

Let's End This

            Gangs in L.A

            Gangs can be hard to control and even harder to put an end to. We live in a society where not only violence is committed but seen in a daily bases. What does this mean to us? Should we keep deciding to look past this awful mess? Citizens expect ‘someone’ to take care of it all. But who are this people, and what are they really doing? Is it working?

Let’s take our own L.A County into perspective. The L.A County has one of the biggest police force around but our crime rates our still flying with the airplanes. L.A.P.D, themselves, stated that “Gangs are not a new phenomenon” and that there was a total of “16,398 verified violent gang crimes in the City of Los Angeles” in these last 3 years. (http://www.lapdonline.org/get_informed/content_basic_view/1396 ) The number is outrages. This averages out to about 455 crimes a month and about 15 a day.

So what does the government force try to do? It is said that the FBI takes on the “high end gangs into research”. They decide to take out the main connection of the lower ‘less’ criminals: Giant drug lords, human trafficking, psychotic murders etc. A smart idea, put it doesn’t look like it is working. What they should be doing is tackling the base of the pyramid not the top.

            It won’t be easy, and life never is. Many cases remain unsolved because witnesses of theses gang crimes do not wish to talk to the police enforcement or any government forces. What these people might not understand is that we can’t help the community if they don’t want to help enforcement. A community moves as a whole so every single one of the citizens has to correspond to one another. Many times there is no one to testify or help convict the people whom are being prosecuted so they get‘off the hook’. This is what makes the investigation hard and the judge of getting criminals off the streets difficult.

            We have to stop this. NOW. Getting these men, women, and children all labeled as criminals and prosecuted is not going to break the endless cycle we see in gangs. Instead of pushing this ‘criminals’ of the streets or even trying to, we should turn them around.

Thankfully we already have many organizations with this same mission as this one. Organizations like the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, and Parks and Recreation are just a few names. The L.A. Parks and Recreation’s mission reads that they will try their best to “enrich the lives of the residents of Los Angeles” . They carry on their plans by giving the citizens many different activities and recreational events to attend. This helps support the idea to “be good stewards of our environment” and by being part of a fun full organization it makes it easy . (http://www.laparks.org/dos/dept/mission.htm) Kids can go hangout here instead. Do activities that well help them in the future. Become better leaders so they to can make help others be better motivated. And let’s motivate them and give them the opportunities to go do something greater.

            Motivation that is what gets people going. Finding out what motivates you and the people around you/ A solution to increase the help to end L.A. gang problems is to give a word of motivation to someone. You do not have to be part of an organization. You yourself can do this by greeting the next person you see with a smile and a piece of motivational words. “The early bird gets the worm”, “bring home the bacon” anything really. This will bring the community closer as a whole. And bring the community together as one can end the lines of boundaries these L.A. streets give us. The same streets who have caused many pains of sorrow, grief, and deaths.

            This means that age does not matter. If one is willing to change not only his point of view but his actions then, he can change his life in the directions that he has chosen. Be a leader, show someone respect, be energized, and you will get it all back from one another. Many times people feel alone. Being alone can lead people to be driven to fit in others become emotionally unstable. Sometime all someone needs is a smile. So we must give a smile and if we’re lucky we’ll get one in return.(:   -Maria Soria

 

                                                                                                                      

 

Gangs; "We'll protect you".

-Maria Soria