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Essay / Gang Essay - 1455
Gangs are very dangerous for every person in society. “Gangs are groups of people (mainly young men) who come together for safety and a sense of belonging. The U.S. Department of Justice officially defines a youth gang as a group of young people involved in criminal activity. There are approximately one million gang members in more than 20,000 active criminal gangs in the United States. Additionally, this group of approximately one million people is responsible for up to eighty percent of the crimes committed in our country. Since 2005, gangs have added about 200,000 members nationwide. That’s why the community needs to do more to combat growing gang-related crime here in America. To begin with, the origins of gangs are unclear, but some researchers claim that gangs arrived in America in the early 1800s. These first gangs were in New York and Philadelphia and the members of these adult gangs belonged to Irish, German and Italian ethnic groups. Youth gangs did not begin to form until after World War II (Opposing Viewpoints Gangs 109-110). Additionally, what types of people are in gangs? Well, first of all, there are Latinos, who make up forty-nine percent of gang members; African Americans, thirty-four percent; White, ten percent; Asian, six percent; and the remaining 1 percent is just the other category (“Facts About Gangs” 109). Also in 1996, according to the National Youth Gang Survey, half of gang members were under the age of eighteen and fifty percent were eighteen or older. In this 2006 survey, the number of juveniles dropped to just thirty-six and a half percent of members, while the percentage of adult gang members made up sixty-three and a half percent of the gang population. Gang members wear similar clothing... middle of paper ... Twenty-eight passengers were murdered by gunmen who had stopped the bus. These people were killed by the members of a street gang (which also exists in America, which has around 10,000 members and is present in thirty-three states and more (Campo-Flores 1)) called Mara Salvatrua or better known under the name MS-13. This attack chose its victims at random and it had nothing to do with who was on the bus. This attack was reportedly a protest (and warning) against the government's crackdown on various gang activities (Arana 1). Additionally, in America, gangs can be found anywhere, not just in inner cities, so everyone needs to be aware of their surroundings and what might happen to them or people who surround them. This is another reason why it is so important for us to teach students about a gang and the opportunities that could come from joining a gang...