Ethnic Gangs Research Paper
Ethnic & Racist Gangs in American Society
Gangs in America are incredibly widespread and continue to grow in size. Gangs are also known as Security Threat Groups (STG’s) in the correctional world. Both the outside world and prisons are affected by gangs daily. The threat of prison gangs seems to keep growing and shows no signs of coming to a halt. There are multiple types of gangs which include White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic. Many things can be done to stop Security Threat Groups and their related violence. This includes stopping community gangs as well as their related partners in prison. The impact of these groups can be extremely devastating. Prison gangs have effect of the outside world, their influence is just …show more content…
as powerful in prison as it is outside. In order to understand the full extent, and purpose of prison gangs one must look to see their influence, their partners outside of prison, their structure, and the crimes they commit regularly.
The word “gangs” may bring up mental images of graffiti covered subway tunnels in New York City or crews of young men walking the poorer streets of Los Angeles. Gangs used to be a problem of large urban communities. However, law enforcement officials and community members are witnessing gangs moving from large cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York to the surrounding suburbs. According to Organized Crime Digest, Chicago Police Department’s Area Gun Teams have established that there is a growing gang presence in the suburbs (Dudley, 2005). Police of Chicago have reported that at least half of the fourteen homicides committed this year were tied to gangs (Dudley, 2005). Out of 84,000 people in the city 2,000 are documented to be gang members (Dudley, 2005). As one can see the prevalence of gangs in the community are growing. The reason behind this is due to racial alienation, lack of jobs, and poor education. Immigration may also have an effect on the growing population. The havoc caused by street and community gangs can be seen by the entire community.
Most violence is carried out between gangs of the same ethnic or racial background. Though most gang-related crimes are committed between members of opposing gangs, innocent citizens are often hit by stray bullets (Landre, Miller, Porter, 2010). They may also be victims of such gang crimes as robbery, burglary, and auto theft. In most cases gang members will not fight or shoot at innocent citizens unless provoked. Gang members participate in all forms of criminal activity, either for personal economic gain, for revenge against another gang, or out of hate for the victim. Crimes committed include, assault with a deadly weapon, arson, grand theft, sale/possession of narcotics, and murder. They use many weapons such as sawed-off shotguns, pipe bombs, hand grenades, and a variety of different knives (Landre, Miller, Porter, 2010). This crime and activity is very common on the streets although in prison it is completely different.
As street gangs have evolved over time, members have moved from juvenile penal institutions to adult prisons.
Both levels of incarceration contain gang structures with membership based primarily on race and/or area of origin. Some of the adult prison gangs have evolved from juvenile gangs whose incarcerated members have formed comprehensive and violent organizations that require obedience of street members (Soliz, 2009). Prison gangs follow formalized rules and procedures strictly. Originally the prison gangs were established for self-protection; later they became involved with the control of drugs and favors in and outside of the prisons (Soliz, 2009). Other groups formed in retaliation and for the defense against the more powerful groups. An adult who successfully recruits younger street gang members may become the middleman for the prison gang, responsible for directing the street gang to do the biffing of the prison gang. Such an alliance may appear mutually beneficial to its members. The influence and reach of the prison gang is increased, and the street gang itself is elevated by close association with the prison gang. The downside for the street gang is becoming involved in crime more serious than members may desire. In addition, members or their families become targets for retaliation by associates of rival prison gangs. The main difference between the street gang and the prison gang is In their motivations for violence. The street gang usually commits a violent act …show more content…
to terrorize its enemies; a resultant murder is generally of secondary importance. The prison gang uses murder as a specific act of revenge; the terror created by killing is secondary (Soliz, 2009). According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, the major prison gangs are distinguished by their level of organization, the fact that they were formed in prison, and their potential for disrupting institutional operations. The Bureau of Prisons lists the major prison gangs in 2010 as the Aryan Brotherhood, the Black Guerrilla Family, La Nuestra Familia, the Mexican Mafia, and the Texas Syndicate (Landre, Miller, Porter, 2010). It is important to note that that several of the major prison gangs have expanded and include members serving prison terms throughout the country. In addition to the major gangs, the bureau documents approximately fourteen smaller prison gangs including the Northern Stucture, the Texas Mafia, the Bull Dogs, the Dirty White Boys, the Mexikanemi, and the Arizona Aryan Brotherhood (Soliz, 2009). There are also numerous disruptive groups throughout the country that are not categorized as prison gangs. Many affiliates slide under the radar and it is a difficult task to keep track of the many different gangs, considering many of them are closely related to the five major ones. The few main gangs that cause major problems in society include the Aryan Brotherhood (A B), the Black Guerrilla Family (B G F), La Nuestra Familia (N F), the Mexican Mafia (E M E), and the Texas Syndicate (T S S) (Hagedorn, 2000). All in which contain certain ethnic backgrounds. The Aryan Brotherhood originates from the California prison system in San Quentin Prison in the 1960’s. Only white members are allowed and they must align themselves with white supremacists. They are known to associate with Mexicans and blacks for narcotics. These members can usually be identified with their tattoos, which consist of the letters, “AB,” a shamrock, and three sixes. They also wear Nazi tattoos such as lightning bolts and swastikas. The Black Guerilla Family was formed in 1966 by a former Black Panther George Jackson (Hagedorn, 2000). This is an all-black gang who maintains an extensive and precise code of ethics in which they make several references to their symbol, the dragon. They are one of the most politically oriented gangs in the United States (Hagedorn, 2000). They also facilitate drug sales, with CRIPS’s and Bloods through the outside world. They remain rivals with the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mexican Mafia. These rivals exist within the correctional facilities, but have been known to carry over to the streets. The members of the Black Guerilla usually carry tattoos of Chinese dragons, with a rifle and a sword crossed with the letters BGF. There is also the La Nuestra Familia (Hagedorn, 2000), which is a Hispanic gang formed within California prison systems in the 1960’s. They mostly recruit northern Californians. This STG was formed in order to protect young, rural, Mexican-American inmates for the Mexican Mafia. The Nuestra Familia associates with the BGF, and a portion of the Texas Syndicate. The NF uses various types of tattoos including the words “Nuestra Familia” or “NF,” a sombrero with a knife through it, and a five-pointed star They also usually have a red bandana in possession. Another well-known STG is known as the Mexican Mafia or EME. The Mexican Mafia was formed in the 1950’s within the California Department of Corrections. The Mafia is the most dangerous gang within the prison system (Donahue, 2002). They are known for their viciousness, they murder as a form of inter-gang intimidation. This gang is so effective with their intimidation that in September 2003 in Los Angeles, the Mexican Mafia ordered all Latino street gangs to stop drive-by shootings. The shootings were happening because the flow of narcotics to the Latinos was being minimized and the street gangs were furious.
Police noted a 35 percent decrease in Latino Gang activity during the months of September and October (Donahue, 2002). Allies of the Mexican Mafia are the Aryan Brotherhood and various street Latino gangs. Typical tattoos consist of the letters M, EME, or MM. In addition they may have a tattoo of a black hand called “mano negro” in Spanish, or a large bird of prey with a serpent from its mouth, as seen on the Mexican flag. Lastly the Texas Syndicate also known as the Syndicato Tejano was formed at Folsom Prison in California in the 1970’s (Donahue, 2002). The groups stronger membership lies within the state of Texas. It was organized for protection from the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mexican Mafia, who were attacking native Texas inmates, and for the control of drug trafficking within the prison. Membership consists primarily of Mexican-Americans incarcerated within the Texas Department of Corrections. The rule of only letting Latinos in the gang is no longer followed. The Texas Syndicate doesn’t associate with any major prison gangs. The primary group symbol of the Texas Syndicate is the letter T with the S running through the lower part, often disguised as the figure of a snake (Donahue, 2002). Security threat groups are not just simple clubs or “wanna-bes” they are actually incredibly smart and tactical which raises awareness to many prison systems.
Many people in the American society have seen a rapid change in racism.
But what people don’t see behind closed doors, and what is hidden from the common public can be shocking. These groups originated from hate and racism stemming from this society. Racism is still very prevalent amongst the prison systems. In other instances most of United States is unaware of how serious racial and ethnic gangs are unless they are active in the community. Most news coverage does not exploit such behavior unless it is completely necessary. Today in the American justice system steps are being taken to prevent future recruitment of children to continue the legacies. One program is known as D.A.R.E. Local law enforcement teach children usually in the 5th grade the dangers of such activity and makes them aware. Something else that has been becoming more popular and strategic with community policing is the local police participating more with teens. They offer a variety of services typical police wouldn’t offer. Including coaching, internships, after school camps, and transportation. This was created to give communities across the nation a better sense of law enforcement. To ensure the thought that police are there to trust, and people should not be afraid of
them.
Racial conflict and unnecessary gang activity might never come to a complete halt but with help from our education systems, local law enforcement, and community awareness, reducing it might reach a high. Ethnic gangs have existed for many years, most are unknown, and stay hidden. Most gangs can also be easily spotted just by the colors they wear and their ethnic background. What the American society should know as a whole is that just because one can’t see what’s going on, doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
Refrences & Works Cited
Dudley, W. (2005). Gangs; opposing viewpoints. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Pres
Landre, R., Miller, M., & Porter, D. (2010). Gangs; handbook for community awareness. New York: Facts On File, Inc.
Soliz, A. (2009). Gangs. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press.
Hagedorn, J. (2000). A world of gangs. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Donahue, S. (2002). Gangs; an adrenaline book. New York: Thunder 's Mouth Press.
Knox, G. (1994). National gangs resource handbook. Chicago: Chicago State University Press.
Gangs in America are incredibly widespread and continue to grow in size. Gangs are also known as Security Threat Groups (STG’s) in the correctional world. Both the outside world and prisons are affected by gangs daily. The threat of prison gangs seems to keep growing and shows no signs of coming to a halt. There are multiple types of gangs which include White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic. Many things can be done to stop Security Threat Groups and their related violence. This includes stopping community gangs as well as their related partners in prison. The impact of these groups can be extremely devastating. Prison gangs have effect of the outside world, their influence is just …show more content…
as powerful in prison as it is outside. In order to understand the full extent, and purpose of prison gangs one must look to see their influence, their partners outside of prison, their structure, and the crimes they commit regularly.
The word “gangs” may bring up mental images of graffiti covered subway tunnels in New York City or crews of young men walking the poorer streets of Los Angeles. Gangs used to be a problem of large urban communities. However, law enforcement officials and community members are witnessing gangs moving from large cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York to the surrounding suburbs. According to Organized Crime Digest, Chicago Police Department’s Area Gun Teams have established that there is a growing gang presence in the suburbs (Dudley, 2005). Police of Chicago have reported that at least half of the fourteen homicides committed this year were tied to gangs (Dudley, 2005). Out of 84,000 people in the city 2,000 are documented to be gang members (Dudley, 2005). As one can see the prevalence of gangs in the community are growing. The reason behind this is due to racial alienation, lack of jobs, and poor education. Immigration may also have an effect on the growing population. The havoc caused by street and community gangs can be seen by the entire community.
Most violence is carried out between gangs of the same ethnic or racial background. Though most gang-related crimes are committed between members of opposing gangs, innocent citizens are often hit by stray bullets (Landre, Miller, Porter, 2010). They may also be victims of such gang crimes as robbery, burglary, and auto theft. In most cases gang members will not fight or shoot at innocent citizens unless provoked. Gang members participate in all forms of criminal activity, either for personal economic gain, for revenge against another gang, or out of hate for the victim. Crimes committed include, assault with a deadly weapon, arson, grand theft, sale/possession of narcotics, and murder. They use many weapons such as sawed-off shotguns, pipe bombs, hand grenades, and a variety of different knives (Landre, Miller, Porter, 2010). This crime and activity is very common on the streets although in prison it is completely different.
As street gangs have evolved over time, members have moved from juvenile penal institutions to adult prisons.
Both levels of incarceration contain gang structures with membership based primarily on race and/or area of origin. Some of the adult prison gangs have evolved from juvenile gangs whose incarcerated members have formed comprehensive and violent organizations that require obedience of street members (Soliz, 2009). Prison gangs follow formalized rules and procedures strictly. Originally the prison gangs were established for self-protection; later they became involved with the control of drugs and favors in and outside of the prisons (Soliz, 2009). Other groups formed in retaliation and for the defense against the more powerful groups. An adult who successfully recruits younger street gang members may become the middleman for the prison gang, responsible for directing the street gang to do the biffing of the prison gang. Such an alliance may appear mutually beneficial to its members. The influence and reach of the prison gang is increased, and the street gang itself is elevated by close association with the prison gang. The downside for the street gang is becoming involved in crime more serious than members may desire. In addition, members or their families become targets for retaliation by associates of rival prison gangs. The main difference between the street gang and the prison gang is In their motivations for violence. The street gang usually commits a violent act …show more content…
to terrorize its enemies; a resultant murder is generally of secondary importance. The prison gang uses murder as a specific act of revenge; the terror created by killing is secondary (Soliz, 2009). According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, the major prison gangs are distinguished by their level of organization, the fact that they were formed in prison, and their potential for disrupting institutional operations. The Bureau of Prisons lists the major prison gangs in 2010 as the Aryan Brotherhood, the Black Guerrilla Family, La Nuestra Familia, the Mexican Mafia, and the Texas Syndicate (Landre, Miller, Porter, 2010). It is important to note that that several of the major prison gangs have expanded and include members serving prison terms throughout the country. In addition to the major gangs, the bureau documents approximately fourteen smaller prison gangs including the Northern Stucture, the Texas Mafia, the Bull Dogs, the Dirty White Boys, the Mexikanemi, and the Arizona Aryan Brotherhood (Soliz, 2009). There are also numerous disruptive groups throughout the country that are not categorized as prison gangs. Many affiliates slide under the radar and it is a difficult task to keep track of the many different gangs, considering many of them are closely related to the five major ones. The few main gangs that cause major problems in society include the Aryan Brotherhood (A B), the Black Guerrilla Family (B G F), La Nuestra Familia (N F), the Mexican Mafia (E M E), and the Texas Syndicate (T S S) (Hagedorn, 2000). All in which contain certain ethnic backgrounds. The Aryan Brotherhood originates from the California prison system in San Quentin Prison in the 1960’s. Only white members are allowed and they must align themselves with white supremacists. They are known to associate with Mexicans and blacks for narcotics. These members can usually be identified with their tattoos, which consist of the letters, “AB,” a shamrock, and three sixes. They also wear Nazi tattoos such as lightning bolts and swastikas. The Black Guerilla Family was formed in 1966 by a former Black Panther George Jackson (Hagedorn, 2000). This is an all-black gang who maintains an extensive and precise code of ethics in which they make several references to their symbol, the dragon. They are one of the most politically oriented gangs in the United States (Hagedorn, 2000). They also facilitate drug sales, with CRIPS’s and Bloods through the outside world. They remain rivals with the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mexican Mafia. These rivals exist within the correctional facilities, but have been known to carry over to the streets. The members of the Black Guerilla usually carry tattoos of Chinese dragons, with a rifle and a sword crossed with the letters BGF. There is also the La Nuestra Familia (Hagedorn, 2000), which is a Hispanic gang formed within California prison systems in the 1960’s. They mostly recruit northern Californians. This STG was formed in order to protect young, rural, Mexican-American inmates for the Mexican Mafia. The Nuestra Familia associates with the BGF, and a portion of the Texas Syndicate. The NF uses various types of tattoos including the words “Nuestra Familia” or “NF,” a sombrero with a knife through it, and a five-pointed star They also usually have a red bandana in possession. Another well-known STG is known as the Mexican Mafia or EME. The Mexican Mafia was formed in the 1950’s within the California Department of Corrections. The Mafia is the most dangerous gang within the prison system (Donahue, 2002). They are known for their viciousness, they murder as a form of inter-gang intimidation. This gang is so effective with their intimidation that in September 2003 in Los Angeles, the Mexican Mafia ordered all Latino street gangs to stop drive-by shootings. The shootings were happening because the flow of narcotics to the Latinos was being minimized and the street gangs were furious.
Police noted a 35 percent decrease in Latino Gang activity during the months of September and October (Donahue, 2002). Allies of the Mexican Mafia are the Aryan Brotherhood and various street Latino gangs. Typical tattoos consist of the letters M, EME, or MM. In addition they may have a tattoo of a black hand called “mano negro” in Spanish, or a large bird of prey with a serpent from its mouth, as seen on the Mexican flag. Lastly the Texas Syndicate also known as the Syndicato Tejano was formed at Folsom Prison in California in the 1970’s (Donahue, 2002). The groups stronger membership lies within the state of Texas. It was organized for protection from the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mexican Mafia, who were attacking native Texas inmates, and for the control of drug trafficking within the prison. Membership consists primarily of Mexican-Americans incarcerated within the Texas Department of Corrections. The rule of only letting Latinos in the gang is no longer followed. The Texas Syndicate doesn’t associate with any major prison gangs. The primary group symbol of the Texas Syndicate is the letter T with the S running through the lower part, often disguised as the figure of a snake (Donahue, 2002). Security threat groups are not just simple clubs or “wanna-bes” they are actually incredibly smart and tactical which raises awareness to many prison systems.
Many people in the American society have seen a rapid change in racism.
But what people don’t see behind closed doors, and what is hidden from the common public can be shocking. These groups originated from hate and racism stemming from this society. Racism is still very prevalent amongst the prison systems. In other instances most of United States is unaware of how serious racial and ethnic gangs are unless they are active in the community. Most news coverage does not exploit such behavior unless it is completely necessary. Today in the American justice system steps are being taken to prevent future recruitment of children to continue the legacies. One program is known as D.A.R.E. Local law enforcement teach children usually in the 5th grade the dangers of such activity and makes them aware. Something else that has been becoming more popular and strategic with community policing is the local police participating more with teens. They offer a variety of services typical police wouldn’t offer. Including coaching, internships, after school camps, and transportation. This was created to give communities across the nation a better sense of law enforcement. To ensure the thought that police are there to trust, and people should not be afraid of
them.
Racial conflict and unnecessary gang activity might never come to a complete halt but with help from our education systems, local law enforcement, and community awareness, reducing it might reach a high. Ethnic gangs have existed for many years, most are unknown, and stay hidden. Most gangs can also be easily spotted just by the colors they wear and their ethnic background. What the American society should know as a whole is that just because one can’t see what’s going on, doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
Refrences & Works Cited
Dudley, W. (2005). Gangs; opposing viewpoints. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Pres
Landre, R., Miller, M., & Porter, D. (2010). Gangs; handbook for community awareness. New York: Facts On File, Inc.
Soliz, A. (2009). Gangs. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press.
Hagedorn, J. (2000). A world of gangs. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Donahue, S. (2002). Gangs; an adrenaline book. New York: Thunder 's Mouth Press.
Knox, G. (1994). National gangs resource handbook. Chicago: Chicago State University Press.