LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Gangs
built 229 days ago
Gangs in the United States are not a new or recent phenomenon. They have been traced back to the post Revolutionary War days and originally formed as a means of self-protection and as social clubs. In the early nineteenth century , Irish immigrants formed the first street gangs in New York City. Later with the arrival of immigrants of many ethnicities, other gangs began to form, mostly by race or culture.
Source:
Gangs are serious organizations that should be avoided at all costs. It may seem tempting to "belong" to a group and have a set bunch of friends. But keep in mind that groups that may have started out as a delinquent band of neighborhood toughs have now turned into a violent drug gang, some of whom belong to the gang for enforcement, collection, or other reasons. Joining a group known to have a reputation, good or bad, gives a kid looking for a purpose something to belong to. Participants have said the mere interaction of members, listening to each others problems and sharing the other trials and tribulations today's teens are faced with are the drawing card for them to become a "banger". Gang members ... claim to enjoy the respect or fear others exhibit around them.
Source:
Gangs are ... involved in the trafficking of the potent and highly addictive hallucinogen "Marijuana", known on the street as "Mary Jane"(because people high on "Marijuana" hallucinate, often seeing a woman who calls herself Mary Jane). Recently gangs have branched into the world of shady children's toys dealing. McDonalds free toys from the 1980s are considered the newest and most dangerous merchandise on the streets of the ghetto.
Source:
Gangs use a variety of methods to recruit new members, targeting in recent years younger and younger members because of the less stringent penalties juvenile offenders are usually subjected to. Gangs actively recruit youngsters age 15 and younger to carry out risky assignments or carry the weapons or drugs. Females are ... recruited and influenced into similar activities.
Source:
Gangs in one form or another have been around for hundreds of years. Pirates were probably some of the original bad gangs. The groups that traditionally come to mind when one thinks of modern day gangs are the Crips and the Bloods from California. The origins of the Crips and Bloods can be traced to the late 60's, and the gang culture is so ingrained on the west coast that many families have three and even four generations of gangsters residing in the same residence. Depending on whose figures you listen to (government officials have a tendency to downsize the numbers), L.A. gangs number between 800 and 1000, with anywhere from 120,000 to 220,000 members.
Source:
Gangsterism in South African prisons is usually dominated by the number gangs. Of these, the ‘28 gang’ is the strongest. The ‘26 gang’ is the second most powerful and often vies for ascendancy with the 28. The once powerful ‘27 gang’ has become weak. According to members of the number gangs, only they are allowed to survive in the prison environment. Other gangs have no right of existence in prison.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Gangs