Street gangs in the United States Essay Example
Street gangs in the United States Essay Example

Street gangs in the United States Essay Example

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  • Pages: 10 (2550 words)
  • Published: May 11, 2017
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During the late 1800s, street gangs were rampant in America, especially in New York City where up to fifty gangs operated simultaneously. These groups committed various crimes such as pickpocketing, burglary, robbery and violence. The movie "Gangs of New York", featuring Leonardo Di Caprio accurately depicts the life and conflicts of these gangs during that time.

In the 19th century, America attracted many immigrants who came looking for a better life and freedom. However, these newcomers had to face not only general disorder but also frequent clashes between numerous gangs. The Bowery and Five Points neighborhoods were particularly infamous for being hotspots of gang violence and all sorts of criminal conduct. Over time, these areas became so perilous that the police chose not to patrol them due to their limited capabilities, allowing the gangs to effectively dominate the streets.

Many recent immigrant

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s to New York City were extremely impoverished and resided in cramped tenements on the eastside without basic amenities like bathrooms, heating, dry roofing, or fire protection. Furthermore, numerous immigrants lacked job skills crucial to employment in New York's burgeoning financial district, such as factory and educational abilities. Socializing mainly occurred at taverns and illegal gambling establishments.

The rough and tumble of urban existence included frequent instances of brawls, violence, and gang conflict. Everyday occurrences in the city were cockfights, dogfights, and prizefights. Numerous budding gang members picked up their fighting prowess from the regular prizefights taking place in bars throughout the city. One of the most popular activities for onlookers was dogs killing rats - a brutal method where spectators gambled on which rat terrier would kill the most rats before the bell. Apart from this

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gruesome spectacle, the bars themselves were often managed by some of New York’s most notorious criminals.

One-Armed Charley Monell, a local gang leader, used the “Hole in the Wall” saloon as his base of operations for directing his gang’s street activities. The Fourth Ward Hotel, located on Cherry Street, equipped trap doors to easily dispose of their victims by dropping them straight into the East River. The gang's modus operandi was to beat and rob sailors, subsequently selling them into service aboard ship. Individuals who were too injured or not deemed valuable enough for sale were disposed of through the trap doors and would often perish by drowning.

During the mid-1800s, specific parts of the city, like the Fourth Ward, were plagued with terrible conditions. Most houses in the area contained either a saloon, dance hall, or an unlawful gambling establishment. It was not uncommon for a well-dressed individual to be robbed or murdered when wandering down certain streets. Hawkers and prostitutes would attempt to entice passerby to enter buildings or saloons, where accomplices could more readily rob them. When a pedestrian could not be lured inside, members of gangs often waited for them to walk below an open window as a preferred tactic.

A typical experience for male immigrant gang members involved committing violent street crimes, which often resulted in blinding victims with a bucket of ashes before robbing them. Meanwhile, female immigrants in America often turned to prostitution due to limited options. Many families were unable to support girls beyond the age of twelve, leaving them without formal education and few opportunities.

Although women had the option of working in piece work or in the

theater, prostitution was the more prevalent career for girls. If their family didn't force them into prostitution, a boyfriend likely would. Gangs had flashy titles that were based on their leader's name, ethnicity, habits, or clothing. The Eastmans, a Bowery gang, was named after their founder and leader, Monk Eastman.

The Five Pointers took their name from the area called Five Points, where the streets of Little Water, Cross, Anthony, Orange, and Mulberry intersected. The Dead Rabbits' leader carried a rabbit impaled on a staff into battle. Other gangs had names like Bowery Boys, True Blue Americans, American Guards, O’Connell Guards, Atlantic Guards, Chickesters, Roach Guards, Pug Uglies, Shirt Tails, Forty Thieves, Daybreak Boys, Swamp Angels, Slaughter Housers, among others. At one time, New York City had more than fifty active street gangs.

Green grocers were frequently used by gangs as meeting places if they didn't have access to saloons or dance halls. Typically displaying fruit and vegetables in the front, green grocers had rooms in the back where gang members could meet, plan their activities, and divide up their earnings. When gangs realized they needed to form alliances with politicians, these powerful officials would often purchase or control the green grocers to provide a safe location for illegal activities. This mutually beneficial relationship arose because politicians required gang members to control voting, such as intimidating voters, keeping out opposition, organizing multiple votes, and providing physical protection.

Gang members and politicians formed an alliance to ensure that laws against gangs were not enforced, and to create a favorable environment for gang activities. This partnership was particularly evident during the time of Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall. As

Alderman for the Fourth Ward, Tweed demonstrated his ability to deliver Democratic Party votes and was subsequently elected to Congress. In his role as alderman, Tweed held significant control over all activities in his district.

Boss Tweed wielded authority over police appointments, saloon licenses, and franchises for streetcars, ferries, and buses. Moreover, he generated various employment options and expedited the naturalization proceedings of many recent immigrants. Both his working gang members and newly naturalized citizens endorsed Tweed's leadership. To maintain his political machine's efficiency, Tweed devised a scheme of kickbacks and bribery that enabled him to flourish as a corrupt politician for an extended period.

The roots of organized crime can be linked to the unholy partnership between corrupt politicians and street gangs. Despite persistent violence, gang members honed their skills in maximizing profits through organized activities. One typical example was coercing businesses and stores into paying protection money to avoid burglary, vandalism, and physical harm. These payments were forcibly extracted by violent means if not willingly given. With time, these activities became more formalized, paving the way for the rise of powerful criminal organizations like La Cosa Nostra or Mafia that reigned supreme for many years.

During the late 1960s, South Central Los Angeles saw the emergence of a street gang called the Crips. Unlike other gangs that either aligned with or were eradicated by the Mafia, the Crips expanded their influence by creating satellite gangs in Chicago, Kansas City, and New York throughout the 1970s. These individuals were identifiable through their blue bandanas and even began recruiting young children as members who were as young as eleven years old. The government's crime control programs

had already weakened the Mafia's authority during this period.

Around the same time, a gang called the Bloods emerged in Compton, California. They adopted the color red as their identifier and rapidly recruited enough members to establish 75 gangs across the United States, all united in their loyalty to the Bloods. Like the Crips, the Bloods were a black gang and generated their income through illegal drug sales.

Both the Bloods and the Crips, who were involved in selling crack cocaine, were known for their violence. In addition to being rivals for territory and money, they were aggressive towards anyone who interfered with their illegal drug activities. The leaders of these gangs amassed wealth through flashy gold jewelry and expensive cars, and law enforcement attempted to suppress them. However, this may have inadvertently helped the gangs to expand their membership. To ensure the safety of other inmates, gang members arrested at the same time were separated and sent to different correctional facilities.

Prison authorities would sometimes transfer gang members to distant correctional facilities to hinder their communication with outside associates. Additionally, officials made efforts to segregate rival gangs during imprisonment to promote peace among the overall inmate population. Despite these measures, incarcerated gang members persisted in recruiting fresh members from within the prison walls. In the 17th century, both Britain and France were colonizing the New World. Monarchs of these nations hired privateer ships to safeguard their respective fleets while transporting supplies to America and bringing merchandise back to England and France.

Theoretically, privateers were only supposed to target ships flying the flag of a country they were in conflict with. For example, English privateers were employed to

attack French ships, and vice versa. The privateers received a portion of the goods and supplies they confiscated after successfully overtaking an enemy ship. However, privateer captains realized that they could earn more money by targeting any vessel transporting cargo. One infamous privateer turned pirate, Captain Kidd, was initially commissioned by the English government to seize cargo from French ships.

During his first mission, Kidd struggled to recruit an experienced crew and faced the death of many crew members from disease while at sea. In desperation and opportunism, he seized and looted a neutral Dutch vessel, disregarding Holland's neutrality. The success of this bold move emboldened Kidd to pursue a more profitable career in piracy that exceeded what he could have achieved within the bounds of the law. The pirate's criminal enterprise was supported by American colonists who purchased their stolen goods on the black market. This was because the colonists needed or wanted the goods that the pirates stole which they may not have been able to acquire through legitimate sources, or at such a low cost.

Both citizens and leaders of coastal colonies provided a warm reception to pirates. The corrupt nature of many colonial governments enabled pirates to find refuge in their ports. The assistance of the public was integral to the success of piracy. Experts and theorists remain divided on their definitions of street gangs.

In 1988, Fagan conducted interviews with approximately 150 gang members residing in South Central Los Angeles. From his research, he categorized his discoveries into four groups that outline the different types of gangs. One of which is the "social gang." This type involves engaging in minimal delinquent practices,

primarily consuming alcohol and marijuana, with little involvement in illegal drug sales. In contrast, the "party gang" has relatively low criminal conduct, except for vandalism, such as graffiti.

According to Fagan's research, although drug sales by gang members are not highly organized, they often support the habits of either the dealer or the other members of the gang. The most significant portion of these gang members, referred to as "serious delinquents," are involved in continuous drug sales. Additionally, their other criminal activities tend to be serious offenses, frequently resulting in violent behavior.

Serious delinquents have a more formal hierarchical structure compared to party gangs and social gangs. Another group identified by Fagan is called "young organizations", which may have fewer members than serious delinquent groups, but are actively involved in drug sales and illegal drug use. The latter may also contribute to other criminal activity such as violence and theft. Young organizations are highly cohesive and organized, a characteristic also noted by Huff in his study of youth gangs in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio.

According to Huff's definition of gangs, he merged Fagan's social gangs and party gangs into a single category known as "hedonistic gangs". Though gang members may engage in some criminal activity and drug dealing, their main focus is on spending time together and enjoying themselves. The second level of gang definitions that aligns with Fagan's serious delinquent gangs, Huff named "instrumental gangs". Individuals in instrumental gangs commit property crimes and also engage in drug sales, which are typically carried out by individual gang members rather than organized criminal activity.

Huff introduced a third type of gang called "predatory gangs" which are known for

using and selling narcotics such as crack cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. Gang members may distribute drugs to fund other criminal activities and purchase advanced weapons. Huff argued that these gangs serve as breeding grounds for advanced criminal organizations. Another definition of street gangs was proposed by Curry and Spergel in 1988.

The existence of gangs is often explained by a theory of social disorganization. The theory states that gangs are residual social subsystems that compete for status and income opportunities through drug sales. Gangs prioritize territoriality, status, and controlling human behavior. Disadvantaged youths in the unstable urban social world often turn to gangs for quasi-stable, meaningful social and economic structures. Gang membership offers the opportunity to obtain psychological rewards through personal identity and acceptable status, as well as material benefits from criminal activity. (pp.)

Despite the stark contrast between Huff and Fagan's gang theories versus Curry and Spergel's theories, they do not necessarily contradict each other. Rather, a variety of criminological theories attribute environmental factors as drivers for criminal activity. These theories are collectively known as cultural transmission theories, which encompass multiple sub-theories. (400-401)

During the mid-twentieth century, criminologists like Shaw, McKay, and Miller held the view that inner city youth break laws due to a distinct set of values, which differs from that of mainstream society. Criminal behavior is commonly acquired through family systems and is considered an acceptable way of life in their culture. Schrag's 1971 theory argued that many lower socioeconomic class individuals are disinterested in socially-acceptable measures to attain status, success, or wealth. Schrag believed that criminals choose their path rather than turning to criminal behavior as a coping mechanism for survival.

Sutherland's "differential association

theory" suggests that criminal behavior can be learned through interaction with others in small groups, regardless of poverty or inner-city life. Criminal skills and justifications can arise in any socialized group, but it is crucial to note that individuals learn them from others within their immediate social circles. This learning process can occur through direct training or by observing examples. Thorsten Sellin first proposed a theory of culture conflict and crime in 1938.

In this theory, it is posited that certain groups, like recent immigrants, may have different behavioral codes in their new country from what was acceptable in their country of origin. This hypothesis could provide a foundational logic for why some immigrant groups were attracted to organized crime. Nevertheless, I feel that this theory no longer holds true at present. While it might have been a valid argument for engaging in criminal activities during the early days of New York City's gangs, where people from ethnic groups formed gangs due to their shared values and traits.

Today, the theory that ethnic groups are predisposed to criminal behavior is considered disingenuous and even racist. While it may have explained past actions of organized crime, it does not excuse or explain modern criminal behavior. Stealing property is illegal universally, but immigrants may come from countries with different views on ownership due to cultural traditions. However, immigrants must follow the same laws as everyone else regardless of their views. Another theoretical explanation for organized crime and criminal behavior is ethnic succession.

The theory, originating from Daniel Bell in 1953 and later expanded upon by Francis Ianni in 1972 and 1974, posits that the newer ethnic groups arriving in

the United States have fewer political and economic advantages, making them more prone to engaging in criminal activities.

The previous ethnic group would have experienced upward mobility towards mainstream prosperity and some degree of affluence before the current group arrived.

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