How To Join A Gang Essay

Gang is: A group of people, youngsters or adolescent who associate closely, often exclusively, for social reasons, esp. such as a group engaging in delinquent behavior. It is said that there are about 750,000 different gangs in the United States, ranging from cultural meaning people from the same culture like the “The Latin Kings” consisting of Hispanic members to the “ Zoe pound” which include only Haitians or the well know the “mafia” which consist of the Italians. Other gangs are just diverse like the Crips and the Bloods, these gangs are like the country we live in the melting pot. Most of these gangs are well organized and can be identified by the color that they were, the way they are dressed or the tattoos on their body. The most
common one are the Bloods, who favor the color red and the Crips who favors the color blue. Others like the “MS13” are well known for their tattoos. These gangs are territorial and often mark their turfs by writing graffiti on the walls of the streets. The purpose of these gangs is mainly to sell drugs and that is why they always mark their territory or turf from rival gang. A turf can be anything from a block a neighborhood or an entire area in a city. Therefore if any member from the rival gangs or any one else try to stop them from selling drugs, robbing stealing or making money by any illegal way that they see fit there could be fatal confrontations. These members drink, smoke marijuana, look for trouble and are blood thirsty individuals. Some even look for confrontation and antagonize rival gang by drawing a cross over the graffiti’s of the rival gang, or drawing and throwing rival gang sings upside down. There are many reasons why kids join gangs. Some kids are drawn by parties, girls, and drugs; some are looking for a sense of respect and power, some find a feeling of caring and attention in a gang, it becomes almost a family to them, some want to make money to help out at home or to have nice clothes, some join for self protection because they are picked on by other gangs, some grow up in a neighborhood where it is almost a way of life, most have some real or imagined problem at home that makes them prefer the streets. But the main reason why kids join gang is for the companionship and love. To join a gang you must go through what is called an initiation to prove you are worthy.
In some gangs, initiations involve committing a crime at random or to kill a specific person or a rival gang member. You can also choose to “walk the line”; this is when you must get beat up by the gang members without fighting back. The beatings range from a minute or number of people that must hit you. Other are blessed in, this happen when a high rank from the gang is willing to vouch for the new recruits, this way the new recruit is spared the beating. Most women have to be “sex in” to join a gang. Not realizing that joining a gang may end up two ways either in jail or six feet under. The most assumption about joining gangs is to get rich. Some young people believe that gang members are rich, drive nice cars and do not have to work. However, very few gang members get rich, because most of their money supports a flashy and stylish lifestyle rather than for living or saving. They are always on the guard, watching for the police or rival gang members. They are constantly in danger of getting arrested or being killed. Even on their own turf they are at risk of getting shot by dive by or becoming a target and be put on a dead least as the rival gang gets new
recruits. These gangs have several rules and regulations, most of the time these rules and regulations are written on a booklet to the recruits. There are disciplinary actions that can be taken against a gang member if they violate the rules or regulation of the gang. A member can get beat up witnessing a fellow member get jumps by a gang rival, they can be de-rank. The most intolerable act a member may commit is “snitching”. This act is punishable by death. To leave a gang is almost impossible but if it must be done, one has to leave the same way they joined in, either “walk the line” or “sex out” for women. There are other method like “short of fleeing” which is to fade out very carefully, one may have to move, or ask one of the higher ranking members to let him or her out.