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Originally posted by Peaches-n-Cream
When I think of gangs, I think of the Crips, Bloods, Latin Kings, Ghost Shadows, and the Mafia. They are associations formed in order to commit crimes. I think that in order to be initiated into a gang, they must commit crimes.
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Not always. There are some gangs who formed as a defense mechanism -- kind of like an inner-city militia, if you will -- to try to keep certain elements out of their turf. It's just that over time, the focus changed.
And not everyone has to commit a crime to be admitted. Sometimes all you have to do is to be "jumped in" -- which basically means you're physically hazed by your brothers and/or sisters.
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Anyway I googled this topic and found a site called the National Youth Gang Center which contains a page of Frequently Asked Questions about gangs. It is interesting.
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Consider the source though -- it's put together by law enforcement. I'd be interested to see a site that was organized by an organization whose mission is youth development and community uplift -- the message you'd get would probably be vastly different. The truth of what life might be like for some gang members lies somewhere between the cops' version and the community activist's version.