Youth Gangs An Overview

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gangs first emerged following the mexican migration into the American southwest following the Mexican Revolution in 1813. Mexican youth encountered difficult social and cultural adjustment in America coupled with extremely poor living condition in the southwest. Their organization of gangs and the criminal activity that followed stemmed from a need for survival and support. Schools were few and inadequate and menial jobs as we know them today were non-existent (Moore, 1978). By the early to mid 1800's gangs started to spread to the industrialized Northeast region of the United States. Gangs flourished in large urban cities such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia and particularly Chicago. Migration and population shifts within the United States reached peak levels during this time and the major cities were magnets for rural and immigrant families seeking employment opportunities. Gang activity, level of violence and proliferation seem to be directly related to population shifts ...

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within themselves. An untrained eye may see a group of youths at a local mall complete with the associated dress and mannerisms of gang members and immediately label them as a gang. In reality they may just be a loosely organized band of delinquents or merely a group of kids out on a Saturday afternoon at the mall. An organized gang bases their existence on a particular commonality. Some basis are age, sex, cultural background, neighborhood, belief in a particular way of lifestyle, or a specific behavior. Estimates of gang membership range from a few, four or five, to a few thousand. Due to the fluidity and validity of gang members, an accurate count of members is often ...

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