Gangs - Gang Members Need Love :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Gangs - Gang Members Need Love Although gang members insist that gangs are the only way to ensure success today, others maintain that the only way to survive is to eliminate them. Many gangs threaten the safety of everyone in their 'hood (territory or neighborhood). Innocent people living in gang war-torn towns live in constant fear of death. However, for children who have no one to look up to and no future to look forward to, gangs can become their surrogate family. Gangs are not only a set of friends or a nights activity. Gangs are a way of life. There is no way to eliminate them, but changing the violent nature of many gangs is possible. Admittedly, gangs cause many serious problems, but they could end up helping more people than they hurt. A gang can be defined as a group of people who unite to serve a common purpose and engage in violent or otherwise criminal behavior. (http://www.ci.torrance.ca.us) The types of crimes committed by gang members differ between gangs, but the crimes generally associated with gangs include vandalism, robbery, drug-trafficking, assault, arson, and murder. There are many reasons why teenagers may join gangs. The root causes of violent gang formation are poverty, stressed families, unemployment, under-employment, under-education, racism, and the breakdown of sociocultural institutions. (http://www.instanet.com) Many people join gangs for protection from violent people in other gangs. (http://www.public.iastate.edu) Other people join gangs for the sense of family that comes along with it. The youth gang satisfies a void - the child's desire to feel secure. It provides the child with a sense of identity, belonging, power, and protection. The gang provides a protective barrier against the outs ide world. (http://www.highways.com) Gang life is dangerous and often deadly for the people directly involved and for their friends and family. However, not all those maimed or murdered are gang members or those connected with them. Innocent people are often caught in the crossfire and injured or killed. In some areas, as many as half of the victims of all gang murders are innocent bystanders. Their only mistake is being in the wrong place at the wrong time. (Osman 53) As Detective T. Wessel told the LA Times in October of 1991, "It's like bullets are flying everywhere. And where they land, heaven only knows." (Osman 55) Each gang has its own turf and graffiti marks its boundaries. Anyone not belonging in the area and who resembles a rival gang member may become the subject of an attack.