Gang Vs Mafia Essay

Organized crime; is a group of individuals that work together to illicit profit through illegal and sometimes often violent methods1 and two of the most famous groups are the Mafia and the Irish Mob. The two groups can be traced as far back as the 1800’s and had originally formed together for their financial gain to improve their lives and to protect themselves against the corrupt police officers. However over the years they have developed this infamous reputation tying both groups together, when there are substantial differences between the two. For instance one is based in the country of Sicily and the other was formed right here in the United States. Both groups have different origins, histories, systems and traditions thus making both

In the book, Gang Leader for a Day, a rogue sociologist passionately dives into the lives of one of Chicago’s toughest housing projects in an attempt to develop an insight as to how the urban impoverished lived. Throughout the text it becomes clear that a conflict paradigm is being reflected. A conflict society is based on social inequality, in which some individuals benefit and thrive more than others, which tends to lead to conflict and thus change. This is evident both in the housing projects where a gang known as the “Black Kings” take over and also in the surrounding neighborhoods where the more elite citizens, including persons from the authors university, shy away from associating with the nearby poor black nearby public, thus

The Mafia was first developed in Sicily in feudal times to protect the estates of landlords who were out of town. The word Mafia, derived from the Sicilian word, Mafioso, means family. Today, Mafia is a name which describes a loose association of criminal groups. These groups can be bound together by blood, oath or sworn secrecy. Many people had considered the Sicilian Mafia as the most ruthless mobsters of the twentieth century.

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.

     A gang is defined as a group of individuals with the same objective that are bound together by a bond of trust. The majority of gangs are

How has the Crips Street Gang evolved since the 1960’s? Gone are the days when battles were over community control, when loyalty meant self- determination, not self destruction. In the 1980’s crack cocaine became a major source of income for many African – American gang members in Los Angeles. Gangs were faced with intra-conflict old codes of conducts versus laissez-faire attitudes of the younger gang members. Gang violence increased as many capitalized on this new market the distribution of crack cocaine. Neighborhoods in gang infested Los Angeles areas were not immune to the violence of gangs.

     Exactly what is the Mafia? Mafia, more specifically the Italian-American Mafia, is a group of criminals organized into "families," and operating primarily in North America. Also known as La Cosa Nostra, at one time there were 26 families in the United States - roughly one for each major city. The Mafia composed of bosses of numerous families, mostly New York, was the overseeing authority for all of the other La Cosa Nostra families. New York City is the place of origin for organized crime in the United States. Currently, there are five families in the New York City outfit of the La Cosa Nostra. The five families are, the Gambinos, Genovese, Colombo,

The Mafia is multiple crime organizations engaged in smuggling drugs and participating in other criminal activities in the US, Italy, Russia, and elsewhere (dictionary.com).

A famous former baseball player once said in an interview: “A team is where a boy can prove his courage on his own. A gang is where a coward goes to hide.” (Mantle). Members of gang violence usually are hiding from who they truly are in the inside. They find that the gang is the best path out of their personal situation which definitely is not the right choice. A gang is an organized group of people affiliated with acts of violence or illegal behavior. Such things like gang violence as a whole have been a great problem with the social society of American people. Gang members are usually referred to as gangsters and most take great pride in that name. In the effort of joining gangs it is difficult to see the practical or beneficial aspects in the long run.

The Sicilian Mafiosi escaped to the US after being attacked by the fascist regime, bringing with them mob culture (History Wed). The Italian Mafia is a secret society affiliated with organized crime and family ties. In the 1920’s The American Mafia, or La Cosa Nostra, was active across New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago and New England (FBI Web). The Mob rose to power during the Prohibition era

President Calderon’s war against the cartels has led to the death of over 100,000 people. Drug cartels such as Los Zetas have increased their involvement in human smuggling using people as forced labor and demanding ransom money. Los Zetas’ 10,000 gunmen have engrossed the border as they drive 8,500 trucks into Texas on a daily basis. As of 2010, drug cartels have their hold on 1,286 U.S. cities. With a U.N. estimated narcotics market of $60 billion annually, the Mexican cartels profits on the U.S. are at $39 billion and

J.T operates exactly like a franchise. J.T must pay a 20 percent due towards the board of directors of the gang. The boards of directors are essentially the big bosses of the gang. Anything left over is a profit for J.T, but he must handle the expense that the gang has. These costs can be separated as fixed and variable cost. The fixed costs are the dues and the Extortionary taxes and the variable costs are weapons or mercenary fighter. Any earning made after these cost go towards J.T pocket, which are tax free. The similarity between a corporation and a gang is astonishing. An example of this is the similarities that drug dealer and a newly hired corporate worker face. A drug dealer must face the same initial obstacles that your everyday worker goes through. The drug dealers must start out at the bottom as a “foot solider”, which is the case for a regular worker. An example of this is when an aspiring accountant starts out as an intern of their future employment. The end goal for both of these careers is to get to

Blood was running down Christian’s body as he got stabbed 40 times by local gang members. Christian, an 18 year old boy trying to run away from a gang, was afraid for his life because he was a police informant, and they were in search of killing him. Cristian was pulled into the woods by a young lady who promised him sex if he came into the woods, but little did he know it was all a plan, Three gang members came out of the bushes, held him down and stabbed him repeatedly 40 times to make sure he was completely dead. This is an unfortunate Salvadorian story told by the elders to scare off younger boys from joining nearby gangs. As El Salvador stood one of the most dangerous and violent countries back in the 90’s. Loyalty to any gang is very strong, the sense of family they have for each other is

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

Imagine living in a world where crime ruled. A world where gangsters were more powerful than politicians, owned the police, and ran the city in whatever way they felt. They robbed whom they wanted and killed when they didn't get their way. Now stop imagining and realize that this happened here in the United States of America in the 1920's. It was run by an organization made up mainly of Italians called the Mafia.