Assault and Harassment: Gang members often threaten and intimidate residents in their neighborhood or "territory". Witnesses who report a gang crime or testify against a member may be assaulted or killed. Sometimes these scare tactics are also used to recruit new gang members. Teens not belonging to a gang can be threatened and intimidated into joining one.

Gang Symbols: Many gangs may use the same symbol to identify themselves. They are often used in graffiti, tattoos, on clothing, etc. Some of the more common symbols include:

* crosses
* crowns
* devil's head
* diamonds
* dice
* dollarsigns
* dots
* eagles
* eyes
* gloves
* crescent moons
* halos
* hearts
* hooded figures
* knight's helmet
* the number 7
* pyramids
* rabbit's head
* shield or crest
* shotguns
* snakes
* spears
* the sun
* swards
* swastikas
* top hats
* a torch

While males join gangs for the excitement and acceptance of the gang, girls are induced by gang membership as a way to:

* Cure loneliness and secure warmth and affection.
* Satisfy the need to belong to a group, Fulfilled in part by the dress codes and traditions imposed by gang membership as a sign of solidarity.
* To express anger and frustration encountered daily in a life filled with poverty and joblessness and devoid of hope.

Young men form gangs to acquire companionship, gain peer respect, act-out biases, and express cultural identity.

It is becoming a common occurrence in both rural and urban communities across America to see evidence of gang activity.

Susceptibility to gang influence is possible from the early age of eight on to the middle age.

As a form of intimidation and means of control over the inductee, many gangs choose a criminal act as their initiation ritual.

The excitement of gang activity, which often involves violence, danger, and outward expressions of cultural biases, coupled with the acceptance give by fellow gang members, provide the social support and community involvement that are often lacking in the lives of young male gang members.

Gang Dress Code

As a form of identification, gangs select a dress code. The dress code may be either the universal dress code for their type of gang or as individual as the gang members themselves. The dress code is very important to the gang. It is a statement of loyalty. If an opposing gang member were to wear an opponent's fashion trends in a disrespectful way, such as a baseball cap worn backwards or shoes laces tied up the wrong side, it could result in a confrontation between the two gangs. Innocent bystanders may also be at the mercy of gang fashion. If a gang sees someone wearing a clothing item or style of an opponent, they may be mistaken for an opponent and attacked or killed.

The items listed below are for both male and female gang members but are NOT limited to gangs; many are just fads.

Hats and baseball caps (certain team names and initials same as gang, some worn backwards, certain tilt, style, and color.)

"New Wave Star" (sheets or shirts worn over the hair that hang down the back resembling a sheik's hood.)

Hair and facial hair (shaved or symbols shaved into them or groomed to indicate gang affiliation.)

Hair styles and color streaking or cuts

Combs (placement in hair)

Professional sports team jackets (reversed side showing gang membership, team names and initials same as gang, same mascot, same colors, etc.)

Baggy clothing (gang style to hide cans of spray paint.)

Combat-style clothing, fatigues (certain gang's style.)

Sweatshirts (layered in colors)

Sweaters (gang name, symbols, colors.) Gangs have 2 similar sweaters, one with their main gang color for social events, such as funerals, the other for war.

T-shirts (custom printed, airbrushed, or embroidered with gang names, symbols, messages, or a pro sports team with same name, initials, or symbols.)

Gloves (fingers cut out or worn on a certain hand.)

Belt buckles, (custom made or bought with gang symbols or initials, worn on certain side of the pants.)

Pant legs rolled up, shirt cuffs (certain leg, certain arm.)

Inside pants pocket (gang's colors.)

Gym shoes (certain name brands, often the same initials or name of the gang.)

Shoe or roller skate laces (tied on a certain side or in certain colors sometimes in combination with a specific brand of shoe.)

Eyebrows (shaved off, into shapes, or shapes shaved in them.)

Fingernails (2 painted in gang's colors on the presenting hand.)

Tattoos and branding (an extension of gang graffiti showing stars, crowns, rabbit heads, names, pictures depicting the gang.)

Hand signals and body swaggering (for nonverbal communication and to identify gang affiliation.)

Business cards (imprinted with gang name, symbol, nick name, turf area, etc.)

School I.D.s (in gang colors, logos, or names on the back.)

Buttons (with gang names, symbols, slogans.)

Bandanas (worn around arms, legs, head or hanging out of a pocket.)

Jewelry (five and six-point stars, crowns, Italian horns, or rabbit heads depicting gang symbols on rings, pins, pendants, and earrings.)

Earrings (in a specific ear, in a specific color, or several in a specific ear.)

Excessive amounts of gold (jewelry, teeth.)

Friendship beads (on clothing, shoes, in the hair, or earrings.)

Jelly bracelets (colored rubber/plastic loops.)

Claddagh ring (ring with hands, heart, and crown.)

Graffiti (displayed on public or private property, used to indicate locations of drug deals, mark territory, and warn rival members of possible death.)

Colors (dress predominately in two or three colors, and/or wear bandanas and jewelry in the same colors.)

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The whole gang culture is a serious threat to civilized society. Sadly, we are spending our resources elsewhere, fighting causes that the indiginous peoples don't want our help in.

There are many issues that need attention right here on American soil.

I remember being a kid and watching old gangster movies where all the people in the cities were afraid to even talk about them or say their names out of fear someone would report them flapping their mouth and be killed for it.

We are right back there again.

If anyone is interested, "Monster" was a good book on that culture.

Did the book give any ideas as to what would make the gangs obsolete?

Well he was mentioning something about the army, and how that can turn a lot of negative energy into something more constructive. But he thinks that gangs will be around for a while because it is so ingrained into culture now. So many people have been killed, so many people still want revenge.

Military service. I wonder now if it was just ending prohibition that ended the last wide spread gang culture or if WW2 had just as much to do with ridding us of it.

I certainly hope not because what? 60 million people died. I don't think that is what lessened it (death) but a lot of the times you are changing the direction of negative energy. That's the way I see it. Anyway if I know someone who has been to camp or training, their attitude sometimes changes, but their habits not so much.
I don't think there is any good answer to dispel it altogether. But it would be nice to see it come to an end.
Also I don't think it just has to do with territory and revenge. But people in gangs are actually a part of something that is bigger than themselves. That might be comforting.

I moved into an area, that is now declared historical, when it was still in a blight. Drugs dealers, gangs and hookers everywhere. We encouraged other people, that wanted to see this beautiful part of the city restored, to buy and move in. My life has personally been threatened numerous times and I have sat up all night with a 45 next to me.

It's now been twenty years and a long hard struggle, but it is as good, if not better, than the most upscale areas in the city. Good people outnumber this scum if we could get them to all work together I don't think it would be nearly as big a problem.

Granted, they may have moved to other parts of the city, but a lot of them are still in jail.

Thank you for sharing your story.
It's possible to change it in my opinion.
Cause I don't think anyone has to go through that. It has to be a collective effort.

That's true...when I moved here the police hardly ever showed up unless someone was killed because everyone was afraid to be targeted as a snych. It took the effort of a new community of people to stay on them and be witnesses before they became at all active. Now we meet with the officers about once a month and discuss problem areas and get to know each other.

Part of something bigger than themselves. Maybe these used to be the type that were once the adventorous frontiersmen and they have no frontier to go out to explore and build in anymore.

I consider that to be me and the people that took this place back.

These people don't have the initiative not to live in squaller, much less anything else.

About the people talking about the gangs and the USA army. IIRC, i read an article some years ago about some gang members getting into the army to get military training. After the army time, they come back to their zone whit the training. Scary uh?

Yes it is...I hear the same thing about the Mexican military/drug runners.

This is laughable, most of it's crap.

Beleive me I've spent enough time in SWP to spot this sh**.

Gangs are not just a modern american construction.There have been gangs over hear in the UK for hundreds off years and proberly in all cultures, even football rioting is a type of gang culture