People often fail to understand the nature of gangs and the members. Many times people want to debate the word "gang" in itself when a kid claims to be "part of a gang." Some people think when a kid makes that claim they aren't particularly serious unless there happens to be a notorious gang in the neighborhood where they live. A gang is a serious thing that should not be laughed off as a passing thing of youth. Just so it can no longer be scoffed, here is the definition according to the American Heritage Dictionary:
gang-ster n. 1. A member of an organized group of criminals; a racketeer.
gang n. 1. A group of criminals or hoodlums who band together for mutual protection and profit. 2. A group of adolescents who band together, especially a group of delinquents.
The dictionary also points out a gang as being a group of people who associate regularly on a social basis; A group of laborers organized together on one job or under one foreperson; A matched or coordinated set, as of tools; A pack of wolves or wild dogs.
Please note, there is a key difference in wannabe gangs and the real deal. Wannabe gangs gain an almost a "fun" reputation based on what kids think are cool. These kids tend to just hang out, but are basically good kids, the "Our Gang" (Little Rascals) type which is not a true gang. That word "gang" for them can be easily exchanged for a proper term "group of friends." They are not the topic of this article.
The evolution of the word "gang" actually comes from the latter part of the definition - "A pack of wolves or wild dogs." If you have ever seen a pack of wild dogs you will see a definite social structure and caring within the group, but this group has little regard to those outside the group and will be brutal to anyone who interferes. Why on earth would anyone want to be associated with a pack of wild animals? It's best to study the history of gangs and the gangsters themselves.
A Gang Is Formed A Gangster Is Born
There is nothing glamourous about gangs or gangsters. Some of the most notorious gangsters might flash a lot of money around, drive around in expensive cars, wear expensive clothing, and give the appearance that they are above the law which is a key in recruiting naive young people in doing their dirty work. Real gangs are dangerous cults where a sociopathic person can get lost in a world that is counterproductive to getting the help he or she needs by catering to a lifestyle built on easy money and power over others.
The concept is actually quite ancient, but the word became frequently used in the 1800s as people started heading to the Western parts of the United States. Although gangs and gangsters were not unique to the US, this is the era when gang activity would become more than just petty theft and a local nuisance on the law abiding citizens.
Gangs form due to a common background and goal, they are mostly sociopaths who want an easy way to get money to which they are otherwise not entilted. One does not just get out of bed one morning and decide it would be a good thing to do to join a gang. It is a process that usually starts in childhood.
Usually due to poor parental supervision and a lack of a proper educational structure, kids tend to just hang out to have fun. Seeing that these kids had to fend for themselves most of the time and a child's nature is wanting things done in the easiest way possible, stealing usually becomes the first activity these children learn. Sometimes it starts off as a way of survival as there may not be food when they go home, a child starts of stealing basic needs. Most often they steal because their parents can't or won't get them what they want. Then when they associate with other kids who have the same hard luck background, it becomes a game.
One develops a conscience and respect for law and order at a very young age. If it does not happen by a certain age, it most likely will never happen. Abused and neglected children are good candidates for sociopathic disorders if they are not rescued in time. Not all of these type of children will become sociopaths or join gangs, but the tendencies are strong in this group just as some sociopaths and gang members do come from well to do homes with caring parents, but that conscience never kicked in.
An adult sometimes has a problem with understanding fully the difference between a want and a need. These adult often have a sense of entiltement for things they really don't deserve. Children, by nature, cannot tell the difference between wants and needs and feel entilted to everything they want and need NOW! Without proper parenting, these kids cannot drown out that voice that tells them to act inappropriately to get what they want. How can one expect a child to do that on his/her own if adults cannot be trusted to do the same?
A child with the mentality to become a gangster is just like every other kid, but without a safety net. Adult society fails them and they fall through the cracks only to re-emerge as criminals and leaving everyone to wonder how that kid went wrong. In the beginning, these are not bad children, just misguided and in need of help. If not caught in time by the proper authorities who could help them, they are easy to catch by an underworld of crime.
Gangsters, whether of the Old West, Mafia, or Inner City fame generally started out as kids with a hard life. Often neglected and abused by parents and having to fend for themselves, the children who grow up in this situation are seldom pricked at a young age to develop their conscience. They see the world as cold and brutal and feel they have to grab on to whatever makes them happy right now - to hell with the consequences or who gets in their way!
They cannot even think of a future as an adult as that future was never put in their minds by their parents. All they see is the here and now, not what could be. Since they can't comprehend the future, they can't work on doing the things to ensure a good future. They get stuck in a cycle of crime.
In the process of just living, these kids often find themselves in a situation where the parents can't or won't supervise them. The parents that can't are usually busy working hard just to bring in barely enough money to support a family. The parents that won't don't really want to be parents and think of the children as little annoying adults they would rather let loose than parent. If their own parents show such little interest, when they develop their own minds and tastes, they reject any form of authority or order in their lives to be forced upon them.
A child's nature is one that likes to have fun all the time. Ask any normal child what they think an ideal day means and most will say playing, eating sweet foods, watching television and having a lot of friends. Any normal kid will not say sitting behind their desks learning an assignment, doing chores and being on their best behavior.
Children with responsible parents grow up knowing to a certain degree they must put the fun stuff on hold to get their responsibilities out of the way first. Even with responsible parents guiding kids, this is a hard thing for many children to understand. So what does that do for a kid with no parental supervision?
A kid who has no one around who seems to care if they are acting responsible will indulge in what kids do best, have fun. Children cannot comprehend the long term consequences for their actions. If a child is not brought up and supervised to act in a responsible manner, a child is set up to ruin his or her life.
These children tend to be even more ego-centric than most kids their age. The world revolves around them and their needs and wants. As far as other people go, they don't care. Other people are either there to suit their needs or get in the way. They don't comprehend other people as having rights or feelings. If other people have nothing to do with their life, these kids regard them as disposable.
Children growing up this way think of school as a boring interference on their fun time. They don't really think of what an education means in the long term. For now, an education prevents them from having fun and hanging out and being free. They resent any adult trying to control them and make them sit still and learn facts they perceive as boring. Eventually, such children tend to drop out of school and just hang out with other kids in the same boat.
Before laws were in place for mandatory schooling and child welfare laws, a lot of children would fall through the crack. The gang situation was perhaps a lot more tamed due to the fact that there was no social system support. Many kids who fell through the cracks had a conscience, but lived a hard life. Kids would have to grow up fast and find a steady job to eat. Kids without a conscience got their needs met by taking whatever they wanted with no regard to consequences or who they were hurting.
A child who has discounted the value of education is likely to attract the attentions of other kids just like themselves and when truant from school will hang out with other kids who just want fun now.
A famous saying applies to this situation, "Idle hands are the Devil's tools." The saying means that those who have nothing to do (idle hands) will start doing things that are wrong (thus, pawns of the Devil - his tools.) It is hard enough for an adult to not get caught up in wanting to have things the easy way, but it is almost impossible for a child to do without supervision. When a child has nothing but time on their hands and also wanting life to be a fun, easy ride, these children find trouble.
Kids start by stealing which in and of itself is a thrill. They saw something they desired which may either be something they really needed or just wanted and took it. If they don't get caught there is the thrill in knowing they got away with doing something that people told them they shouldn't do. They see a breech in the system of dos and don'ts. They figure if they can get away with doing something that brings them fun and gives them what they want immediately, it is their right to continue. They develop a "society owes me" attitude so what is yours is theirs and what is theirs is theirs.
Sometimes the kid's first impulse is to try drugs. They know it is wrong to take it, but hear that the high of taking drugs is the fun part. Tossing aside the knowledge that taking drugs is a bad thing, they go for the fun and usually get caught in a cycle of addiction to feed that part of the brain wanting that first thrill which never comes again. As it hurts too much to break the addiction, it is less painful to stay an addict than to work to get off of it.
Kids who steal don't think about their part in the bigger picture. When they steal from someone, they don't see they are part of a chain reaction that adversely affects many people. All they see is they got what they wanted and are happy, but if you try and stop them, you are the bad guy. Kids who do drugs don't see the big picture, either. They got their fun, but don't want to think how they are hurting society in general. (And those who want to argue that it is their body and they are not hurting society often fail to see how taxpayers are supporting drug addicts. Even if drugs were made legal, we would still be paying for their decision. But the fact is they are illegal and because of that they are part of the growing cycle of violence, degradation and death, even to those who are not participating in the habit. Do you want a pilot flying your plane under the influence of crack? It may be his body, but his body has your life in his hands.)
Kids by nature like to dare each other into doing things. When there is no parental supervision, kids can dare each other into doing some very dangerous and stupid things. These types of children are basically dared into criminal acts by their peers. These peers act as sort of their family as they seem to have no real connection to their real families. Family rules tend to be strict and boring although many times seldom carried out. Peer rules are fun, exciting and makes you feel on the same level and not as a low ranking private in an army.
Once a kid gets to that point, they may encounter groups of older kids. A lot of kids want to think they are older than they are, so to capture that image they will often try to hang out and act like the older kids they see. This is where the real danger comes in.
Mafia And Inner City Gangs Are Just Alike
People tend not to want to hear that, but it is the truth. The Mafia came of age when alcohol was illegal. These thugs would profit on this illegal activity where big money was to be made. Anyone who tried to interfere with the big profit was eliminated as a routine part of business.
Today, the inner cities have illegal drugs. Crack is the most profitable. It behooves the leaders of the gang to ensure the success of their business by finding people who are either willing or intimidated into doing their dirty work.
Crime bosses have a few things in common whether from the Mafia or inner city. They like easy money, the more the better. They are also lazy and would rather have other people do the work for them.
A child can become easy pawns for these criminals who are beyond the point of help. They flash an exciting lifestyle before these young kids eyes. They show them the money they make and how easy life is at the top. They promise the kids they will protect them and be their family if they are part of the gang.
The kid sees an opportunity for an exciting life with lots of money, friends, and a feeling of belonging. The kids who have fallen under the cracks have nothing else going for them and this becomes a pleasing invitation. As they get drawn into this lifestyle, if no one stops them they will eventually become hardcore gangsters and at that point it is too late to help them.
The kids drawn in are talked into doing the petty things the gang leaders would rather not do. The kids take big risks in the name of the gang as the adult leaders know a child who is arrested for selling drugs, murder, or any other crime will only be tried as a juvenile and it is not as risky for the kid. They can always find another kid to replace them.
In exchange for taking the big risks and doing the dirty work for the adults, the kids get more money than they have ever seen in their lives, but a drop in the bucket compared to the gang leaders.
Imagine the scenario. You are a business owner and you have 20 salespeople pushing your product by whatever means necessary. Each salesperson collects $40,000 in sales per week and you pay them $50-100 per day. You like the money, but think it would be better to make more, so you recruit 100 more salespeople to do the same work. You divide the territory evenly among your salespeople and do all you can to keep another business out of your territories. If you were a business owner, wouldn't you try to do all you can to make sure your business continues to bring in such money? So do gang leaders!
An inner city gang (or Mafia) is essentially a business cult. They have a well defined sense of order, rules and ranking. They have their secret lingo. They also have a process of initiation to dedicate the minds of the followers the level of commitment expected. Those who fall prey for a gang should be handled in the same way you handle those involved in any mind controlling cult, not so much as a criminal, but a victim. Just be sure to distinguish, it is only the low level children recruited who are the victims. The adults know what they are doing and are the criminals.
A gang survives for long periods of time because that is the business nature. As long as there is money to be made, the gang leaders will thrive. When that avenue of income is completely eliminated another one will be found.
While the Mafia no longer exists as it did in the days of Prohibition, the new "Mafia" is still around capitalizing on other types of criminal activities. The leaders haven't all of a sudden said, "Now that alcohol is legal I think I will give up ways to make thousands of dollars an hour." In fact, the Italian Mafia has been around since the 9th century and shows no sign of giving up. Inner city gangs are no different.
The ones who live long enough make it to the top and want in on that easy money continue the cycle of recruiting young kids with nothing better to do to fetch in that money. They will kill to keep the easy money flowing.
The road to the top of the gang is not an easy one. Founding members are there for life. Those recruited as kids may never make it to the top. Sometimes these kids are merely associated with the gangs, but are drifting in and out of it while trying to be a normal child. Children who get caught up with wanting to be a "hardcore" gangster can end up in a cycle of the juvenile justice system only to come out and do it all over again. Those who can't stay out of jail can't make it to the top. They have no education and no structure to pursue one. Without an education or skill, they are unemployable. They are stuck in a cycle where crime is the only way they know how to support themselves. The unlucky children die on their way to the top.
Stopping The Cycle
This is an almost impossible wish. As long as there are sociopathic personalities who join together for the purpose of committing crimes, there will always be gangs.
The sad fact is those who grow up under the gang lifestyle often have children who dive into it at a young age without a chance to know there is a better way. Sometimes a gang member will have children while they are still children and too immature to want to do what is best for that child. They may come to their senses one day and want to get themselves and their child out of the gang which is sometimes easier said than done.
Some gangs have rules that essentially say you are theirs for life, if you want out they will kill you. Other gangs may have a violent ritual to have you "jumped out" where you can be beaten nearly to death. However, many gangs will just let you be as long as you don't do anything against the gang, but still consider you a fringe member.
If you want to avoid the temptations that kind of life brought you, it is best to leave the area. Move to a new city. That may not be an easy thing to do, but the one thing you never learned as a gang member is a hard lesson you should know, nothing in life is easy. Accept that as a fact and deal with it. It does you no good to bemoan your fate of a hard life. Life is only as hard as you make it.
Whether you want out for yourself or to set a good example for your child, you have to learn self-discipline. You may want to consider joining the armed services where you will learn routine and discipline. It would also give you and any family you have a place to live and income. If you don't qualify, try the Peace Corps, Job Corps, or a community college to get your education. Find a support group of people who have your best interests at heart.
If you have gotten to the point where you want to do something better with your life, it is not too late for you unless you give up. You will have a lot more hurdles to overcome because of your past mistakes. Granted, if you never made those mistakes your life could have been a lot better, but it makes no sense beating yourself up over things you can't change. All you can do is commit yourself to having a better life and that has to be your main priority.
Suppose you are a parent, teacher, coach or someone who works around children and you want to make sure the kids will not get caught up. What would you do if you suspect a child is falling under gang control?
As a parent, you must make sure your child is raised in a structured enviornment with a lot of love. Take the time to get to know your children. Don't treat them all the same, they are unique individuals. Show an interest in what they do. Know who their friends are and don't be afraid to tell them they are not allowed to play with certain kids. Set firm rules for them and follow through on the consequences if the rules are not followed. Be sure to instill in them the ability to dream of a future. Encourage them to dream of what they want to be as adults so you can guide them on that path. Don't just turn them into replicas of yourself or force your dreams on them, they are their own person. Let them know where your morals stand and what you expect from them. Keep them busy in some type of structured activity which may or may not be supervised. Don't feel you need to always watch them. Sometimes you have to let them go out without your guidance and support so they can learn to be independent. They will probably fail quite a few times, but they are learning. Remember, you are their parent, not their friend, it is your job to be the parent.
Sounds like a lot doesn't it? Well it is! No one ever said being a parent is easy. If they did, they lied. Being a parent is the hardest thing in the world to do. Almost anyone can create a child as you can see there are many. Unfortunately there are too few parents for the children that do exist. That is the key to the problem we face.
Whether you are a parent or just work with kids, there are signs you can see when a child needs help. Do not ignore them! Children who act out will not always join gangs, but they do have problems and need help. Don't turn your backs on them. You know the usual signs of a child in danger. If not, here are some clues:
- A child who used to be a good student has a streak of bad grades or behavior problems.
- A child who was once outgoing becomes painfully shy.
- A child who is acting sexually loose, rubbing private areas, or seems obssessed with sex.
- A child who is a bully or is being bullied.
- A child with cuts, marks or bruises which may be self inflicted or brought on by a parent.
- A child who suddenly gains or loses a lot of weight.
- A child who always comes to school hungry, unkempt, unwashed or otherwise neglected.
- A child who seems dazed, confused, or acts spacey.
- A child who always seems to say negative things about themselves.
- A child who wears known gang colors daily or displays gang symbols.
There are many things to look for in a child that needs help. If you see a child that just seems to be out of sorts, look into it. They just may be crying for help and don't know how to get it. It is best a caring adult helps them first before those who prey on such children do.
