Should Street Gangs Be Considered Terrorist Organizations?

Should Street Gangs be Considered Terrorist Organizations? Terror, violence, and death are the common denominators in our society nowadays. Why? Because of street gang fights. Innocent people have been killed as a result of street gangs. These groups of criminals use violence against societies and band together for mutual protection and profit. Street gangs are gangsters controlling, attacking, and killing people on the streets, as a result, they are one of the biggest social problems around the world. According to the definition of terrorism in Dictionary.com, it is the unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies. Street gangs and terrorism have the same negative characteristics. They both murder families; they both bring violence to the community making citizens live in fear. Because street gangs destroy family union, communities, and a country’s quality of life, they should be classified and considered terrorist organizations. Perhaps the very first reason to consider street gangs as terrorist organizations will be the physical, mental, and moral harm they cause to the family union when they terminate a member. Street gangs kill people, most of the time, innocent people. Street gangs have no mercy. They can shoot their guns against the elderly and young people. They don’t believe in age, color, religion, or sex. The New York Times published an article describing a New York gang member, Edgar Morales, who was convicted of terrorism under New York’s post 9-11 terrorism law (This law, in the Title VIII, alters the definitions of terrorism, and establishes or re-defines rules with which to deal with it. It law redefined the term "domestic terrorism" to broadly include mass destruction as well as assassination or kidnapping as a terrorist activity). The charge and guilty plea grew out of a gang dispute that led to a discharged gun and the

Cited: Blogger, Power. “Gangs in Guatemala”. Krlosfts.com 7 Oct. 2007. 12 Sep 2008 <http://krlosfts.blogspot.com/Gangs/home.html>. Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. Terrorism. 2006. 12 Sep. 2008 <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/terrrorism>. Williams, Timothy. “Gang Member Is Convicted Under Terror Law.” New York Times 1 Nov. 2007