Gangs: A Psychological and Historical View By Tyler Antis 11/14/11 Senior Project Research Paper Rough Draft

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Thesis: The psychology of street gangs is one that has been studied for several decades, ever since the 1920s when gangs first originated. I. History of Gangs A. 1920s and 1930s B. 1940s to 1965 C. Late 1960s to Early 1970s D. 1980s and 1990s II. Psychology of Gang Members A. Why They Join 1. Receiving Things Otherwise Impossible 2. Status and Self-Esteem 3. Protection and Safety 4. Extraneous Reasons B. Why They Stay 1. Fear 2. Having to Change Personal Lives 3. Dependency III. The Future of Gangs A. Past Statistics of Gang Members 1. How Theyve Changed 2. Predictions for the Future B. Preventing Gang Action 1. Organizations 2. Alliances

Conclusion: Over the past 90 years, gangs have morphed into something entirely different from their predecessors. However, even with all of these changes, their thoughts and objectives shall remain the same, and hopefully one day, understanding the psychology of gang members will be achievable.

Tyler Antis 12204 SE 72 Terrace Road November 17, 2011 Words: 2,668

Gangs: A Psychological and Historical View

When thinking of gang members, people typically think of urbanized lower-class young males with a criminal record. They are associated with being dangerous and harmful, causing people to avoid them and think negatively of them, and this is the profile that gangs have given to themselves. This idea that gang members are ruthless has a small likelihood of ever changing, should gangs keep giving themselves the reputation of being the kind of people to sell drugs or resort to violence in time of danger. The definition of a gang is argued in several ways. In one view, a gang is a group of non-violent, not overly-aggressive men who prepare younger members for adulthood (Miller). However, in another light, a gang is considered group of criminals who join together and are centered around violence and crime (Haskell and Yablonksy). The more popular view is the one where the members are based around violence. But what is it that makes gangs behave the way they do? The psychology of street gangs is one that has been studied for several decades, ever since the 1920s when gangs first originated. There is a long history of gangs and hundreds of questions about them just waiting to be answered by psychologists and sociologists alike. Gang involvement emerged in the 1920s and flourished due to the increasing popularity of antiprohibitionist groups. When the prohibition of alcohol became national, the country was in an outrage. Soon enough, American citizens were making illegal alcohol in their homemade distilleries and were selling it for a profit. These homemade brews eventually grew into selling them at clubs, or speakeasies, which would involve special admission to enter. Along with the alcohol was illegal gambling and prostitution, both of which gangsters could easily supply (Harris). Many of the gangsters actually had profitable careers and only got wrapped up in crime and violence because of their surrounding community (Howell and Moore). There was a diverse community of gangs in many different cities, especially Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles. New York was a popular place for African-American and Latino gangs (Howell and Moore), and so many members of this ethnicity was there due to new opportunities in such a busy place. In Chicago, Al Capone was the leading gang leader, but when asked, he would respond that he was the leader of the Italian-American community (Hendley). Los Angeles experienced gangs such as the Kelleys and the Boozies, and similar to New York, these gangs were caused by prohibition and strengthened with speakeasies. There were also

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Mexican and Spanish gangs, but they were more discriminated against since these gangs were not as prominent. Oftentimes, they were told to go back to Mexico where they belonged (Howell and Moore). Leading into the 1930s, these newly formed gangs were brought about due to the Great Depression (Rainwater). Gangs that were created due to prohibition were still thriving, especially since the banning of alcohol didnt end until 1933. Since the economy was so bad, gangs were now more likely to rob banks or find other methods of getting money. Some of the most popular gang members included Bonny and Clyde, John Dillinger, and Pretty Boy Floyd. After prohibition ended, gambling and prostitution still happened, which kept the gangs alive. Beginning in the 1940s, gangs were starting to form because of the downfall of the nuclear family, which meant there were more divorces and more workforce women (Polczynski). Without the teachings of good parenting, it is likely that more adolescents joined gangs to have support, which I will cover later. The gangs of the 40s were unlike the gangs of today: instead of violence, all they wanted was their own little area and they were considered turf conscious (Perkins). There were confrontations between gangs, and this is the only time they would become violent when guarding their turf. In Chicago, the only gang-related death for nearly a decade was caused by accident when a woman was shot (Perkins). Also different from modern gangs is the idea that drugs were not popular amongst gangs and they wouldnt sell drugs since that was the job of the actual drug dealer (Perkins). During this time, it was believed that once an adolescent matured, they would get out of the gangster life to make something of themselves (Polczynski). The 1950s brought about all-female gangs, although this was unintentional. Most of the women in these gangs were the girlfriends of male gang members, and they grouped together since they were with each other for most of the time (Perkins). The violence of the 1950s was not as common as it was in later years, though, and this was because of the turf consciousness (Franzese et. al). However, as the 1960s emerged, more violence erupted as more gangs came into existence (Perkins). Battles over turf became more frequent, which resulted in gang-related homicides. The start of street gangs were becoming popularised and began to worsen as the years went by. Now that things were changing and gangs began to become focused more on crime and violence, the new ideologies of the late 1960s began to be incorporated into gang affairs. However, due to the Vietnam War and the media attention going towards that, gangs became less popular and therefore, almost forgotten (Miller).

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On the other hand, it has been argued that media actually focused on some of the more youthful gangs, like the Blackstone Rangers (Franzese et. al). Gang leaders began to get wrapped up in the Civil Rights Movements, which they were sent to prison for (Perkins). In order to thwart any future gangs, the government gave money to gangs if they partook in community efforts. Gangs are loosely controlled by a leader... [to] benefit their followers (Salkind). The idea was to make the leaders of gangs guide their members towards something productive in order to help the community (Franzese et. al). Sadly, this was not effective since the gang leaders could not keep programs as organized as they would have liked, and gang prominence continued. There is dispute about the popularity of firearms in the 1970s. On one hand, it is said that New York gang members took up firearms because they were following suit of Philadelphia gang members from five years before (Rainwater). But, its also been argued that gangs of the 1970s were quite the opposite of gangs today since they did not use firearms, and this caused less gang violence (Miller). Drugs were becoming more and more popular. Marijuana was still sold, but was no longer the most popular drug out there. Heroin was one of the leading drugs, as was cocaine. In New York, Chinese-American gangs were some of the top sellers of heroin (Franzese et. al). The gangs that we know now were beginning to really surface in the 1970s, what, with all of the newfound violence and drugs. This brings me to the final era before going into present-day gangs. The drug market of 1980s gangs was much more expansive. It was a multibillion dollar business that only business-savvy gangs could get into (Berger and Worth). Gangs once again became popular in the media as the violence increased (Cummings and Monti). The stereotypical idea of a gangster was derived from the 1980s gang member: trafficking drugs, using reconstructed cars that were built for speed, youthful, maybe even juvenile, poor, a minority (Cummings and Monti). Gang symbols began to appear near the end of the late 1980s, making it easy for members to recognize each other. Drug deals created more violence than ever before and more gang-related homicides began to happen (Hickey). The United States was, and still is, number one in gang-related homicides involving drugs, with Puerto Rico being second (Duffy and Gillig). In the 1990s, tagging, or graffiti, became popular in order to mark turf for certain gangs (Hickey). Still, turf wars were waged, resulting in even more violence that seemed endless amongst gangs (Howell and Moore). In 1993, 97% of gang-related deaths were the results of having guns (Fox and Zawitz). Hip-hop rose to popularity, basing lyrics off of the

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typical life of a gangster and music that appealed to gangs. It was in the era of the 1990s that modern gangs most relate to and it presents us with what we now think of as a gangster. But why is it that people are so attracted to gangs, and why is it that they feel they must stay with said gang? This has been debated many times, and there is no conclusive answer, merely theories thought of by sociologists and psychologists. One of the most agreed upon ideas as to why youths join gangs is because of the material things gang members receive, be it drugs, money, cars, weapons, etc. (Halleck). The fact that being in a gang can grant access to things never before possible is appealing to members, especially young ones who grew up impoverished. They can live a life with things that theyve always wanted, and they can get it reasonably easy. The status symbol is also discussed when posing why people join gangs (Halleck). It gives a member some sort of self-worth, something they likely never would have experienced before partaking in the gang life. It can give a member purpose and a reason for feeling like they belong somewhere (Maginnis). The opportunities granted to gangs can be a life-altering ordeal that could be negative or positive. Since most gang members grow up in a relatively bad community, being a part of a gang can offer security and protection from people (Halleck). Grant it, being a gangster isnt the safest, but to the members, it makes them feel protected. Typically, gang membership generally forms along ethnic and socioeconomic boundaries (Salkind). Referring back to what was mentioned earlier about the decline of nuclear families, some sociologists believe this plays a large part in joining gangs (Maginnis). Since there is no stable figure constantly there to teach adolescents between right and wrong, it is easier for youth to get wrapped up in crime and resort to gang members who, as afore mentioned, can provide security and even loyalty. Not only this, but a gang can also serve as a temporary relief from the problems of the oppressed adolescent (Halleck). The thoughts of a member can easily be deterred with gang-related activities. Theres also the popular idea of blaming the members for practising insufficient self-control and blaming the parents for not teaching enough discipline (Rainwater). There are multiple reasons why people become parts of a gang. In all actuality, it could also just be due to the idea that another family member was in a gang, and the younger family member wants that same lifestyle. Since gangs have been promoted by pop culture, the gang life may appeal to younger generations because of how fanciful they seem in movies and music.

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Once a member is in a gang, its hard for them to leave and escape the life of being a gangster. There are many difficulties when trying to get out of the gang life since the member trying to leave can be put into danger. When a gangster decides to leave, they will likely live in fear of having their abandoned gang come and find them to kill them in fear of having the gone member tell secrets of said gang. In order to protect oneself, they may have to change their entire life and resort to going under the Witness Protection Program and change their name and city. Rival gang members would also be on the lookout for an ex-gang member, posing more risk for a murder attempt (Miller). Since the member had been dependent on their gang for most of their money and other valuables, when they leave the gang life, theyll have to start all over again, which could be tough if a criminal record is present (Rainwater). They would have nothing of their recent life and it would be difficult trying to get everything figured out for a better life. Although its tough, leaving a gang is possible and has been accomplished. Many times, ex-gangsters do end up making a good life for themselves and sometimes join organizations to stop the spread of gang violence. Since the discussion of the history of gangs was already presented, it is fair to discuss what the future will hold for gangs and their members. Just the question of why people join gangs, there is also the question of how gangs will evolve in the next few years. Judging past statistics, though, can give us a good idea of how things will change and it will make it easier to predict which gangs will flourish and which will dwindle. The National Gang Center has created statistics about gang populations, ranging from 1998 to 2008. The results are as followed: -in larger cities, there are more adult gangs than in rural areas where juvenile members thrive -through 1998-2007, there have been no more than ten percent of females in a gang -larger cities have the smallest amounts of female gangs, and rural areas have the highest amount -Latino or Hispanic gangs are the most popular, then black gangs, followed by white, then other -rural areas contain the highest amounts of Latino or black gangs -the amount of adult gangs has always been higher than or equal to the amount of juvenile gangs

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These statistics show slight changes over the years, and can always be referenced when studying the gangs and types of gangs. Since there have been studies in the hundreds of types of gangs, it is somewhat easier for sociologists to predict what will happen over the next several years. One theory is that the current success of such gangs like the Bloods and the Cripps will eventually lead to gangs just as, if not more, successful, which will ultimately result in worse gang crime (Lamm Weisel). Future generations will notice how great and notorious present-day gangs are and may aspire to have a gang like that in their lifetime. Because of the hardships gang members will face when they try to leave the gang, many choose to just stay with the gang, and possibly branch off into their own. Not only must they face difficulties, but they risk losing their self-concept if they leave the gang, and all of this makes them stay within the gang (Lamm Weisel). A frightening idea about the future of gangs is the idea that when todays elementary school children grow up, theyll want to be part of a gang due to the increase in gang violence and crime (Maginnis). If they grow up around gangs, then this is all they will know for their whole lives, and thus want to be a part of a gang. The best plan of action will be to prevent gang involvement. The use of organizations will help, such as the Youth Alliance Against Gang Violence or the People Against Gangsterism and Drugs. It is with the help of these agencies that they spread the knowledge of how dangerous gangs are and how to prevent them. There are countless alliances for protecting future generations at risk of joining a gang. There have also been some agreements amongst rival gangs to keep the violence to a minimum, as well as taking part in speeches against gangs. For instance, the Grape Street Cripps made an alliance with their ex-rivals, the Bounty Hunter Bloods, to not be as violent towards each other, which has been effectively held up. Since gangs have been around for nearly ninety years, they are rather easy to study. However, since they have evolved so much over the years, they have created so many questions that need answers. Understanding the psychology of gangs is difficult since there are so many different gangs and thousands of members, all with different opinions and answers as to why they joined their gang. Although there are many organizations to discuss the problems with gangs, there is no doubt that these subcultures will thrive for many years to come, especially as they become more and more popular amongst young generations. We may only

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start to understand the history and psychology of gangs, but as we study these gangs, we learn more about them, which is essential in trying to understand how they function and evolve.

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