Gangs and street Talk
We have received a lot of emails from you guys asking us to cover the topic of gangs and the idea of street territory.
Gangs often have heavy negative connotations yet they are not very different from a social club.
I think the negativity that surrounds the idea of a gang is that people often assume that violence and mob mentality will ensue, and that a gang is a group of individuals who partake in crime and illegal activities. Unfortunately many gangs are like this, but it doesn't have to be that way. I think the appeal of a gang for many young people is the idea of an exclusive community of people in which they can belong and be apart of. I don't think the crime aspect of it is really something that resonates in many members of gangs, then why does crime and violence still occur in gangs?
I think the issue here is the competition that occurs between two different gangs and the desire to show off whose gang is tougher and meaner. Turf wars are a huge part of gang crime Where youth from one area or suburb try to impede on the "territory" of another gangs are or suburb. I find this pretty ridulous and rather childish. I understand the appeal of owning more "area" and being more intimidating than other groups of kids but the real benefits seem minimal. I strongly discourage the idea of gang conflict however I agree with the necessity of having gangs. I think the term "gang" is just a glorified name for a social group which can really be any group of individuals who associate with each other. In order to help deconstruct this negative perception of gangs you need to stop trying to compete against each other in such aggressive ways. If you really have the desire to prove something against another social group that why not challenge them to a basketball game or a relay-race. I know that sounds a lot more lame but I think that if more gangs were willing to resolve conflict like this it could start a new movement and really be quite enjoyable. I also discourage gang members from "tagging" or vandalising the area in which they live. It costs the government a great deal of money to get all that cleaned off which could have been used to build a new skate park or sporting field. Try to represent your group in less destructive ways, in stead of vandalism why not put your hand up for some community service, if you really want recognition amoungst your community try to help out the less fortunate or help clean up the streets. That way people will definitely remember who are and what you represent but in a more positive light. I think it's much better for people to love your presence then hate it.