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The Importance Of Gangs In The United States

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As the sun begins to set on my hometown of Oakland, the many men wearing baggy pants that are cuffed inside at the bottom or dragging on the ground and white oversized T-shirts creased in the middle come out and walk the corners of 50th Avenue and International Boulevard. According to Inside Prison, Oakland has an overall crime rate of 9,634 per 100,000 residents. This is one of the most dangerous regions in the United States. This means that your chances of becoming a victim of any type of crime in Oakland is 1 in 10 if you reside there for a year. Street gangs are posted on street corners while others hang by the bus stop or in their “owned” area. Growing up, I have witnessed many incidents in which my home was shot up or experienced losing a family member or friend due to gang violence. Society knows that gangs exist, but few try to understand or question how they came into existence. …show more content…

It was difficult during those times because my dad and his siblings were not able to speak proper English and didn’t look like the other kids. Many kids would bully them and since they didn’t know anyone in their neighborhood, they were not be able to leave their home or walk around the neighborhood without being jumped or confronted by thugs. Things were falling apart and my uncle was showed death in his face multiple times when a man pulled a gun on him. It was too much for my uncle to handle and he had to find a way to stand up for himself. He decided to join the Crips as a way to gain protection and

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