Chicago Gangs, Then and Now with Solutions Nick Crot Marist High School Abstract This paper deals with gang violence in the city of Chicago since the beginning of time. It takes a deep look into the history of Chicago gangs and how they interact today. Also the past problems the City of Chicago made when dealing with gangs and the problems that gangs today have and how Chicago has the worst gang problem in the country. Also how gangs have turned themselves into big, and lucrative enterprises most known for money. Also stated are possible solutions to stop or reduce violence of the gangs that all start off with teaching the young kids about gangs and gang prevention. Chicago Gangs, Then and Now with Solutions Jimi Hendrix once …show more content…
Gangs reorganized and many combined their gangs into one bigger enterprise. Gangs were mostly run from prisons during the 1970’s and on (Brief outline); therefore one could not escape the gangs. Gangs shaped Chicago early on. Gentrification is displacing gangs and causing turf wars. Gentrification and the tearing down of public housing in Chicago left many gangs homeless (Brief outline). Due to this, gangs battle over land and housing, known as turf wars. The violence rises, along with the number of deaths. Therefore police attempt to limit the gangs, but that also leads to fighting and violence with police. The whole cycle involves violence and is vicious. Chicago has the biggest gang problem in the country (Thomas & Bass, 2009). “There are more gang members per citizen in Chicago than anywhere else in the country” (Thomas, 2009, para 4). The average Chicago gang leader is 43, convicted of murder and lives in the suburbs. That leader on many occasions directs his gang from jail (Main, 2006) and 95 percent of inmates in the Cook County Jail are gang members (Thomas, 2009). Gangs are everywhere today just like they use to be. The high number of gangs causes violence and deaths to rise in Chicago. “Gangs have morphed from social organizations into full-fledged criminal enterprises” (Thomas, 2009, para 5). Gangs are highly sophisticated and more dangerous then ever. The number one reason to join a gang is money; and 95 percent of gangs profit comes from drug dealing
ethnic groups occurred in every ‘transitional’ neighborhood, the ‘succession’ of African Americans out of their areas of ‘first settlement’ was systematically blocked” (Hagedorn 197). By doing the aforementioned the white gang’s behaviors have contributed to the racial segregation of Chicago and the explosive gang related crime in the present day south side of Chicago.
Before continuing, it is crucial to understand how gangs originated. In the article “Where All the Madness Began: A Look at Gang History”, Hoover stated that both African American and Hispanic Gangs began forming in the 1920’s, but it wasn’t until the 1980’s when gangs became organized and violent to the extent for which they are recognized today (2). In the midst of the desperate conditions blacks and Latinos found themselves in, young men from these racial or ethnic groups created units within their neighborhoods as a sign of brotherhood. They wanted to show, white people specifically, that they were powerful and that they were not broken or limited by of the environments that powerful white people had created. Furthermore, in the 20’s, gangs
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).
Chapter Four is entitled, “[The] Scope and Nature of the Current Gang Problem.” It focuses on recent trends in number of gangs, gang members and gang-related crimes in each city. In Inglewood, almost all the neighborhoods were claimed by at least one gang, with gang-unit officers agreeing that the city was facing a major gang problem. In Albuquerque, gangs were involved in drug trafficking and property offenses, with 7 out of 8 gang-unit officers believing the city had a major gang problem. In Las Vegas, migration from other cities was thought to be the primary cause of an increase in gang members. 50% of crime in Las Vegas is attributed to gangs, with most officers believing they had a moderate to major gang problem. In Phoenix, the gang problem is described as wave-like, with 70% of gang-unit officers thinking the city had a major gang problem. These statistics were backed up through interviews with officers and city records.
Chapter one goes over the history of a gang, with California in the 1980’s being the root in the gang problem in the United States. With 280 known gangs, consisting of 26,000 active members, its no surprise why the murder rate went from 200 to 800 homicides per year. The LAPD CRASH unit officers pioneered tactics, raid techniques, and interventions in gang infested areas. Their harsh and sometimes illegal activity set the bar on how to handle a gang problem in a major city. Research showed that in today’s gang problem, gangs are fighting a deadly game of cat and mouse with police. They have their hands on serious weapons, and fight each other nonstop, for territory and drug sales. Much of this chapter discusses research that would help police to move from media sources to
Los Angeles and Chicago are two American cities that have a long history with gang violence. In the 1940’s the city of Los Angeles was experiencing a significant boom in the African American and Latino populations. During this time, there was also a massive influx of Caucasians into the Los Angeles area. The Caucasians wanted to keep African Americans and Latinos who they called ‘Zoot Suiters’ out of their neighborhoods, so they formed a white gang called the ‘Spook Hunters’. The formation of the ‘Spook Hunters’ increased racial tensions in Los Angeles exponentially and caused a surge in violence between the white gang members and ethnic minorities. During this time period the Ku Klux Klan had an active presence in the white neighborhoods of Los Angeles which significantly increased racial tensions. In the 1950’s and 1960’s African American and Latino gangs expanded and became more territorial and violent. To this date gang related violence remains a constant in the day to day lives of Los Angeles residents. Chicago history of gangs begins in 1860’s with Caucasians of different ethnic backgrounds. A pivotal moment in race relations in Chicago occurred when Regan Colts, a white gang, drowned an African American boy in Lake Michigan on July 27th, 1919 (White 25). This incident led to the first racial riots in Chicago where gang members openly attacked each other. Since that incident Chicago has experienced ongoing gang violence. In fact in Chicago gang related violence appears
Gangs come into existence and flourish because the needs of the young people in a neighborhood or culture or family are not being met. The gang, in essence, fills the void, there are several gangs in the south, west and east sides of Chicago, with gang wars over territories that become disastrous. The gangs known in Chicago are the Latin Kings, Maniac Latin Disciples, King Cobras, Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, Black Disciples, but there are up to hundred or more street/folk gangs in the different neighborhoods of the sides of Chicago. Many consist of young children that may have dropped out of school or have family members affiliated with gangs, they are easier to persuade and control, they are more likely to search for somewhere where they could feel needed or apart of something, and that’s how gangs grow and recruit new
There are hundreds of gangs all over Chicago. These gangs are reckless and try to show their superiority by shooting rival gang members. When committing such acts, these gang members fail to realize that they aren’t the only ones who live in this city. There are
Gangs are centered on a certain territory or turf that is claimed by that gang. When rival gangs enter that
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
Specifically, gangs are a threat to public safety. Firstly, with migration comes changes; most notably society change. For example, John Eligon, writer for the New York Times, shares that “black gangs began sprouting in Chicago in earnest in the 1950s during a second wave of northward migration of black southerners. The migrants came looking for opportunity, but were crammed into overcrowded, segregated pockets on the city’s South and West sides where jobs were dwindling” (Eligon). Thus, the 1950s migration started the change in society. Secondly, because of the notice of gangs, and getting gangs broken down; the gang population has spread out. For instance, Eligon, reports that “those highly organized operations have fizzled over the last 25 years as prospectors swept up gang leaders, and the city demolished public housing projects, dispersing gang members primarily to minority neighborhoods on the West and South sides”. Therefore, gangs have grown and spread out over the last 25 years. Thirdly, because gangs are everywhere, public safety is challenged. To illustrate, Eligon, tells that “now they were everywhere and nowhere – gangsters by name, but kings only of corners and blocks. And instead of turf and money, they fought over persona slights”. Hence, because of the gang member fighting, the public’s safety is challenged. For all these reasons, gangs became a great threat to the public’s
Since 2012 the homicide rate in Chicago has increased by 25% and is mainly caused by the increase of gangs in the city. Chicago has always had a high population of gangs and violence in its city, the most popular gang in Chicago is the black disciples and their rival gang the gangster disciples. Many of the people who are involved in these gangs are at first just looking for an easy way to make money but then they get caught up in it. It becomes a lifestyle and in order to escape it you have to do some crazy things.
The sociological analysis of gang membership explores the different types of effects that arise due to criminal involvement. Because of the social conflicts that are associated with gang membership, this paper will explore the different theories of social learning and both personal and control issues that relate to the recent surge in crime across Chicago. As we open the doors of a crime ridden society, the truth begins to unfold. It isn’t just the thought of helping, it is the action that remains the barrier between living a life of crime or a life that carries hope.
“According to statistics from the National Youth Gang Center, more than 24,500 gangs, consisting of more than 770,000 members, exist in about 3,300 cities in the U.S.” (Rank 1). Although it is not illegal to be a member of a gang, it should be noted many gangs participate in illegal activity for funding and will use the money as a way to entice new membership. The “money begins flowing, and with that comes all of the things associated with material wealth that is usually beyond the reach of these adolescents without the criminal activity of being involved in a gang” (Nawojczyk 3).
In society today, there is a major problem We live in a society where gangs are taking over our neighborhoods in numbers. It is the responsibility of the individuals to part take in getting their neighborhoods back under control. Gangs are becoming a growing problem in American society. More young people are turning to gangs to solve problems in their lives or for acceptance. When youths join gangs, they drop all their social activities with school, family, and friends. However, individuals ruin their lives, and the chances of them having a decent education, and a successful life by getting involved in gang activity.