Gangs, Youths, & Affiliations

Gangs, Turfs, Youth & Affiliations

When was the last time you were able to turn on the news and not hear about some sort of violent act? Crime and gangs is a growing concern amongst most cities, and street gangs are behind a lot of the trouble. Gangs have plagued the streets for centuries and there is no stopping the urge to commit such hideous crimes. Gangs grow from recruiting young kids but what makes a kid decide to join a crime filled lifestyle?
Gang violence has been a problem for many years, and it shows no signs of subsiding any time soon. The most critical factor in combating gang violence is juveniles. Juveniles are important for several reasons. They are most at risk due to their position in their community. Parents in low-income areas often work long hours and are not able to supervise their children as much as necessary. This can lead youth to seek companionship or support from other youngsters in their neighborhoods.
I feel peer pressure and greed causes gangs. Many teens in gangs will pressure peers into becoming part of a gang by making it sound all glamorous. Teens get fooled into believing that joining a gang will help them achieve a better life. Money is also a crucial factor.
More young people are turning to gangs to solve problems in their lives. When youths join gangs they drop social activities with family, friends, and school. Members fall behind their classmates in school and do not try. A study shows that less than 10% of gang bangers are literate. Gangs destroy teenager’s lives and destroy their chances for a good education and happy life. Maybe it could be neglect from parents, not enough attention at home, wanting to fit in with the other crowd, a sense of belonging to a group, feeling that you are wanted and needed, etc.
Gang members can be involved in a variety of criminal activity. Some gangs specialize in certain types of crimes for particular reasons. Some gangs are run with a business-like efficiency. Many gangs are quite organized when committing a crime. Frequently, gang members, in their attempt to protect the gangs honor, save face, gain respect or protect their turf, are involved in homicides; robberies; drug sales; usage and transport; burglaries; rape; assault; arson; trespass; witness intimidation; kidnapping; extortion; weapons violations; threats against police officers, probation officers and court officers, including judges; hate crimes; cemetery desecration; animal killing; malicious mischief; thefts; credit card fraud, identity theft and the list could continue.
Gang Violence is a huge problem in America today. More and more children are joining gangs every day. It is evident that these gangs made up of young kids are causing numerous of problems. The kids in these gangs are hurting themselves, each other, their families, and the communities around them.
Some youth are born into the game. Maybe their parents are a gang member, or their friends that they hang out with. If you live in a certain neighborhood and everyone outside is a gang member, what choice do you have? Stay in the house?
I truly believe they should have more events and after school programs in the community, to get the youth something more to do than hang out. Allow mentors to take the youth to different outing, show them things they never saw before, movies, museums, amusement parks, assist the youth with homework, etc. Some youth have never left their neighborhoods before. I recall taking my daughter friend to the Wax Museum at Pier 39, she never have left the Bayview District before.
Being born into the game is hard to get out of. It’s all you know. The gang life contains many negative aspects including the most notorious reasons for violence and drugs. Getting high seems appealing to gang members. Usually it’s marijuana, but can be ecstasy, or the new drug they call “molly”.
I believe one of the main reason gangs “beef” is over their territory or their “turf”. Drugs can be a factor; or retaliation over a shooting or death of another gang member. You have numerous of gangs in San Francisco. You have the Bayview, in the Bayview, turfs are known as, Westpoint Mob, Oakdale Mob, Harbor Road (these turfs do not get along with each other), Osceola, Garlington, Bertha Lane, Quesada St., Kirkwood, is just to name a few.
You also have Double Rock, and Sunnydale. In Sunnydale you have the turfs of Up the Hill & Down the Hill – they do not get along and they are up and down the hill from each other on the same street. You have B-Dale which is two blocks over, and at one time they did not get along with Up the Hill or Down the Hill. You have the Towers - Towerside, which is two – three blocks down, and they do not get along with Up the Hill, Down the Hill, or B-Dale.
In the Western Addition you have OC- Eddy Rock (Eddy St.), Westside Projects, Chopper City, Uptown – Divisadero St., Turkwood, KO (Knock Out Posse), Central, Page St., 800 – Grove St., is to name a few.
These turfs are within walking distance, and they do not get along with each other. It could be over someone going into their “turf” killing someone years ago, and they still do not get along. Sometimes men and women do not leave there “turf” because they are afraid of getting killed.
In 2007 City Attorney Dennis Herrera had obtained civil injunctions against seven violent street gangs that have long plagued San Francisco neighborhoods with their criminal and nuisance conduct. Named in the gang injunctions so far by the San Francisco Superior Court are the following:
• The Bayview/Hunters Point – based Oakdale Mob
• The Mission – based Norteno gang
• The Visitation Valley – based Down Below Gangsters
• The Visitation Valley – based Towerside gang
• The Western Addition – based Chopper City gang
• The Western Addition – based Eddy Rock gang
• The Western Addition – based Knock Out Posse gang
In 2007 41% of the identified gang members were arrested, 2008, 32% were arrested, 2009 20% were arrested, and in 2010 14% were arrested. In 2010, then Assistant Police Chief Jeff Godown stated that the injunctions were helpful for reducing the number of homicides in the gang area.
I had my own experience with gangs in my lifetime. I grew up in the Bayview District had a good home with my mother, but somehow in Middle school I just wanted to hang out with the bad kids in Westpoint. I felt wanted, needed, and accepted. This went on throughout my teenage years.
In 2002, I moved to Eddy St. with my daughter who was 3 at the time. I thought that was the best thing for us, being they were new townhomes that were just re-built, replacing the old OC projects. I later found out that was the worst thing I could have done. I associated myself with a guy who was from “OC”, and later found out he was a part of the Eddy Rock gang.
In 2006, my boyfriend was killed, due to gun violence and gangs in OC. It was the most devastating thing that could have happened to me, and still to this day it still bothers me. I was the last person he spoke to. I sometimes feel like I wished I never moved over there. My life took a downward spiral after that. I associated myself around all of his friends after his death, and I saw no or little direction of where to go. I allowed people in my home, and used my poor judgment. After a while the Western Addition gang task force took notice of my home, and the people who came in and out of my home.
In 2007, my house was raided. I was not in my home at the time, but they found drugs in my home. I was taken to jail, because it was my home. The detectives knew a lot about me, and knew who my boyfriend was, who was killed. They kept asking me “where are the guns”? I kept saying, “I do not know”, which I didn’t. I never associated myself with the lifestyle they were living; I was just around trying to cope with the death of my boyfriend. The detectives, Twin & Barrows, stated they would let me go if I come back and provide them with the information they needed, and if I did not they would stick a $500,000 bail on me, and charge me with everything that was in my home. I gave them my phone number and I was able to leave.
Needless to say, I didn’t know anything, so I changed my phone number, and continued on with my life. I guess they didn’t like that I changed my number. They were able to obtain another warrant and raided my house again. This time, I was going to jail. They stuck me with the charges, and put me on probation. Not just any probation, gang task force probation. I felt distraught. How can I be on gang task force probation, when I’m not a gang member? AFFILIATION is all it took. I was the only female on this guy’s case load, and he had it out for me.
I am so happy that, that part of my life is over. I am so happy to still be alive for some of the things that I have been through throughout my life. I am blessed to have lived that life and am able to talk about it. I have seen death, guns, violence, jail walls, prison walls, and a lot of other things that I am not proud of. But I’m proud to say that my whole life has changed around tremendously. I now work for the City and County of San Francisco fulltime, I go to school fulltime, and I do not associate myself with negative people, or environments.
I would like to take my past, and influence the youth, that the gang life is not the way to go. The results are always jail, institutions, or death. It’s only a few that have come from under it. The best way through it, is to not participate with it. There is no future in gang violence.