Juvenile Gangs

Sociology 3315
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
UMD

JUVENILE GANGS

I. HISTORY

FIRST GANGS WE KNOW OF IN US WERE IN NEW YORK,

PRIMARILY IRISH, LIVING IN FIVE POINTS DISTRICT (FIVE POINTS MISSION)

LARGEST IRISH COMMUNITY OUTSIDE OF DUBLIN.

MARSH AREA, FOUNDATIONS OF HOUSES WERE SINKING

FIRST GANGS STARTED IN GREEN-GROCERY SPEAKEASIES - SOLD GREENS IN FRONT AND STRONG BOOZE IN BACK, ROSANNA PEERS SHOP, THE FORTY THIEVES FROM ABOUT 1920 TO ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR.

THE FORTY LITTLE THIEVES WERE THEIR JUVENILE SUBGROUP FROM WHICH THEY RECRUITED.

OTHER GANGS IN DISTRICT: KERRYONIANS, ROACH GUARDS, DEAD RABBITS, CHICKESTERS, PLUG UGLIES, SHIRT TAILS

THE BOWERY NORTH OF THE FIVE POINTS DISTRICT: AMERICAN GUARDS, ATLANTIC GUARDS, TRUE BLUE AMERICANS, BOWERY BOYS

HELL'S KITCHEN: HUDSON DUSTERS, POTASHES, GOPHERS - MIDDLE WEST SIDE

OTHER CITIES ALSO HAD GANGS, PHIL, BOSTON, CHICAGO IN 1837 HAD 500 BUILDINGS AND A POPULATION OF 4,100; NEW YORK HAD 166,000 IN 1825 AND 630,000 IN 1855, FIRST BUILDING APPEARED IN 1835 IN YERBA BUENA COVE (SAN FRANCISCO)

1950'S - EGYPTIAN KINGS, YOUNG LORDS, BLACKSTONE RANGERS (EARLY 1960S), COBRAS, NAMES TO STRIKE FEAR

1970'S - SAVAGE SKULLS, BLACK ASSASSINS,

# OF GANGS AND # OF MEMBERS

1991 4,881 GANGS WITH 249,324 MEMBERS (Curry 1993)(based on 79 larger and 43 smaller cities)

1998 16,000 GANGS WITH 500,000 Plus (Huff 1998)

GANGS ARE BECOMING MORE VIOLENT TODAY

GANG RELATED KILLINGS IN CHICAGO

72=45; 73=20; 74=37; 75=14; 76=21; 77=26; 78=25; 79=64; 80=38; 81= 84; 82=52; 83=57(FIRST 8 MONTHS ONLY)

FREDERICK THRASHER, THE GANG, 1927

1,313 GANGS IN CHICAGO

NATURAL PLAY GROUPS IN NEIGHBORHOODS

BONDED TOGETHER

ORGANIZATION: THREE CONCENTRIC CIRCLES

1. LEADERS,

2. RANK AND FILE,

3. OCCASIONAL MEMBERS

PROTECTION OF TURF WAS PRIMARY

1950S, WEST SIDE STORY; OR HARRISON E. SLAISBURY; THE SHOOK-UP GENERATION

STREET FIGHTING OR BOPPING,BECAME THE IMAGE

1960S

POLITICAL ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL BETTERMENT AND DRUG ACTIVITY (POLICE DID NOT MIND DRUGS AS MUCH THEN)

ALSO THE TIME OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPER GANGS, CRIPS IN LOS ANGELES, VICE LORDS IN CHICAGO, AS WELL AS BLACKSTONE RANGERS, AND BLACK GANGSTER DISCIPLES

WORKED WITH JESSE JACKSON ON OPERATION BREADBASKET, WORKED ON OPERATION BOOTSTRAP, WORKED TO DEFEAT MAYOR DALEY,

DALEY WON AND STARTED HIS FIGHT AGAINST GANGS IN CHICAGO

1970S AND 1980S

LEADERSHIP TAKEN OVER BY ADULTS, AND ACTIVITIES BECAME MORE ORGANIZED; BUSINESS CARDS, FOR PROTECTION RACKETS; LAWYERS ON RETAINERS

1990s

FOUR FACTORS

1. URBAN STREET GANGS

2. SMALL COMMUNITY GANGS

3. RACIAL & ETHNIC BACKGROUND

4. FEMALE GANGS

URBAN GANGS COMPETE WITH SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

THEY PROVIDE

A. SECURITY

B. SELF-ESTEEM

C. STATUS

HAVE TAKEN OVER SCHOOLS; STUDENTS MUST PAY TO BE PROTECTED

IN CITIES WITH NEW GANG PROBLEMS, 90% ARE JUVENILES REST ARE ADULTS;
IN CITIES WITH ESTABLISHED GANG PROBLEMS 74% WERE ADULTS

AVERAGE AGE IS NOW 17

THE TYPICAL SPAN IS 12-25 YEARS OF AGE

START AS YOUNG AS 8

CARL S. TAYLOR - DETROIT

1. SCAVENGER GANGS

LITTLE SENSE OF COMMON CONNECTION; IMPULSIVE BEHAVIOR; NO GOALS OR PURPOSE; NO CONSISTENT LEADERSHIP; PREY ON DEFENSELESS,; CRIMES ARE PETTY, SENSELESS, SPONTANEOUS

2. TERRITORIAL GANGS

TERRITORY BELONGS TO THE GANG; THEY DEFEND FROM OUTSIDERS; THEY CONTROL THE STREETS; THIS PROTECTION OF TERRITORY PROTECTS DRUG BUSINESS

3. CORPORATE GANG

STRONG/CONSISTENT LEADERSHIP; MAIN PURPOSE - ILLEGAL MONEY-MAKING; BOTH MEMBERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL MOVEMENT DEPENDS ON PERSONS WORTH TO ORGANIZATION; TEAM EFFORT WITH JOBS TO DO - EG., SALES, DISTRIBUTION, MARKETING, ENFORCEMENT; PROFIT IS BOTTOM LINE

C. RONALD HUFF GANGS IN CLEVELAND AND COLUMBUS; LIKE CLOWARD AND OHLIN

1. INFORMAL HEDONISTIC GANGS

CONCERNED WITH GETTING HIGH

2. INSTRUMENTAL GANGS

PROPERTY CRIMES FOR MONEY

3. PREDATORY GANGS

ROBBERIES MUGGINGS, ETC. USE CRACK AND SELL TO BUY MORE SOPHISTICATED WEAPONS

MEMBERSHIP IN GANGS LEADS TO DELINQUENCY AND PERPETUATES IT, IN PHILADELPHIA FOR EXAMPLE, 60% OF WHITES AND 90% OF NONWHITES BECAME DELINQUENT AFTER JOINING, ALSO DELINQUENCY CONTINUES FOR ABOUT 3 YEARS LONGER FOR GANGS MEMBERS; AFTER LEAVING GANGS 90% OF WHITES STOPPED; NONWHITES SHOWED NO SIGNS OF TRYING TO LEAVE

CURRY FOUND THE AVERAGE STAY IN A GANG IS ONE YEAR;
DELINQUENCY FOR YOUTH IS ALWAYS LOWER BEFORE ENTERING AND AFTER LEAVING THE GANG

IT ALSO APPEARS THAT LEADERS ARE INVOLVED IN MORE DELINQUENCY THAN OTHER MEMBERS

IN CHICAGO TWO NATIONS DEVELOPED

PEOPLE

FOLKS

RUN GANGS FROM WITH THE PRISON;

EXPANSION OF STREET GANGS IN THE LATE 80S & EARLY 90S DUE TO:

1. POVERTY HAS LEAD TO LONGER STAYS IN GANGS;

2. HOPELESSNESS BECAUSE OF POVERTY HAS LEAD TO LARGER NUMBERS SEEKING RELIEF IN DRUGS;

3. LARGE ILLICIT DRUG BUSINESS

CRIPS AND BLOODS IN LOS ANGLES, VICE LORDS IN CHICAGO; MIAMI BOYS; JAMAICAN POSSES OF NEW YORK AND FLORIDA

OFTEN THE GANGS HAVE VERY COMPLEX ORGANIZATION, CRIPS, BLOODS AND VICE LORDS HAVE HUNDREDS OF SETS MADE UP OF 20 TO 30 MEMBERS, NEIGHBORHOOD BASED

"REPRESENTING"

PRAYERS BEFORE BATTLES, "IF I SHOULD DIE IN BATTLE, LAY TWO SHOTGUNS ACROSS MY CHEST AND TELL ALL THE KINGS THAT I DID MY BEST." IF I DIE, BURY ME DEEP WITH O.A.'S (ORCHESTRA ALBANY) AT MY FEET, WITH TWO SHOTGUNS AT MY SIDE, AND TELL THE BOYS I DIES WITH PRIDE."

RECRUITING PARTIES

SMALLER COMMUNITIES

1. EXPANSION OF GANGS INTO NEW AREA

CRIPS AND BLOODS ARE FOUND IN AS MANY AS 45 MIDWESTERN AND WESTERN CITIES

APPEAR TO BETHERE BECAUSE OF FAMILY MOVEMENT AND LOCAL GANGS STARTING UP

TAKE EMERGING GANGS AND MAKE THEM SATELLITES

2. NEAR GANGS; SMALL TOWN AND RURAL AREAS; SHORT LIFE SPAN

RACIAL AND ETHNIC GANGS

THROUGH MID- 1900'S WHITE AND POOR

BY 1970'S 4/5 WERE AFRICAN AMERICAN OR HISPANIC

CURRENTLY ASIAN AND WHITE GANGS ARE GROWING AT A FASTER RATE THAN OTHER

1. HISPANIC GANGS

THROUGHOUT WEST; DIVIDED INTO "CLIQUES" BY AGE; ALSO BY SPECIALTY I.E. VIOLENCE; DRESS - WHITE T-SHIRT, THIN BELT, KHAKI PANTS SPLIT CUFFS, BLACK OR BLUE BEANIE OR BANDANNA TIED ON FOREHEAD; VERY LOYAL

2. AFRICAN-AMERICAN GANGS

MOST OF THE CRACK GANGS; DRESS - A WIDE VARIETY

3. WHITE GANGS

SKIN HEADS OR STONER GROUPS,; DRESS JEANS, ROCK GROUP T-SHIRTS, SPIKES, ETC. VARIETY OF CRIMES

4. ASIAN GANGS

IN CALIFORNIA THIS INCLUDES CHINESE, VIETNAMESE, FILIPINO, JAPANESE, AND KOREAN

SPREADING ACROSS MAJOR CITIES; ARE MORE ORGANIZED, STRUCTURED, WITH CLEAR LEADERSHIP; INVOLVED IN SOME OF THE WORST GANG VIOLENCE

FEMALE GANGS

IT IS STILL TRUE TODAY THAT MOST GIRLS ARE STILL AUXILIARY,

THEY SPY ON OTHER GANGS, CARRY

WEAPONS AND DRUGS, ETC.

SOME SEPARATE GANGS ARE EMERGING, THE NAMES DO NOT DISTINGUISH THEM FROM MALE GANGS; WHITE KNIGHTS,RED BLOOD, OUTLAWS, COBRAS, MOJOS,

ONE GANG IN PHILADELPHIA CALLED HOLY WHORES; KNIFING AND KICKING PREGNANT FEMALES AND SCARRING AND MUTILATING "CUTE" GIRLS

IN NEW YORK ABOUT 10% OF GANG MEMBERSHIP IS FEMALE, THE AGE IS 14 - 30

IN CHICAGO THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED 100 FEMALE GANGS WITH ABOUT 1000 MEMBERS

RECENT STUDIES SHOW FEMALES TO BE 3-4% OF ALL GANG MEMBERS

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