Adele Kubein: Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs

Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMCGs) is a contemporary issue that engulfs Australian society. What makes prosecution of such gangs so complex is the strong foothold that gangs have in organised crime and the façade that is worn in order to evade the eyes of the law. Various responses have been implemented in order to cease all violence and more importantly disenfranchise organised crime and prosecute those within the illegal syndicates. Legal responses put into act are: task forces and intelligence and lastly, targeting the organisation and membership. The non-legal responses on the other hand are, the media and the formation of political parties.

Devil’s Diciples Motorcycle Club, with “disciples” intentionally misspelled, is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan with chapters across the United States. It is a violent biker gang with around 250 patched members throughout the country; approximately 60 patched members being in Michigan alone. They prefer to keep their numbers small, making it easier to control them politically.

In the book, Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh, a sociology student from the University of Chicago starts out simply trying to understand “how it feels to be poor and black,” and ends up spending years and years figuring out the ins and outs of a gang society (Venkatesh 14). Sudhir receives the chance of a sociologist’s lifetime to see first-hand what life is like in the projects. He follows gang leader, J.T. around and studies his life at the Robert Taylor homes for years. Throughout Venkatesh’s experience he witnesses many things some people go a lifetime without seeing. For example, he was no stranger to seeing people use drugs or get beat up by gang members. One interesting aspect of Venkatesh’s experiment

Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMCG’s) inhabit an active presence in all states and territories in Australia. Some members of these gangs are responsible for serious organised crime and yet the total gang and membership numbers of Australian OMCGs is rising.

Throughout recent years legal actions have been taken on behalf of the Australian States and Territories, in an attempt to decrease the amount of organised crimes committed by Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMCGs). The introduction of organised crime legislations in South Australia, New South Whales and Queensland have all caused controversy within the legal profession, as many argue that existing crime legislations and specialised police task forces are sufficient enough. Both legal and non-legal actions have been taken against this issue, however the question still stands whether or not these legislations are effective.

The book, Gang Life in Two Cities by Robert J. Durán to put simply is about the gang life in Denver, CO and Ogden, UT. Durán wrote this book to share his research findings. When Durán had to move to Huntsville, UT (but went to school in Ogden) he found himself immersed in an area where gangs were becoming popular. Durán, an ex-gang member himself was curious on how and why gangs operate. He found this research important, because he saw firsthand how society had a role in the formation of gangs. Duran felt that it needed to be brought to light what he witnessed while being a gang member himself and when he conducted his research.

Even though gangs provide a sense of support, the "values" instilled in members are horribly dangerous to society. Murders and drive-by shottings go unpunished more often than not in areas like the Henry Horner Homes. Gangs have become powerful enough that high-ranking members who are forced to face the law are protected by high-priced attorneys and investigators (163).

This week I read chapter 5 of American street gangs (old book) Tim Deleany mentioned 3 points of what happens inside a gang that many don’t know, the first point is the categories they have based on the age the recruits are, the second point is the categories they are placed in depending on the activities they are involved, the third point is the process that involves the recruitment, punishment, and leaving the gang. At the conclusion of the paper I would be providing an experience my uncle went through when he was leaving the gang.

It gives out so much information of what it’s like to be part of a female gang. It also shows the long-term consequences of being part of a female gang. It shows the same information that Vigil provided, which was that according to their economic status and their neighborhood conditions, is one of the many reasons why they join. That can be included as street socialization, because many of young females join or start a gang, because of their surroundings and also what they’ve been through in their homes. Moore and Hagedorn mention, “Several studies found that the female gang may be a refuge from physical and sexual abuse at home.” Many women from low-income families have been through physical abuse, which sadly leads them to choosing the wrong path in life. This article also supports my hypothesis that street socialization is one of the leading roles of females joining gangs. Some of their neighborhoods can be considered dangerous and those young women get exposed to that kind of lifestyle, which leads them to the path of wanting to be part of a

Many people recognize that gangs have been around for what seems like forever. What they don't realize is that the numbers are increasing to amazing proportions, there were 28,000 youth gangs with 780,200 members in the United States (in 2000) and 20% to 46% of those members are female (Evans). And what is even more shocking is, in Chicago alone there are 16,000 to 20,000 female gang members (Eghigian). These girls start out as ?groupies?, become members, and sometimes even leaders of all-girl gangs because of troubles in the home, a need for money, for the social scene, or just because it is all they know.

The documentary, The Interrupters, focus on the impact education has in the brutality and bloodshed in the United States. Chicago, Illinois is one of the most violent cities in the US, and because of this multiple violent prevention projects were formed.The documentary followed “interruptors” of violence in the streets of Chicago through mediation. “Interrupters” are former high ranking gang members who volunteered to stop the violence in hopes to save lives. One of the major “interruptors” that deserve to be focused on is Ameena Matthews. Mrs. Matthews has an extensive ties to the gangs activity in Chicago. Her father, Jeff Fort, was one of the first and most dominant gang leaders of Chicago. When in care of her mother, Matthews was mentally, physically, and sexually abused as a child from ages of 9-15 years old. Matthews then returned to live with her grandmother in an overcrowded roach filled apartment. In attempts to develop a better life for her and her grandmother, Matthews became involved with the mob. Matthews developed a reputation for herself and quickly became the only female lieutenant in the mob she participated in. She then became consumed with the lifestyle and its benefits. Matthews reverted from the gang when she started to become more involved in the church of Islam, where she found her husband Imam.When speaking about the origin of her gang affiliation, Matthews stated that she was strongly influenced by those in

The Hells Angels may be the most popular known gang throughout Canada and America. The biker gang is known to be the largest in Canada with many chapters (known spots for soliciting) in British Columbia (Schwartz, 2011). Bellet mentions the angels “have a highly structured hierarchy, with full-patch members at the top, [while] below are prospects, hang-arounds, official friends and associates working their way through the ranks (2011). This gang is highly organized and among the most powerful within the list of notorious gangs on this list. The gang associates itself with drug and weapons trafficking; on the news, you may see news of Hells Angel’s members being charged for murder and or drug trafficking. For example, a member of the Saskatoon

The word Yakuza itself means ‘eight- nine- three’, which was a losing hand in an old card game. However the Yakuza have changed and adapted from their origins as gamblers. The Yakuza symbolizes many different things: freedom, power, money, trouble. Some may even find the intricate underground world of the Yakuza exciting. To most though, the Yakuza is a powerful gang comparable to the American mafia.

Street gangs in this country can probably be traced back to the first wave of Europeans who migrated to the colonies for a better life for themselves and their families. Many of the first gangs were formed as a means of self protection, with the thinking that there is simply strength in numbers. The missions of gangs in today’s society have grown and emerged to include many violent criminal avenues, including drug trafficking, prostitution, money laundering, and extortion but the original thinking that there is strength in numbers remains true. Criminology experts believe that the number of teens involved in gangs or gang activity may be as high as 1 in every 5 people in most urban areas. Those number jump to 1 in every 3 people in

Abstract: This review studies in depth research done on street gangs. Social issues have social scientists turning away from including this in their research around this time. Sociological views have been changed dramatically in the past 40 years due to gender and racial studies. Also, women have started to join gangs since America has been changed with woman equality laws passing.