Essay on L.A. Gang Members

L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur Kody Scott grew up in South Central L.A. during the nineteen-sixties and seventies, soon after the creation of the Crips. Raised in poverty without a father, and a full family raised solely by his mother, Kody Scott led the stereotypical “ghetto” life, a poor and broken home. However he does not blame this on his own personal decision to join the Crips while only eleven year’s old. The allure of the respect and “glory” that “bangers” got, along with the

This book Monster: the Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur aka Kody Scott depicts all of the events that Kody went through from the day he joined a gang up until when he decides to leave the gang, and his life after the gang. He joined the Eight Tray Crips when he was only eleven years old. He gets initiated into the gang after his sixth grade graduation, and he describes his initiation as an even bigger right of passage into society than his own graduation. The reasons that Kody

enabled young teens to choose a lifestyle not involved in violence and gang life. Behind fences with signs that warn trespassers about the consequences of going beyond the metal barricade, there are groups of teenagers expressing their creativity and emotions through the nozzle of a spray can. For a few hours, those teenagers forget about their parents scraping by on welfare, the constant

detailing the extent in his autobiography called Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. Luis Javier Rodriguez, born in El Paso in 1954 and a former Los Lomas Chicano Animal Tribe gang member, has led an extensive life filled with criminal activity to activism in the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. When he was just a young teen, Luis Rodriguez joined the Los Lomas Chicano Animal Tribe gang. During his time in the gang, he developed an extensive criminal record, even getting arrested for “assault

MS-13: Why the Gang Will Never Die Out Kathryn E. Psenda University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Abstract Mara Salvatrucha, often called the most dangerous gang in America, was bred from the violence and war that plagued El Salvador for over 12 years. As Salvadoran civilians, as well as ex-guerillas, sought asylum in the United States, they brought with them an ember of this violence that was stoked in the dangerous streets of Pico-Union, L.A. To defend themselves, the refugees formed

The Daily Bruin is running a music column titled “Sounds of L.A.” This column explores how various Los Angeles neighborhoods influence musicians that are based in the city. Including the rock ’n’ roll landmark of Laurel Canyon, the modern indie beacon of Echo Park, and the rough-and-tumble underground punk scene of East L.A., Los Angeles has birthed hundreds of artists across all genres. I am the writer of The Daily Bruin’s “Sounds of L.A.” column, and the more time I spend interviewing and researching

The novel Southland is a murder unknown story taking place in Los Angeles between the 40 's, and 90 's at a period when racism and discrimination were at the all time high. Revoyr’s features various historical references were taking place in Los Angeles’s past related to racial issues and uses some character interactions to drive these points home. Frank Sakai and Curtis Martin are two main characters whose life is prompted by the racism in the Los Angeles neighborhoods. Stylistically, Revoyr’s deliberate

economic project that resembled colonialist events. Through the structure of law in relationship to capital facilitated by discourse and ideology, the development of police brutality against people of color was adjusted as the city of Los Angeles (L.A) grew. With the influx of White European descendants and immigrants, the alienation and discrimination of Brown and Black people became so egregious as to consider them the racial other. Inasmuch, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) became social

Emily Pichardo The Republic of East L.A. Stories, Luis J. Rodriguez, Published in 2002 by Rao “The Republic of East L.A. Stories” captures the heartbreaking experiences Mexican-American’s were forced to endure. Escaping poverty, alcohol abuse, drug use, and gang violence was an everyday struggle for many families during this time. African American and Latino gangs were initially created as a response to white racism. They were restricted as to what areas they could live in and where constantly harassed

The neighborhood Westmont located in South L.A. the area holds a population of 81,467 with an ethnicity of “Blacks at 57.7% and Latino at 39.9%” (Westmont). The median age is 25 in average for South L.A. but young for the county. As a matter of fact the percentage of residents ages ten or younger are among the county’s highest. In addition the ancestry and immigration of “Mexican 24.5% and Unspecified African 2.5% are among the most common” (Westmont). Westmont’s households median average is $31

from East Los Angeles (L.A.), who at an early age was introduced to the U.S. penal system and grew to become a leader of the Mexican Mafia prison gang, La Eme. Within the belly of the U.S. penal system the young Santana learns that “respect” is gained through acts of violence. To be considered with “respect” is the ultimate achievement in Santana’s environments/ home in East L.A. and in prison. Young Santana and two of his childhood friends, J.D. and Mundo, form their own gang one evening. They decide

Bastard of the Party Patarasorn Boonyaprakob The issue with the youth gangs in South Central L.A. has long roots back into the history of American community, attracting attention of the people who have interest and study the history of L.A. neighborhoods. The gangs are also known as the “Bastard of the Party”. The reason it was called with this name has traces back into the history of the former political party the 1960s known as the Black Panther party, Black self-organized party who fought against

that Los Angeles has made to secure the gang nature and keep the city safe. He states, “Overall, violent crime fell by 8.3 percent, with the number of murders remaining low. Just 20 years ago there were 1,092 murders in Los Angeles. In 2012, the city recorded just 298” (Par 5). The statistics do show that less people are being killed, and the police are implementing gangs more. Knowles says that it is a “big achievement”. Not just murders have fallen, the gang activity in LA today has fallen drastically

kids want to be apart of a gang because it seems cool, or maybe they just had nothing else better to do. The whole gang theme seems to be catching on through out all aspects of life. There are even reports of a homosexual gang that wears the rainbow as their calling card. There will never be a slow down in gang violence once there are members of the hip-hop community that glorify the gang lifestyle. Rappers such as Snoop

Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. Analysis By Gillian Husack Introduction Always Running is, essentially, a detailed memoir by Luis Rodriguez. Moreover, the author describes his sordid past as a gang member in Los Angeles during the 1960 's. As a consequence of residing in a gang, Rodriguez became involved in spontaneous acts of violence; for instance, accounts included rape, drug peddling, shootings, and multiple other reasons for arrests. But, the deciding factor that had made him

of gangs and gang violence. There are a total of 1,150,000 gang members in the United States and 40% of them are under the age of 18 years old. There has been much research done on gang members, but the theory that stands out most is Social Identity Theory. When considering that almost half of gang members are under the age of 18, it is not shocking that Social Identity Theory applies to the lives of these gang members. In the video “A homeboy’s guide to healing by former L.A. gang members”, we

most commonly known gang in the area are the Bloods. According to many of the detectives in the office, they are the most vicious and most violent gangs they have ever encountered. State versus Gillens and Mercer are one of those encounters. The Bloods, or the United Blood Nation, was developed around 1972. The Crips were dominating the streets of L.A. and were battling with multiple street gangs. After a rumble with the street gang Pirus and murdering an L.A. Brim, the street gangs had enough of the

punk. While punk and hip-hop music are stylistically different, the fundamental tone of the two genres is the same. Even throughout the decades, hip-hop has sang the same issues as punk, including the plight of the lower class, police brutality, and gang violence. No matter how the economy changes, for better or worse, there will always be a lower class that is struggling, and an upper class that doesn’t realize the troubles of the lower classes. In an aggressive attack at the upper class and even

Social movements emerge for a number of different reasons, specifically for gangs it is injustice and inequality: police brutality, racial discrimination, colorism, and poverty, due to a lack of education and school funding because of corrupt politicians. Gangs of America were born out of police brutality and low income areas, which tend to be segregated from other communities of wealth. Not only are their interactions with law enforcement negative, but they have a “dog eat dog” mentality with each

Straight Outta South Central Why is gang affiliation such an alluring, appealing lifestyle? Admittedly, the appeal is conceivable. Watching Boyz in the Hood or listening to hip-hip may cause some to think, “I can live that life,” but thought does not turn into action while others never formulate such a thought. This raises the question, why does Monster Kody Scott, consider devout gang membership as a sole objective despite constant contingencies of incarceration and demise? To answer this question