Timeline of Gangs in America Essay Example

Driscoll, held meetings at various locations but favored The Morgue bar. They were infamous for their involvement in murder. One renowned member of the gang was Dandy John Dolan who created some of their weapons including shoes with blades and a copper eye gouger. Unfortunately, many of the gang members were convicted and executed, including Lyons and Driscoll.

In the early 1890s, a gang was dominant until an internal dispute led to a major gunfight. Tammany Hall's direction took over their territory after the incident (Heldmen, 2010). Tammany Hall originally helped immigrants in New York City find jobs and places to live, and facilitated foreigners becoming citizens. William Tweed became the leader of the Tammany Club in 1860 and embezzled millions from New York City (Britannica). Tweed utilized gangs and minions to bully lower class residents for his own gain, leading to his significant power. Despite this, gang clashes would often turn deadly. The Eastman Gang and their rivals, the Five Points Gang, were among the next prominent gangs ruling in the late 1890s and early 1900s.

The Eastman gang, which was founded by Monk Eastman from the lower east side of Manhattan and had a Jewish origin, started as simple burglars but later added more severe crimes, such as murder for hire, to their resume. The gang's territory encompassed New York from Monroe Street to the East River, and it even worked for Tweed, having reached its highest membership at 1200. Eastman was immune from prosecution in the early 1900s due to the political protection of Tweed. However, in 1904, Eastman was convicted for beating someone up and shooting twelve shots at a private investigator;

he received ten years in prison, and Max Zwerbach became the new leader of the Eastman gang. Additionally, check out Our Lady's Juggler.

Following Max's death at the hands of the Five Points gang, leadership of the gang passed to Big Jack Zelig in 1911. The rival groups continued their feud for months until Zelig was killed. Eastman was released from prison and filled the leadership role until his subsequent return to jail. Sirocco and Tricker later took charge, but the damage had been done, and the gang eventually disintegrated (American Organized Crime). Eastman's rival gang, called the Five Points Gang, was led by Paul Vaccarelli (also known as Paul Kelly) and consisted primarily of Italian-Americans.

As an adult, Kelly recruited Johnny Torrid, Al Capone, and Lucky Luciano who all became prominent criminals. Together, they changed the way criminal groups operated in the United States as members of the Five Points gang. Torrio, who was second in command, later brought Capone to Chicago to take over the streets there. Despite surviving several attempts on his life, Kelly kept a low profile until his death in 1936 at the request of Tammany Hall (American Organized Crime).

SleepyLagoon.com notes that the beginning of Los Angeles gangs can be traced back to the early 1920s, specifically the zoot suit riots and the Sleepy Lagoon murder. Despite many years having passed since these events, there are still many unanswered questions surrounding the murder. In response to feeling drained following Japanese expulsion from America during World War II, Latin Americans developed their own unique style of clothing and hair called "pachucos," which included wearing a specific type of suit known as a

zoot suit. Initially peaceful towards one another, conflict between pachucos and servicemen arose on June 3rd, 1943 when servicemen claimed they were attacked by pachucos.

During the 1950s to 1980s, street gangs, particularly African American gangs in low-income housing areas of Los Angeles during the 1960s saw a surge in popularity. One significant event was the Zoot Suit Riot, where around 200 sailors assaulted and undressed people wearing pachucos attire. This riot continued for several days and impacted innocent bystanders as well as those not affiliated with zoot suits, leading to more than 150 injuries and over 500 arrests. As a result, the military was forbidden from entering Los Angeles while local Mexican youth were blamed by authorities and media outlets for inciting violence (Given Place Media, 2013).

Throughout the 1980s, gang culture and crack cocaine became intertwined as impoverished areas witnessed gangs battling for territories. Gang activity was not widespread in the south until the 1970s, however, Miami and San Antonio suffered from significant issues. In New York, The Supreme Team, an African American gang took control of crack dealing and instilled fear among their competitors. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, two rival gangs were united by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams to create one of the largest and most violent street gangs in America - The Crips (Urban Dictionary, 2013).

The Bloods, who are the Crips' opposing gang, emerged in the 1970s subsequent to Pirus Street separating from the Crips. The Bloods presently have about 65,000 affiliates engaged in different illegal activities like drug dealing, theft, homicide, and blackmailing. This number is twice as much as their membership count three decades ago.

Despite having different colors, hand signals,

and symbols, both the Crips and their rival gang engage in comparable criminal behavior. The objective of all gangs is to establish control over a particular area, with the rise of street gangs in the 1970s leading to an increased emphasis on drugs such as crack cocaine. Consequently, there has been mounting hostility between these factions. Nevertheless, the government is responding by intensifying its efforts to combat illegal drug trafficking through a war on drugs.

InSight Crime reports that the notorious Hispanic gang MS-13 has seen a significant increase in membership, now totaling around 70,000 individuals. Their involvement in criminal activities such as arms trafficking and prostitution has gained them notoriety as one of the most infamous street gangs in the Western Hemisphere. The composition of these gangs has evolved over time to include younger members who join at an early age, some as young as 12 years old, and even allowing girls to join. Since the 1990s, gangs have shifted their focus towards recruiting youth to replace older members who were prevalent during Mafia days. It is reported that there were approximately 24,500 active gangs in the year 2000.

According to Puzzanchera's 2002 report, gang activity has spread to all areas, particularly in places with a population of over 250,000. Data collected by law enforcement agencies and the FBI indicates that there has been a significant increase in the number of gangs from 2,000 to more than 33,000 with membership exceeding 1.4 million. These gangs are liable for almost half of all reported violent crimes. Eric Goldschein notes in his 2012 research study that gangs have become increasingly dangerous compared to previous years.

In Los Angeles,

the Sureno gangs make up over 50% of the gang population and consist of over 500 Hispanic gangs. The 18th Street Gang is one of the most common and fastest growing gangs, with presence in 32 states and ties to the military. This gang is a rival of MS-13 and has been feuding for two decades (Urban Dictionary, 2013). While Hispanic gangs prevail, other ethnicities also form gangs like the Asian Boyz. White gangs like White Supremacists emerged out of necessity for protection against prison rivals. Another white gang, the Hell's Angels, is more akin to a biker club who believe in using profits to maintain their lavish lifestyles.

Despite their brutality, the Hell's Angels differ from typical street gangs that bring together people of varying social statuses seeking protection and stability in their communities. While gangs have historically aimed to create fairness and safety, they have evolved to engage in criminal activities such as drug sales, prostitution, weapons distribution, identity theft, and homicide. As society shifts, gang behaviors and goals also shift.

The presence of gangs in the United States is a significant issue, with 1.4 million gang members and nearly half of violent crimes being attributed to them. Although originally limited to underprivileged areas, gangs have spread throughout the nation, impacting heavily populated regions the most. Additional resources for information can be found at http://www.businessinsider.com/13-american-gangs-keeping-the-fbi-up-at-night-2012-8?op=1, www.laalmanac.com/history/hi07t.htm , www.insightcrime.org/groups-el-salvador/mara-salvatrucha-ms-13, and www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/fs200202.pdf.