Urban Gangs and Migration

Martfn Sßnchez JankowskiÆs Islands in the Street begins with a theory of gang involvement. First, he examines the theories of gangs, and concludes that these theories provide unsatisfactory explanations because they are sociological theories about delinquency rather than ôtheories about gangs per seö (Jankowski 21). Most theories assume that individuals join gangs because they provide social order that is lacking in poor communities.

Jankowski (23) first looks at individual gang members, whom he says all have a ôdefiant individualist character.ö Seven attributes make up this character: competitiveness, mistrust, self-reliance, social isolation, a survival instinct, Social Darwinist world view, and defiance. These traits are derived from a childhood spent in low-income neighborhoods, where life experiences are far different than those found in suburbia. Gang members generally display all of these traits, and with much greater intensity than is found among non-gang residents of low-income neighborhoods.

. . .
on as a cutoff point of his innocence. He clearly remembers viewing another schoolmate as ôweakö for the ability and desire to excel in school (Shakur 3-5). Already the lure of the street and gang life beckoned him. The need to belong to a unit, a ôfamily,ö was paramount. Thus, when the opportunity arrived, he wasted no time proving that he belonged in the local Crips gang as he went down the slippery slope towards becoming an O.G. (Original Gangster). More than anything, he wanted to be a ôGhetto Star,ö an up and comer known for gangbanging and drug dealing (Shakur 5). Shakur describes gang initiation as casual, yet well understood by all. For Shakur, it began with the act of stealing a car. The next step of initiation consisted of being ôcourted inö: Established gangbangers beat up the neophyte to see how he would perform under the pressure of hand-to-hand combat with rival gang members. Proving oneÆs mettle in this brutal encounter can only raise your ôrepö in the ôfamily.ö Shakur finished his induction with a flourish. With a shotgun supplied by his newfound compatriots, he pumped several bullets into some members of the Bloods gang (the CripsÆ main rival) gathered nearby. Shakur had taken the first step towards
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Social Darwinist, Los Angeles, Kody Scott, Original Gangster, Bloods Crips, Irish Chicano, ShakurÆs Crips, Department Shakur, Islands Street, Crip Blood, los angeles, join gang, jankowskiÆs findings, gang life, islands street, home life, join gangs, kody scott, street gang, shakur 15, los angeles street, gangs prefer model, violence generated individual, autobiography la gang, life los angeles,
Approximate Word count = 2735
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Urban Gangs and Migration