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Kasin Alex
Ms.Torain
English III
December 11, 2014

Gangs Terrorizing the World You Live In

Did you know gangs contribute one of the greatest threats to society in the world
today? The "Laws Are Weak in the Face of Rising Gangs" by Marilyn Loeffel explain restrooms
are where drugs, weapons, sex and gang assaults run rampant. According to Jimmy Chambers an
investigator for the Shelby County District Attorney's Office. Chambers presented crime-scene
footage and a confiscated gang beating video yeah, in a school restroom. Chambers says that 8year-olds are doing this. The average age of a gang member recruit is 14, but gangs recruit in
elementary schools every day. Even though some people believe more help should be given to
social service agencies working with young people involved in gangs, because laws are weak
in the face of rising gangs, cities sue gangs in bid to stop violence, and gangs contribute to
most of the crime in the USA.

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Laws are weak in the face of rising gangs. In the article Laws Are Weak in the Face of
Rising Gangs" by Marilyn Loeffel explain how until the state legislature passes laws that give
Juvenile Court the authority to actually punish and rehabilitate, we will continue to see the
revolving door at Juvenile Court at 616 Adams lead to the revolving door at 201 Poplar (M.L).
According to Bunker, formerly on the Shelby County Board of Education, said the lack of
meaningful reform to strengthen Juvenile Court's authority has resulted in gangs controlling the
schools (M.L). In the article explain restrooms are where drugs, weapons, sex and gang assaults
run rampant. According to Jimmy Chambers an investigator for the Shelby County District
Attorney's Office. The average age of a gang member recruit is 14, but gangs recruit in
elementary schools every day (M.L). In the article it explains it costs taxpayers five times more
to incarcerate a child than to educate him, Chambers noted. According to the article every day,
latchkey kids come home to an empty house, lock the door and sit in one room for hours while
they watch TV or play a video game. Incarceration at Juvenile Court means they get the cell door
locked behind them and they sit in one room for hours watching TV. Laws are weak in the face
of rising gangs.
Cities sue gangs in bid to stop violence. In the article "Cities Sue Gangs in Bid to Stop
Violence" by Angela K Brown explain how cities are fed up with deadly drive-by shootings,
incessant drug dealing and graffiti, cities nationwide are trying a different tactic to combat gangs:
They're suing them. According to the article cities such as Fort Worth and San Francisco are
among the latest to file lawsuits against gang members, asking courts for injunctions barring
them from hanging out together on street corners, in cars or anywhere else in certain areas. In the
article it explains the injunctions are aimed at disrupting gang activity before it can escalate.

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They also give police legal reasons to stop and question gang members, who often are found
with drugs or weapons, authorities said. In some cases, they don't allow gang members to even
talk to people passing in cars or to carry spray paint. According to Kevin Rousseau, a Tarrant
County assistant prosecutor in Fort Worth the injunctions are an another tool which recently
filed its first civil injunction against a gang (A.B).This is more of a proactive approach." Last
summer, Wichita Falls sued 15 members of the Varrio Carnales gang after escalating violence
with a rival gang, including about 50 drive-by shootings in less than a year in that North Texas
city of 100,000. According to Hegglund since then, crime has dropped about 13 percent in the
safety zone and real estate values are climbing (A.B). Cities sue gangs in bid to stop violence.
Gangs contribute to most of the crime in the USA. In the article FBI
report: Gang membership spikes by Terry Frieden it explains that the new
FBI report claims that gangs are responsible for 48% of violent crime, on
average, in most jurisdictions. According to anti-gang officials Neighborhood
based gangs have proven that they can be as violent as the notorious
Central American gang MS-13, which continues to grow (T.F). U.S.-based
gangs are establishing stronger working relationships with Central American
and Mexican gangs to facilitate not only drug smuggling, but also weapons
trafficking and immigrant smuggling, the report claims. In the article it
explains an estimated 1.4 million people are active in more than 33,000
street, prison and outlaw motorcycle gangs across the country. According to
FBI officials the apparent 40 percent increase in membership may reflect
more accurate reporting of numbers, in addition to any sudden swell in

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gangs' ranks (T.F). In the article it explains how gang members who enter the
military, they don't note any evident gang activity among active U.S. military
personnel. However, they fear those individuals who receive weapons and
tactical training might use both to commit violence crimes when they reenter society. According to anti-gang officials that those individuals could be
even more dangerous when they're released (T.F). Gangs contribute to most

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of the crime in the USA.

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Many other sources, however, argue that help should be given to social
service agencies working with young people involved in gangs. In the article
Treating Gang Violence as Mental Illness by Lawrence Harmon explains
some researchers see gangs as a logical extension of efforts to control illegal
street commerce. Others attribute the violence to distorted expressions of
masculinity in poor neighborhoods, stressful families, poor education, or
failed transitions from childhood to adulthood among the 14- to 18-year-oldset. According to James Diego Vigil an anthropologist at the University of
California, Irvine he sees many gang members as living in a state of "quasicontrolled insanity" that manifests itself in fearlessness and bursts of
destructive behavior (L.H). According to the article Treating Gang Violence
as Mental Illness by Lawrence Harmon explains that many gang members
put on a crazy act as a means of survival. In the article How US Can Join El
Salvador in Combating International Gangs by Ruben Zamora explains why
American support is crucial for new initiatives such as the one in El Salvador
that combats gangs by addressing social ills and rehabilitating gang
members. According to the article How US Can Join El Salvador in
Combating International Gangs by Ruben Zamora. According to the Ruben
Zamora, ambassador of El Salvador to the United States argues the United
States can learn a lot from El Salvador in terms of the way that country
tackles gang violence (R.Z). According to El Salvador administration of
president Mauricio Funes launched a new, three-track policy for combating
gangs in March 2012 1) Crime control; 2) Social crime prevention and; 3)

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Rehabilitation of gang members (R.Z). A truce between the gangs, brokered

by a bishop of the Catholic Church and other members of civil society and
supported by the Organization of American States, provided the opportunity
for implementing the policy. According to the article How US Can Join El
Salvador in Combating International Gangs by Ruben Zamora.
Even though some people believe more help should be given to social service agencies
working with young people involved in gangs, because laws are weak in the face of rising gangs,
cities sue gangs in bid to stop violence, and gangs contribute to most of the crime in the USA.
Gangs in the past were engaged in prostitution, theft and forgery in addition to theft, prostitution
and forgery. Gangs of the 1920's and 1930's were composed mainly of family members and
friends, and they were involved only in very limited criminal actions. In fact, the main purpose
of these criminal activities was to transmit a " 'tough guy' image and to provide an easy means of
obtaining money. Gangs of the 1940's were involved in extortion and gambling. "They were very
effective in forcing local merchants to pay the gangsters for protection, which amounted to
paying the gang not to burn the merchant's store . According to the article Los Angeles Crips and
Bloods: Past and Present by Julia Dunn. In Jan 13, 2009 according to the article Gangs Timeline
by ProQuest Staff Los Angeles wins its first civil judgment against a criminal gang that had
dominated the heroin trade in the city for decades. Gangs in the present day in time no city, town,
or neighborhood is totally immune from the threat of gangs. The police must act as the point
group to bring an operating criminal street gang under control. Officers must target the gang in a
variety of ways, including the criminal activities normally associated with the gang. According to
the article Gangs Timeline by ProQuest Staff in 2012 The National Gang Center, part of the

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Justice Department, reports that gangs are growing in number and reach throughout the U.S..
Gangs in the future Home Secretary, unveiled plans to cut off gang violence at the root by
intervening in problem families from the moment children are born. Children identified as "at
risk" by the age of three are more than twice as likely to have criminal convictions by the age of
21, the report said (R.M). According to the article future gang members 'can be spotted at age
three by Rowena Mason a Political Correspondent. They would be the partners of gang
members, the Home Secretary said. They would find themselves being abused and sometimes
being used as weapons raping a rival gang leader's girlfriend to get back at that gang (R.M).
According to Mrs. May a Home Secretary member. According to Iain Duncan-Smith, the Work
and Pensions Secretary, estimated that around 12,000 was needed to turn a family around
Improving dysfunctional communication between hospitals, social workers and police is
crucial, he said (R.M). According to the article it explains the Government also wants to re-house
gang members and their families if they show willingness to leave behind their lives of crime. It
all so explains the Government planning to bring in injunctions for children as young as 14 to
stop them socializing with gang members or going into certain problem areas. Violence against
girls connected to gangs was another key problem identified in the report. According to Mrs.
May a Home Secretary member it was a chilling development that girls are being raped during
disputes between rival gangs.

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Works Cited
Allender, David M. "Gangs in Middle America: Are They a Threat?" - Free Online Library. FBI
LAW ENFORCEMENT BULLETIN (U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation), Dec.
2001. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
Brown, Angela K. "Cities Sue Gangs in Bid to Stop Violence." EL PASO TIMES (El Paso, TX).
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 30 July 2007. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.

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Dunn, Julia. "Los Angeles Crips and Bloods: Past and Present." Los Angeles Crips and Bloods:
Past and Present. Poverty & Prejudice: Gangs of All Colors, 1987. Web. 17 Nov.
2014.
Frieden, Terry. "FBI Report: Gang Membership Spikes." CNN Justice Produce. CNN Justice
Producer, 21 Oct. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
Harmon, Lawrence. "Treating Gang Violence As Mental Illness." The Boston Globe. 8 Feb.
2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
Loeffel, Marilyn. "Laws Are Weak in the Face of Rising Gangs." Commercial Appeal (Memphis,
TN). Memphis Publishing Company, 23 Mar. 2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
Mason, Rowena. "Future Gang Members 'can Be Spotted at Age Three'" The Telegraph.
Telegraph Media Group, 30 Sept. 2001. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
Zamora, Ruben. "How US Can Join El Salvador in Combating International Gangs." Christian
Science Monitor. 20 Dec. 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.