Mandy Deng
Instructor Minkowski
English 9293
05 December 2012
Can We Stop Gang Violence?
Gangs are a major problem in society. They are found everywhere from countries to cities to neighborhoods of every size. They are groups of young adults who participate in criminal activities which involve violent acts such as – forms of illegal behavior, murder, gun crimes, and drug dealing. Gangs are formed by young adults of all types of race, sex, and age gathering together to create groups due to many different reasons which vary between each individual. The reasons why kids join gangs may include: alienation, power, family, pressure, benefits a gang can provide to their gang members, the community, and the neighborhood kids grow up in can influence them to join gangs. For example, Patrick Du Phuoc Long, author of the book “The Dream Shattered,” interviews a teen who immigrated to America with his family from Vietnam. The teen stated, “I come home from school and nobody is ever home. I am hungry and no one is ever there to make my food… I feel lonely. And a lot of times hungry” (Long 82). Long, a counselor in California acknowledges the fact that family is one of the main reasons why kids join gangs. Kids turn to gangs because they lack love and support from their family. In many cases, kids find that gangs provide them with the love and support they do not receive from their family as well as feeling safe in a group where many other kids feel the same way. The gang activities that gang members participate in may be disruptive to many neighborhoods and residents, therefore, communities search for many methods that can curb gang crime. They seek help from methods such as Prevention programs and gang injunctions. These programs target individuals from certain neighborhoods and perform ways they believe will help stop gang violence. We cannot stop gang violence completely because the misunderstanding between gang members and the community leads to inequality, racial profiling, and civil liberty violations; but we are able to reduce gang crime by improving these problems that are causing the misunderstandings.
Even though we cannot stop gang violence completely, we can reduce gang crime by understanding the misunderstandings that causes inequality toward gang members, providing a solution to racial profiling, and repairing troubled aspects which violates civil liberties. In order to reduce gang violence, we must first address the root causes of gang crime and violence. The American Civil Liberty Union explains in an article, “Gang Injunctions: Fact Sheet from The ACLU of Northern California,” that gang injunctions are one of the reasons that causes these misunderstanding toward gang members because they do not address root problems before targeting a gang: “Political pressure to adopt prevention and intervention solutions for a community to stop the criminalization of individuals, while providing real services and solutions that address the root causes of crime and violence” (106). The organization believes that providing solutions to address root causes of a gang while funding services that may help young adults receive jobs and educational opportunities can reduce gang violence because this will prevent people to join gangs. However, while we have proof that we can reduce gang crime and violence, there is strong evidence that proves gang violence cannot be stopped. For example, gang injunctions play a big part in why people turn to gangs. Once someone is targeted in an injunction, it could be hard for them to avoid joining a gang because gang injunctions do not provide a way out for individuals. The evidence provided proves that not only will it be impossible to stop gang violence completely; it can possibly increase gang crime in communities. According to the American Civil Liberty Union, “Many gang injunctions do not provide a clear way out for people who are either mistakenly identified as gang members or for those who have turned their lives around. This means that the injunction could follow them for the rest of their life, which can make it more difficult to avoid gang activity” (105). The misapprehension that gang injunctions bring to many people may affect the entire community because they can lead non gang members into becoming a gang member. This brings community residents at risk due to more gang violence and gang intimidation; hence, these misunderstandings between gangs and communities may increase. It is clear that gang violence is impossible to curb completely, but we can reduce gang crime only if we can refine the problems that causes the problems between gangs and communities.
First off, gang injunctions must improve their method for solving gang crime in order to receive positive results. Although gang injunctions reduce crime and demonstrate positive affect in some neighborhoods, they don’t address gang crime well enough which increases civil liberties concerns for many gang members because their civil rights are being violated. They also allowed police to have the power to label a person as a gang member which leads to racial profiling and inequality. Discussing the effectiveness of gang injunctions, John Russo and Anthony Batts, author of the article, “Gang Injunctions Is a Chance to Save Lives,” states, “This injunction will empower residents, help take back our streets and reduce the number of bullets fired wildly in our neighborhoods. It defines the community’s right to peace and safety, while safeguarding legal rights fundamental to our system of justice” (120). Russo and Batts argues that gang injunctions are a great opportunity to change gang members and change communities. They address how gang injunctions help our streets by reducing the number of bullets fired in neighborhoods. It helps define the community’s rights and brings safety to the area. However, while gang injunctions are demonstrating positive affect in some neighborhoods, there is information which proves that injunctions are violating ones’ civil right: “People targeted by gang injunctions are not guaranteed their legal rights… or given the opportunity to defend themselves” (ACLU 105). Gang injunctions violate a person’s civil rights by not allowing them to defend themselves when individuals’ are proven innocent. This emphasizes that people are facing inequality due to injunctions being unfair by limiting a person’s rights. Another example of the ineffectiveness in a gang injunction is when racial profiling occurs in the injunction. Gang Injunctions allow police to have the power to label someone as a gang member without any proof or evidence. The ACLU observes, “One of the troubling aspects is that they give police overly-broad discretion to label people gang members without having to present any evidence or even charge someone with a crime... As a result, there is a great potential for racial profiling, with a particular impact on young people of color” (105). Often times, racial profiling occurs because police assumes that people are a gang member based on their race, where they live, and who they hang out with. The evidence provides a great illustration of how gang injunctions demonstrate racism. Also, racial profiling often arises toward Latino and black gangs. While many Latino and black gangs are listed in an injunction list, there is evidence that shows that no white gangs are being documented. David Kennedy, author of, “Don’t Shoot,” reports that white gangs are usually not targeted by an injunction: “The white folks drive in and buy dope, but they’re not getting arrested and their doors aren’t getting kicked in” (DS 131). Kennedy acknowledges the fact that white gangs are doing exactly the same acts as Latino and black gangs, but is not being punished for what they are doing. He notes that white gang members are drug dealing without being arrested, whereas, other race gang members are being arrested and documented on an injunction list for doing the same things. Moreover, this causes misunderstandings between gang members and gang injunctions because members feel that gang injunctions are unfair and racist. Gang injunctions are not a convincing way to approach gangs because they are unable to provide fair and positive results. Many communities feel that law enforcement officials, who are involved in the injunctions, fail to help or improve neither communities nor gangs and they are damaging the communities even more. Ali Winston, author of “Proposed Oakland Gang Injunctions May Complicate Anti-Gang Efforts,” reports that Oakland was awarded the help from Operation Ceasefire also known as a “call-in” which targets gang members who are on probation or parole. While Operation Ceasefire’s call-ins’ were operating, gang injunctions were issued to the same communities as the call-ins’. This means both the call-ins’ and the gang injunction interfered which made residents think that the call-ins’ were just a set up: “’Injunctions were issued in the same neighborhood as the call-ins’ and rumors were circulating that ‘the call-ins’ was a set up for being put on the injunction list” (114). Oakland residents felt that they were awarded the call ins’ only to be set up in the injunction list. This caused many residents to think otherwise about the call-ins’ as well as the gang injunctions. Residents and the City’s attorney also feel that not only does gang injunctions do not work but they are also wasting the city’s money while this method does not curb any violence. These examples clearly justify that gang injunctions is an improper method of stopping gang crime but can be fixed to reduce and prevent gang violence. This can be repaired by correcting trouble aspects involving racial profiling and violations toward someone’s rights.
Prevention programs for gangs have been established in many communities to prevent and reduce gang crime. Even though we cannot completely curb gang violence, we can reduce gang crime with prevention programs by addressing the issues that leads young adults into gangs. They protect individuals without threatening the community’s safety by providing jobs and educational opportunities to people who are in need of it. An example on how prevention programs are an effective method to reduce gang crime is confirmed in a journal article, “Impact of a Comprehensive Whole Child Intervention and Prevention Program among Youths at Risk of Gang Involvement and Other Forms of Delinquency,” author, Stephen Koffman notes, “…prevention program in Los Angeles, targets at-risk students by using a systemic, whole child approach--a holistic perspective in which all aspects of a child are treated and supported. JIPP instills positive change in students' behavior, academic performance, and family interactions and builds psychosocial and emotional coping skills… The macro goal is to provide clear, coherent, and supportive interventions that will enable students to experience success in school, in the home, and in the community. The micro goals are to reduce suspension rates, behavioral referrals, dropout rates, truancy, and gang activity” (n. pag.) He observes prevention programs that mainly target young adults who are in school and to prevent kids from participating in gang-related activities. The method they use to prevent kids from participating in gang-related activities is to reduce dropout rates and suspension rates. Gang prevention programs approach kids with treat and support; therefore, it makes it easier for them to reduce gang violence because this makes kids feel that prevention programs are reliable. In the book, “Always Running,” Luis Rodriguez explains how a prevention program can reduce gang crime by hiring a former gang member to advise and help kids out of gangs. Rodriguez writes, “…the Bienvenidos Community Center hired Chente Ramirez. His credentials included a lifetime in the White Fence barrio in East L.A. – known as the oldest ‘street gang’ in the country. But Chente managed to avoid gang involvement…” (113). Rodriguez decided to join a community center where they hired Chente, a former gang member from the country’s oldest “street gang.” Chente was someone who was able to avoid gang involvement by going to school and working; this influenced Rodriguez to look up to him as a role model. Rodriguez wanted to be like Chente because he felt that Chente was someone he could learn from: “Chente impressed me as someone I could learn from. He was calm, but also street enough to go among all those crazy guys and know how to handle himself. He didn’t need to act bad to operate. He was the kind of dude who could get the best from the system – education, karate training – without being a snitch or giving in. I wanted to be able to do this too” (114). Rodriguez was a kid who immigrated from Mexico to America; he was treated poorly and face inequality as well as discrimination. He joined a gang because he wanted to have the power to bully someone instead of being bullied. After meeting Chente from a community center, Rodriguez realized that he does not want to be in a gang in order to have power. He was impressed by Chente because Chente did not have to be in gang in order to operate and have the power to protect himself. The prevention programs assist youths in withdrawing themselves from a gang by slowly breaking down a kid’s gang involvement habit. It is definite that prevention programs can help prevent and reduce gang crime by addressing the root causes of gang violence and why kids join gangs.
In conclusion, kids join gangs due to many major reasons; but we are able to prevent and reduce individuals from involving in gang crime and gang violence. In order to do so, we must improve and solve the problems that are causing the misunderstandings between gang members and communities. This means gang injunctions need to work on providing further and better understandings of the root causes of gang crime and gang violence as well as correcting some troubled aspects that involves in the injunctions before approaching any individual. However, prevention programs should be enhanced in more communities because they provide better results for the gang members and communities!
Works Cited
Koffman, Stephen, et. al. “Impact of a Comprehensive Whole Child Intervention and
Prevention Program among Youths at Risk of Gang Involvement and
Other Forms of Delinquency.” Children & Schools. 31 (2009): 239-245.
Consumer Health Complete. Web. 06 Dec. 2012.
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