How did Gangs Originate

"Once found principally in large cities, violent street gangs now affect public safety, community image, and quality of life in communities of all sizes in urban, suburban, and rural areas. No region of the United States is untouched by gangs. Gangs affect society at all levels, causing heightened fears for safety, violence, and economic costs" ( 2005 National Gang Threat Assessment, National Alliance of Gang Investigators Associations, 2005).


Definition of a Gang:

               There are many ways to define the meaning of a Gang. One common definition of a gang is a group of three or more individuals who engage in criminal activity and identify themselves with a common name or sign.

How Gangs Originated?

Gangs were first originated so that ethnic or neighbored groups could defend themselves against other people/outsiders. Gang names were usually taken by the area that the gang reside in, which could be the street number or street name. Also, many gangs used their own ethnic ID to name their gang, for example; “The downtown Paddies (Irish).” Some gang names came from a organization that the gang might be involve with. For example, there is an organization in Chicago called “Blackstone Street,” which helps organize sports and feeding the poor groups on the south side of the city, gang members turned “Blackstone Street” into “Blackstone Nation."

There are many reasons why people group up and make a gang.  Gangs see that violence gets them what they want faster than most other methods. They turn to violence for fun, profit and most of all control. Most of these people that formed the gangs were minorities who were being oppressed or bullied because of their race. The Irish, Jewish, and Italian gangs all came around the mid 1800’s, Black and Mexican gangs started in the US in the 1940’s with the great migration from rural life to urban and from Mexico to the “Barrios” or Los Angeles.

Although many gangs are formed to protect themselves from others there are those like the KKK which formed to protect themselves from reconstruction of government and to “save” their anglo saxon ethnicity. Due to the power of some gangs like all power tends to corrupt.










The 10 Most Dangerous Gangs In the World

This Video is a very good example of some of the most dangerous gangs in the world. Yes you heard correct WORLD. I will be discussing some of these gangs in future blogs. Stay Tune.