Racial Inequality and Gangs: Issue Analysis

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Introduction

Racial inequality is a matter of concern where class differences exist almost in any society in the world and the United States in no different in this respect. Inequality of course need not come from differences in race alone. It can come about due to disparity in income, being a member of a minority group, by being socially or culturally different. Whatever may the reason for inequality and intolerance, this situation has resulted in such groups (subjected to inequality) reacting to such injustice in some way or the other. Some may just accept passive indifference or acceptance while other may find ways to reduce this inequality by some means (through education, hard work etc).

Still others may resort to more aggressive behavior that will be manifested through violence, protests (both violent and non-violent). This paper is aimed at studying such a reaction to racial inequality and discrimination which has resulted in the formation of gangs in their locality, neighborhood and even across wider areas. It will focus on the gangs themselves, why they formed in the first place, the relationships and class differences within the gangs, the relationships between rival gangs and how the society perceives such activity. The focus will also be more the point of view of the gangs and their members.

Minority status and discrimination

According to The International Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (I.C.E.R.D) racial discrimination “shall mean any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, color, descent or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.” (Phillips).

This comprehensive definition from an organization for minority rights also indicate that it is generally the minority groups in a country that is subject to racial discrimination. Before moving on to the topic under study, it would be proper to explain the term minority. The term minority also gives a feeling that a group can be considered as such if they are smaller in number when compared to the group that practices racial discrimination.

This in fact is not true and a group can be considered to be a minority or subordinate group if it satisfies all or the majority of the following conditions. They are unequal treatment, distinguishable physical and cultural characteristics, automatic membership, and marriages or relationships within the group itself. The last one is the awareness by the group that they are being discriminated against. (Schaefer 3). With regard to the United States, racial inequality has three distinct stages, namely “slavery, 1600s -1866; de jure segregation (tenancy, “Jim Crow”), 1870s-1960s; and “contemporary racial inequality” (de facto inequality), 1960s – present.” (Winders 3).

De Jure segregation refers to segregation by statute. The white masters were given exclusive areas where blacks were not supposed to enter. De facto segregation happens when people are separated by chance or fact. It could happen that a neighborhood is occupies entirely by one community. People of other communities will be unwilling to go and settle there.

Inequality between races

The previous section states that the country in the stage of contemporary social inequality which continues to exist in different degrees. It can also be seen that this inequality is not equally spread out among the different minority groups like African Americans, Mexicans, Hispanics, Asian Americans and the White population. In terms of both education and income, the Asian American population would be much better off than the other groups mentioned above. The African American race would be the most disadvantaged in this category followed by Mexicans. Other distinguishable racial groups would be the Hispanics, the Jewish population, the people from Poland, the Irish, the Italians and even the Catholics all of whom are better placed in terms in inequality.

Conflict theory

This would be the ideal theory to explain the areas that are to follow. “Conflict theory is based upon the view that the fundamental causes of crime are the social and economic forces operating within society”. (Greek). The theory states that when there is racial and economic inequality, the law tends to be more protective of the rich than of the poor. The belief is that the poor will try to take away from the rich and hence need to be segregated and protected. It is also possible that crimes of the poor will be more harshly dealt with when compared to those done by the rich. This would be the primary reason of gang behavior anywhere in the world.

Gangs in the United States

The gang activity in the country is an area of concern for both the society and law enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, most literature on gangs indicates that they are into violence and other crimes like indulging in drugs. According to the findings of the National Youth Gang Survey, “researchers estimate that more than 24,500 gangs and 772,500 gang members were active in more than 3,330 jurisdictions across the United States in 2000.” (Egley and Arjunan). Gang profiles are also varied and some of them are given below. They include African American gangs, Hispanic Gangs, Asian gangs, mixed gangs, motorcycle gangs, prison gangs, the Italian Mafia etc. The motor cycle gangs once thought to be just eccentric bike lovers have also now moved into organized crime.

Origin of gangs

According to an article written by Detective Wayne Caffey of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, gang activity started in the United States primarily as a from of protection against racism, inequality and poverty. But it soon evolved into inter gang rivalry, to petty crimes and eventually into organized crime. An example of rivalry would be the Crips Gangs of Los Angeles originally formed by Raymond Washington.

Many Crips gangs would regularly attack each other as well as other well known gangs like LA Brims, the Denver Lanes, the Inglewood Family, the Swans, the Pueblo Bishops and the Bloods. Washington who was very good at recruiting used to call his gang members Baby Avenues or Baby Cribs. As the gang grew in membership, the cribs soon changed to Crips and the gang eventually became known as the Crips Gang. Washington also persuaded another well-known gang member in L.A. called Stanley “Tookie” Williams to merge his gang with the Crips and they came to be called the Westside Crips.

Even though the Crips gang started with ‘good’ intention of protecting the community, they soon became a violent group as a result of fighting for control with other gangs mentioned above. Crime also became practiced after some members killed Robert Ballou, the son of an attorney for his black leather jacket. The hippie and rock culture brought gangs into the bushiness and self-use of drugs. Violence and organized killings increased after this.

By the 1980s rap music became a rage among gang members and some of them even became national rap icons. Gangs began to have national level memberships by this time. This eventually led to leaders losing control and even to disillusionment among members. “Disillusioned street gang members have created connections with groups that purport to be fighters for the people and the answer to their battle against society for recognition and respect.” (Caffey 6). But the fact remains that gangs still continue to thrive at territorial and city levels.

Gangs and the society

As mentioned earlier gangs are seen as a negative force in most of the literature written about them. In this context, it would be pertinent to give the other side of the story as well. The very informative (and peer reviewed) article written by Mart´in s ´Anchez-jankowski titled ‘Gangs and Social Change’ states that “Most recent research has treated gangs in one of two ways: either as a gathering of individuals with a specific negative set of personal attributes or a group of individuals who act in a deviant and/or criminal manner.” (Journal of Theoretical Criminology 191). The article also clearly explains (by citing other research works) as to why youths living in certain sections of the society form or become members of such gangs. The primary reason especially in immigrant (and also being backward or poor) communities is the lack of identity.

By the second generation or so, members loose their own national, cultural and social identity, but find themselves alienated from the mainstream American culture and society. They loose a sense of identity and membership in gangs seems to lend them one. Another factor is that (specially in African American and Puerto Rican communities) gang members are predominantly from single parent families where the father or father figure is absent.

The presence of the father when the child is growing up plus practicing family panning will bring down a person’s dependence on gang membership. Gangs are seen as a money generating organization (illegally) and are able to provide the means to live whereas the society in which the members live are unable to do so. Another arguable point in the paper is that gang members are often people with low intelligence even though most research has found the opposite to be true.

The article also states that the Strain Theory expounded by Robert Merton during the late 1960s. the theory states that the inability of individual to match reality with goals creates a strain within their minds and will be a factor for increasing membership in gangs. Wanting status (money, power, recognitions etc) in society is another reason and since the society is not able to provide this legally, youths will join gangs and gain all this through illegal means. Another theory is that youths who have a propensity for violence are more likely to become gang members. This propensity might have come about due to lack of a proper family and social upbringing.

Control theory states people need someone (family, school, parents etc) to control them and absence of such control factors will prompt to see gangs as a control factor. Impoverishment, due to economic changes also prompt youth to move towards gangs due to the absence of an alternative source of income. Certain immigrant and backward communities (African American) depend on blue collar jobs and lack of such jobs are the reason for impoverishment. Unwillingness to follow the paths and lifestyle of the parents, but without better offers and jobs are also a factor. There are many reasons for youths to join, but it should be seen that there is a reason for it. Steps to eliminate the problem should be given priority rather than fighting them.

Gang identity

As with most organized groups gangs too have symbols, colors, dress codes, graffiti, tattoos etc as a form of expressing identity. The color red (worn as bandannas) is associated usually with Crips gang and blue with the Blood gangs. Baseball caps worn backwards, shirts usually unbuttoned or partially buttoned, colored shoelaces, khaki pants with one leg sometimes rolled etc up are parts of clothing. Hispanic gang members also tattoo themselves prominently (often large ones) usually with the name of the gang. African American gang members do not go for this practice. Hand signals unique to each gang are also very common for secret communication. (Walker).

Some examples include Chicago Bulls logo by Blood gangs, Dallas Cowboy logo by Crips gang, Los Angeles Kings dress by Latin King members etc. The number 187 is used to denote to denote murder, 9 Mike is a model of a handgun, and a fake members is referred to as buster. (Falsone).

Prominent gangs in the USA

The Bloods which started operations in California during the 1970s is one of the foremost gangs in the country. This was primarily formed to combat another nationwide gang the Crips (formed during the 1960s) also in California. The latter is mostly African American, but other ethnic community members also have membership. A brief overview of the gang has been given in an earlier section of the paper. Both are violent groups and indulge in criminal activity.

Another gang known as the Latin Kings is predominantly made up of Mexican American (earlier Puerto Ricans) and was formed during the 1940s in Chicago. This gang is based mainly in this city. Other prominent ones include 18^th Street (formed in L.A.), racist and white dominated Aryan Brotherhood (formed in San Quentin prison), Black Gangster Disciples (formed in Chicago in the 1960s) and its splinter groups, the Mexican mafia (formed in California in the 1950s) etc. all the above gangs have nationwide presence now. Other lesser known ones include Nazi Low Riders, Netas, Vice Lords, Southeast Asian Gangs etc. (The gangs of America).

Gang hierarchy

This aspect varies greatly from gang to gang and from region to region. Some gangs like the Blood gang does not have a strong leadership structure while other follow a corporate style structure. A typical gang hierarchy usually followed in New York and Chicago is given here. “At the bottom are the street soldiers, topped by a hierarchy which is capped by a leadership and, finally, a president or king.” (The Structure of Gangs: Identify the hierarchy of gangs in your jurisdiction to effectively target their weak spots).The situation in L.A is quite different and the gangs here are more democratic. There is usually a coalition of smaller groups or ‘cliques’ which form the main gang and is known as the Mexican or Hispanic model. They also have a broad base consisting of the foot soldiers.

Perception of gangs

Many of the gangs in the country had positive intentions at the time of formation. It was mainly to form a protection against racism and also for the betterment of the community. By and large every single gang has now degenerated due to reasons mentioned earlier in the paper. The society is generally unaware of those core reasons why people become members and views (rightly) gangs as a threat and nuisance.

Only some of the communities of which gang members operate see them as Robin Hood figures. Even though gangs were primarily formed for self and community protection and also for helping the more backward people of a community, literature is scarce or does not exist with regard to the positive activities of gangs. The writer did a reasonable extensive search and could not find any literature where gang members as a whole have been positive to the society. The only good thing was that many gang members are highly intelligent and motivated and if reformed can be very beneficial to the society. They can also be strong spokespersons against the membership in gangs for the youth of the country.

Conclusion

Gangs have a long history in the United States and the culture is now firmly entrenched especially among the socially backward classes. To stress the point of why youth join gangs, the reasons are discussed once again. Most important reason is poverty or lack of good opportunities in life. Other reasons include insecurity either due to family problems or threats from the society itself. Low self-esteem is also a cause and the feeling of being a ‘macho’ member of a gang helps to overcome this.

The lack of a father figure or someone to communicate problems will also encourage gang membership. Many societies also do not have some to stand as a role model for youngsters to follow. There will be no one to tell them that this is not the way to lead a life. Being under the influence of drugs will also be a factor and youth will become members to have access to drugs or money to buy drugs. Law enforcement agencies are doing their best to control gang activities through direct confrontations and arrests.

But it is like cutting off the head of the Hydra and finding that another head has taken its place. Unless the core problems are addressed by the government (local and national) and supported by service organizations and NGO’s many youths with potential will fall pray to the gang culture and end up wasting their lives in prison or by doing disservice to the society. It is heartening to see that there are efforts at helping gang members quit their role or at discouraging them to become members in the first place. One is providing safe houses for ex-gang members where they can be safe from possible retaliation. An example is the Rosssbrook House in Winnipeg.

Another is the Gang Rescue and Support Project (GRASP), an organization that educates youngsters on the dangers of being gang members. They are also given a chance to interact and get advice from former gang members. (Lafontaine, Ferguson and Wormith, p.7). It can be concluded that only such activities coupled with firm unbiased action from law enforcement agencies can bring down menace and the growth of membership in gangs. It will be a long and patient process.

Works Cited

Caffey, Wayne. The 1990s And Beyond: Black Gangs Continue To Evolve. Crips and Bloods. 2006. Web.

Egley,Arlen Jr., and Arjunan, Mehala. Highlights of the 2000 National Youth Gang Survey: Survey Findings. US Department of Justice: Fact Sheet. 2004. Web.

Falsone, Nick. The Express Times: Gang Thrive in a World of Styles, Symbols. Nj.com. 2003. Web.

Greek. Cecil E. Criminological Theory: Conflict. 2005. Web.

Introduction. Journal of Theoretical Criminology. 7(2). Published Sage Publications.

Lafontaine, Tania., Ferguson, Myles., and Wormith, J Stephen. Street Gangs: A Review of the Empirical Literature on Community and Corrections-Based Prevention, Intervention and Suppression Strategies. Gang Strategies. 2005. Web.

Philips, Alan. Racial Discrimination and the United Nations System: Introduction. Minority Groups International. 2000. Web.

Schaefer, Richard T. Highlights: Racial and Ethnic Groups. 10th ed. Prentice-Hall, 2006.

The Gangs Of America. Know Gangs. 2008. Web.

The Structure of Gangs: Identify the hierarchy of gangs in your jurisdiction to effectively target their weak spots. Police Community For Cops. 2007. Web.

Walker, Victoria. Gang Signs and Symbols. Essortment: Information and Advice You Want to Know. 2002. Web.

Winders, Bill. Changing Racial Inequality: The Rise and Fall of Systems of Racial Inequality in the US. All Academic Research. 2008. Web.

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