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.