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Linette Arellano
Capstone 6
th
Period
Ms. Frank
Research Paper
May 1, 2014
Gang Violence

Imagine an 8 year old carrying orders given to him from a 30 year old
man, ordering him to sell drugs on this corner. Imagine a brother or sister being
robbed, raped, or shot at by your neighborhood gang. Everyone probably thinks that
violence will never reach them or their family. Did you know that absolutely everyone
is vulnerable to gangs and their violence? One may think only boys are bound to be in
gangs, but this is false. Girls are also targeted by gangs. Females get a different
treatment than boys; theyre treated like sex toys, brainwashed, and used. No one is
safe, not even an innocent kid. It may be an elderly woman or a 1
st
grade student; they
dont care or seem to be conscious of the harm they cause. Something that has to be
understood is that gang violence doesnt discriminate. When the gang has a goal,
anything in between will be struck to get it. Gangs are known to be behind the
increasing student dropout rates and rising homicides. Being informed and recognizing
early signs of gang involvement with a child can prevent numerous things, it could
save his life.
A gang is a group of juveniles and adults with a structure within the group
that tries to dominate an area. They are distinguished by their hand signs, colors they
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wear, and tattoos. Gangs have existed among us for a long time now; they go back to
the Revolutionary War. Their purposes were for self-protection and they were seen as
a way to join social clubs. Irish immigrants created the first gangs in NYC early 19
th

century. Later, more immigrants arrived in the U.S, they too creating gangs. These
gangs were based on race or culture (Gang Violence Worldwide). Todays gangs
arent really in existence for the purpose of being a social club. Todays gangs rapes,
murder, vandalize, drug traffic, and are involved with illicit activities. You see all age
ranges in a gang, from 8 years old to grown men in their 30s. The youngsters (young
gang members) carry out tasks for the OGs (oldest gang members). These kids find
themselves selling drugs on street corners, stealing from people, and shooting bullets
at rivals. Some upper class neighborhoods are believed to be crime free areas. This
has changed as population and neighborhoods grow. Upper middle class
neighborhoods have seen a rise in gang activity, as well as a growing number of
gangsters inhabiting there. These kids parents are doctors and lawyers, so keep in
mind what was mentioned before, gangs do not discriminate. It seems like the
problem exists only in ghettos. WRONG! Gangs are present everywhere. Large cities
and suburban counties have the most gang activity, while smaller cities and rural
counties have less activity. In a survey 100% of cities with populations greater or
equal to 250,000 reported gang activity (National Gang Center). There are 33,000
violent street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs in the United States alone.
They are responsible for about 48% of violent crimes committed (FBI National Gang
Threat Assessment).
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As we all must know, gangs are notorious. If you didnt know,
youre unaware, or you pay it no mind, now is your chance to learn and be
conscious of the global gang issue that has been happening and will continue if
nothing is done. If youre in the way of their business, it be a drug deal or shoot
out, they wont put you to the side; theyll go right through you. All of us, gang
members included, want one thing, is respect. Some of us get it by doing acts of
kindness to those who are needy, others get it by treating those how theyd like
to get treated. Gangs tend to gain it by causing terror amongst a community,
and getting known for crimes. As an individual gang member, or as a whole
gang, and for the neighborhoods respect gangs go to extreme. As for a gang
rival, disrespect, or dis, could be shown in any form. For example, in
Chicago on Monday March 11, 2013 Jonathan Watkins was with his 6 month
old baby Jonylah changing her diaper in the front passenger seat of his van. A
man approached the father and daughter and opened fire unaware that a baby
was present. Both were transported to a hospital where the father was wounded
and the baby went through multiple surgeries, but died on Tuesday morning.
Jonathan Watkins is a former gang member, and was the target of the
aggressor. The shooter was retaliating for a game console he suspected
Jonathan Watkins stole from his mothers home (ABC Eyewitness News). So,
you have a dead 6 month old baby girl, shot cold bloodedly because a man
thought itd be prudent to show who he is in the neighborhood, and that nobody
would disrespect him in any way without facing consequences.
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Another thing gangs want, is a reputation. They want their names
all over the streets so they can be known so that everybody knows they have
entered their turf. You get known for doing horrible things faster than if you do
good things. Gang members find themselves selling drugs all over the
neighborhood they claim as theirs. You make a lot of drug sales, youll make a
lot of money, and people will start recognizing you. Most gang members will
try to boast about drugs, money, and weapons, therefore getting the reputation
they desire. Some may even embellish their past gang activities to try and
impress others (Robert Walker, Gangs or Us). In 2010, 17 members of the
Harlem Boys were accused of racketeering, selling drugs, gun violence, and
assault. One of the men, Roane, admitted to participating in a racketeering
enterprise, conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana, carjacking, gun
crimes, and assault. Roane was also found to be part of drive by. He and his
friends shot a car parked across Bartram Village that they thought had a drug
dealer inside. . In it was a man waiting for his girlfriend, not the suspected
target. Luckily the bullets didnt reach the man. In 2009 Roane was attempting
a robbery when he shot and murdered 17 year old Kyree Young (The Inquirer,
Daily News).
Students are more likely to drop out and commit homicides if
theyre participating in a gang. When a person joins a gang, their priority is
their new family. They work, kill, and represent the family or do whatever
they have to in order to prosper in the streets. If youre in a gang youre 60
times more likely to get killed than someone who isnt a gang member (Think
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Twice: Fast Facts on Gangs). Student gang members will begin by skipping
classes they dont like. Soon they find themselves ditching school to go hang
with the other gang members. After a short time, those kids wont have any
motivation to be in school and will just drop out to be full time on the streets.
My brothers didnt make it past freshman year, why? They were in and out of
juvenile facilities because they were constantly caught in gang activities.
Dropout rates for gang members are high in the U.S. Nearly 40% of Chicago
students are bound to drop out (Chicago Tonight). Not only do gang members
drop out, but so do non gang members. These kids drop out due to intimidation.
Other thing gang members have on their minds every day is kill or get killed.
You have to make the first move, eliminate those who want to eliminate you or,
before you get hit. In Trinidad and Tobago there were 98 homicides in 1998. In
2008, that number rose to 550 (Insight Crime). The following year, 2009,
numerous amounts of gang stabbings were happening in London. Gangsters
are known for retaliation, they want revenge for almost everything. Ive
witnessed it myself. My brothers gang did a hit on gang rivals a few years
back. My brothers werent involved, yet they got included in the clash. A few
weeks later after the hit, my brothers were driving down a street when another
car approached the van they were in and started shooting. My nephews were in
the van at the time, but no bullets hit them. They hit my brother in the head, and
in his hand. Since the bullets were small, they didnt kill him, but he cant
move his hand completely and a bullet is still in his head and cant be taken out
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because its so close to one of his nerves. Gangs dont play, and they certainly
dont care about who dies and who lives.

Maybe kids join gangs to have friends or because they feel a sense
of protection. There are other things you can do to make friends and be able to
defend yourself. What gang is known for existing to make friends and sit
around making the community a better place? NONE. I, myself have once
been tied to a gang. I used to be a straight A honor roll student in elementary.
When I got to middle school I was surrounded by gang members, I started
learning about them and the gang that was present in school. As I reached
seventh grade I had already changed the way I dress and I was wearing a solid
color rosary and cloth belt to represent the gang. My grades were now reaching
low 70s and I hardly had any As. When I reached 8
th
grade I started getting a
little out of control. My grades were really low and school didnt interest me. I
wanted to be out and about with my so called friends. I didnt find a reason to
be in school, and I started skipping. I started off skipping my reading class to
go to all the lunches. Then I started skipping school. I was misbehaving at
home, trying to be in the streets at least for a few hours before night came. I
attracted the wrong crowd; I started dating an 18 year old gang member of the
gang I represented when I was just 14. Hed come see me after school, while
my mom thought I was in algebra tutorials. That boyfriend of mine came to hit
me one day, but played it off as an accident. I soon realized he was trying to
take advantage of me, and my mom realized what I was doing too. When we
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broke up he started threatening me that he was going to do something to my
house, but luckily he never did. I was still interested in the gang after that
relationship though. I became more rebellious, when I started working I got a
job at a flea market where all the rival gang members go to and invade it. I still
wore my gangs color, I thought I was invincible. One day I wore too much of
the gang attire, and I started seeing grown men and teenage boys and girls
walking around where I used to work. A guy Id met while working there
walked up to my work place and raised my shirt up enough to see my belt.
When he saw it he laughed and said You the girl every ones talking about!
That you flashing them colors at the wrong place. When it was time for me to
go there were people waiting for me, the same guy who Id become friends
with was also waiting for me and he walked me inside, where he spoke to the
older gang members. He told them I was no trouble, I never talked about
anybody or their gang, plus I was female. The older rival gang members talked
to a few teenage gangsters and told them that they were not to mess with a
female, only if they saw a guy with the colors I had on is where act, We dont
touch no rucas homeboy (We dont touch females). When I saw that rival
gang members had defended me, I started realizing a lot of things. Where was
the gang I represented at? Where were they when all of these people were
planning to hurt me? They were certainly not there for me. So why should I be
there for them, flashing their color, representing a bunch of people who never
came to my rescue, but instead were going to be the reason for my fall. When I
came to S.I.S I started doing drugs and I was still gang affiliated. I smoked
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marijuana in school, thats how out of control I got. I saw my mother cry and
beg for me to stop before I got killed. My principal made the decision that if Id
get sent to an alternative school or stay here. It hurt me so bad to see her like
that, I decided to change. I threw away all my gang attire, along with any baggy
clothes, and all my school notebooks since they had gang drawings all over
them. I stopped gang banging, before it stopped me. If your child or friend is in
a gang, theyll do everything but behave well. A life changing experience may
be the only way to make them retract.
Gangs are notorious and have taken a lot of victims down with
them. Innocent people, parents, and children with bright futures have been
murdered as mistakes done by gang members in an act of violence. Nobody
deserves to have to go through the pain of having their 6 month old baby girl
shot to death. It doesnt matter where youre at or where youre from, this is a
real and global issue.
You may have a child, brother, cousin, or friend be vulnerable to
gangs. Children are now being targeted by gang members because theyre so
gullible people promise fake things, such as friends, protection, and power.
Friends dont let you hurt others or make you do dumb things for a
neighborhood that belongs to the city, not the gang. The community has to
understand that all gangs do is violate laws, rape, extort, kill, hurt people,
distribute drugs, do drugs themselves, and plagues the area. As a person who
hes had gang ties before, I honestly recommend walking away from them
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before you end up like so many other teenagers have; locked away in a cell or
boxed up in a casket.
















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Works Cited
"Drugs and Gangs Fast Facts." Drugs and Gangs Fast Facts. U.S Department of Justice, 21 July
2009. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

"Ex-Bartram Village gang member sentenced to 15 years." Philly.com. N.p., 4 Apr. 2014. Web.
30 Apr. 2014. <http://articles.philly.com/2014-04-04/news/48838934_1_bartram-village-harlem-
boys-drug-gang>.
"Gang Alternatives Program (GAP)." Gang Alternatives Program (GAP). N.p., n.d. Web. 15
Apr. 2014.

"Gang Violence Worldwide." Small Arms Survey. N.p., 1 Jan. 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2010/en/Small-Arms-Survey-
2010-Chapter-05-summary-EN.pdf>.

"Gang Violence Worldwide: Context, Culture, and Country." Gang Research at ASU. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

Hagedorn, John . "The Global Impact of Gangs." Gang Search. N.p., 1 May 2005. Web. 15 Apr.
2014. <http://www.gangresearch.net/Archives/hagedorn/globalimpact.pdf>.

"Jonylah Watkins' father, Jonathan Watkins, recounts moment daughter was
killed."Jonylah Watkins Death: Koman Willis charged in Chicago baby
shooting, arrested 38 times; shooting was revenge for stolen video game
system. N.p., 28 May 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
<http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?id=9118247>.

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"Think Twice: Fast Facts on Gangs." Think Twice: Fast Facts on Gangs. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr.
2014.

"Transnational Gangs: How have gangs gone global? How does immigration facilitate the
international spread of gang activity?" Foreword Communications. N.p., 1 Jan. 2008. Web. 15
Apr. 2014. <http://forewordcommunications.wordpress.com/living-in-a-global-
world/transnational-gangs-how-have-gangs-gone-global-how-does-immigration-facilitate-the-
international-spread-of-gang-activity/>.

"2011 National Gang Threat Assessment." FBI. FBI, 25 June 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.