Mara Salvatrucha suspect bearing gang tattoos is handcuffed. Mara Salvatrucha are large gangs in Northern Central America and the United States. In 2004, the FBI created the MS-13 National Gang Task Force. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Mara Salvatrucha are large gangs in Northern Central America and the United States. A year later, the FBI helped create National Gang Intelligence Center. The National Gang Intelligence Center is an agency of the United States Government.

A gang is a group of people who through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage share a common identity. In Sociology, a group can be defined as two or more Humans that interact with one another accept expectations and obligations as members of the group and share a Identity is an Umbrella term used throughout the Social sciences to describe an individual's comprehension of him or herself as a discrete separate entity In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen. In England the word is still often used in this sense, but it later underwent pejoration. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland In diachronic (or historical linguistics, semantic change is a change in one of the meanings of a word. The word gang often carries a negative connotation; however, within a gang which defines itself in opposition to mainstream norms, members may adopt the phrase as a statement of identity or defiance. This word has distinct meanings in other fields see Connotation (semiotics and Connotation and denotation.

Gang activities are not restricted to typical organized crime groups,^[1] but may be associated with a general class of behavior in which collective action and support of communal interests and goals serves to achieve social cohesion or solidarity "especially in gangs, cults, unions, political parties or movements, and religious sects. "^[2]An article in the Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice defines a street gang or troublesome youth group as "any durable, street-oriented youth group whose own identity includes involvement in illegal activity". This definition was developed over 5 years and agreed on by more than 100 gang research scholars in the United States and Europe. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[3][4] It is a minimalist definition specifically designed to enhance comparative street gang research. Because of the frequently ethnic minority dimension, to gangs, some studies of the sociology of gangs contend that gang culture arises and depends, at least in part, upon aspects of social marginality and deviance. Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" ^{[5][6][7][8][9]} Or it may only be a reflection of bad/abusive parenting and the need for abused youth to look for acceptance by some other abusive authority figures. ^[10]

Historical criminal gangs

A wide variety of historical gangs, outlaw gangs, triad societies, and Mafia crime families have existed for centuries. This is a list of known outlaws and others of the American frontier popularly known as the "Wild West" Triad ( also known as) is a term that describes many branches of Chinese underground society and/or organizations based in Hong Kong and Macau and also These early gangs were known for many criminal activities, but in most houses could not profit from drug trafficking prior to twentieth century drug prohibition laws such as the 1912 International Opium Convention and the 1919 Volstead Act. The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global Black market consisting of the cultivation manufacture distribution and sale of illegal Drugs The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary Legislation or Religious law is a common means of attempting to control Drug use and the The International Opium Convention, signed at The Hague on January 23, 1912, was the first international drug control treaty The Volstead Act, which reinforced the Prohibition of alcohol in the United States of America, was popularly named after Andrew Volstead, Chairman of the Gang involvement in drug trafficking increased during the 1970s and 1980s, but some gangs continue to have minimal involvement in the trade. ^[11]

Modern usage

In modern usage, gang often refers to loosely organized groups that control a territory through readiness to use coordinated violence, especially against other gangs. Violence is the exertion of force so as to injure or abuse The word is used broadly to describe the destructive action of natural phenomena like Storms and Earthquakes Violence also serves to maintain organization within the gang and to control gang members (Decker and Van Winkle, 1996; Horowitz, 1983; Sanchez-Jankowski, 1991; Yablonsky, 1962)^[12] Gangs are as diverse and dissimilar as the ideologies and belief systems which influence and motivate them. An ideology is a set of beliefs aims and Ideas especially in politics ^[13] Extremist and hate groups in some states have acquired the label, as the extremist groups operate very similarly to corporate gangs. ^[14] While hierarchy, colors, and turf are not emphasized as much within these extremist groups, symbols, signs, codes, special languages, and group collaboration and participation in patterns of criminal activity, especially crimes against human rights and civil liberties, are as much a part of the gang type behavior as they are to more traditional 'street gangs'. In Ethology, Sociobiology and Behavioral ecology, the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an Animal of a particular Species ^[15] 'Terrorities' have expanded to include the Internet for some gangs. The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks Crips, Bloods, Latin Kings, 18th Street gang, MS-13 and other "web bangers" are among some gangs posting on personal and social networking Web sites taunting other gangs, boasting of illegal exploits, and, according to George W. The Crips are a primarily but not exclusively African American gang founded in Los Angeles California in 1969 mainly by 16-year-old Raymond The Bloods is one of the street Gangs originally founded in Los Angeles The Latin Kings are the oldest largest and most organized Hispanic Street Gang which has its roots dating back to the 1940s in Chicago Illinois 18th Street Gang is a largely- Hispanic Los Angeles -based Street gang. Mara Salvatrucha are large gangs in Northern Central America and the United States. Knox, director of the National Gang Crime Research Center, influencing and recruiting new members. ^[16] Tod Burke, a criminal justice professor at Radford University in Virginia states: “Gangs already have their own alphabet, their own language, their own hand signals, so why not use the Internet?” Gang members, using home computers communicate with each other using their own coded language to brag about criminal exploits and to organize crimes on the street, including fights with rival gangs. ^[17] White Aryan Resistance (WAR), the World Church of the Creator (WCOTC), and the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) are three American-based white-supremacist or neo-fascist groupuscules or gangs who have been quick to exploit the advantages the Internet and the World Wide Web offer for organizing, recruiting, and developing their small, splinter groups of extremists. The White Aryan Resistance ( WAR) is a Neo-Nazi White supremacist organization founded and led by former Ku Klux Klan leader Tom Metzger The Creativity Movement was a term originally coined by Ben Klassen as a descriptive phrase encompassing all adherents of the religion known as Creativity, whether Ku Klux Klan ( KKK) is the name of several past and present secret domestic terrorist organizations in the United States, generally in the southern states that are White supremacy is a racist ideology based on the assertion that White people are superior to other racial groups. This page specifically pertains to fascism after World War II In Politics, there is a tendency on the far left and right for a proliferation of tiny groups often known by the French term groupuscules The World Wide Web (commonly shortened to the Web) is a system of interlinked Hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. Extremism is a term used to describe the actions or ideologies of individuals or groups outside the perceived political center of a society or otherwise claimed to violate While the Internet provides these gangs with the opportunity to communicate with a wider audience, the threat of increased influence on disenfranchised and underprivileged youths may be exaggerated. ^[18] Gang members have also been joining and organizing within the U.S. military and learning military skills in Iraq, a phenomenon an FBI report calls "a threat to law enforcement and national security. The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign "^[19] In environments with few social supports, gangs provide young members a sense of belonging, and protection from other gangs; often, where prospects for gainful employment are poor, they also provide an illegal means of earning a living. The social environment (context, also known as the Milieu, is the identical or similar Social positions and Social roles as a whole that influence the individuals Social support is the physical and Emotional comfort given to us by our Family, friends co-workers and others

Classification

School-yard gangs and the dissimilarity between different gangs has prompted some officials to designate categories to classify gangs based on age, finances, criminal activities, and levels of sophistication. Sometimes these are referred to as "Wanna-B's. " But, gang experts know that a "Wanna-B" is a "Gonna-B" without early intervention. Gang activity can also account for some of the higher drop out rates in some public school systems.

Scavenger gangs are characteristically disorganized and often represent the least successful of all the types of gangs. Members of scavenger gangs may be low achievers, and may be prone to violent or erratic behavior. Because these gangs are not well organized, leadership of scavenger gangs may change frequently and without reason. Scavenger gangs often turn to low-level crime, usually committed spontaneously and without planning. If a scavenger gang can become more organized, it may be able to grow into a territorial gang. ^[13]

Territorial gangs are typically more organized than scavenger gangs, but their primary purpose is still social. Some may sell drugs, but this is not a defining characteristic of the territorial gang. A drug, broadly speaking is any chemical substance that when absorbed into the body Territorial gangs will often use violent means to defend their territory; in some cases this helps the gang to bond and reinforces the social structures of the gang. Gang members may be attracted to territorial gangs because they have difficult home lives. ^[13] Two examples of such gangs are the Bloods and the Crips. The Bloods is one of the street Gangs originally founded in Los Angeles The Crips are a primarily but not exclusively African American gang founded in Los Angeles California in 1969 mainly by 16-year-old Raymond

Corporate gangs are highly organized conspiracies, constructed for the purpose of marketing drugs and gaining maximum profits. The symbolism and turfs that are significant to territorial and scavenger gangs are meaningless to corporate gangs. Members of corporate gangs are expected to follow a certain etiquette, and severe punishment can be expected for any faux pas. Leadership of a corporate gang requires a higher level of intelligence than other gangs, and bosses in these gangs will often be highly successful career criminals. They also can be very territorial and can not wear the color of another gang. ^[13] Two examples of corporate gangs are the Folk Nation and the People Nation. The Folk Nation (also known as Folks) is an alliance of Street gangs based in the Chicago area which has since spread throughout the United States People Nation is an alliance of Street gangs generally associated with the Chicago area

Gang signs

Main article: Gang signal

Gangs often establish distinctive, characteristic identifiers including graffiti tags^[20] colors, hand-signals, clothing, jewelry, hair styles, fingernails, slogans^[21], signs such as the swastika, the noose, or the burning cross^[22], flags^[23] for example the Confederate flag, secret greetings, slurs, or code words and other group-specific symbols associated with the gang's common beliefs, rituals, and mythologies to define and differentiate themselves from rival groups and gangs. A gang signal is a visual or verbal way gang members identify their affiliation Graffiti (singular graffito; the plural is used as a Mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched scrawled painted or marked in any manner on property A slogan is a memorable Motto or Phrase used in a Political, commercial, Religious and other context as a repetitive expression of The swastika (from Sanskrit: svástika sa स्वस्तिक Hindu IS CORRECT if 'ि' is positioned incorrectly see -->) is A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the Knot slides to make the loop collapsible A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other dividing one or two of the lines in half The Confederate States of America used several Flags during its existence from 1861 to 1865 Terms of disparagement are Pejorative Words and Phrases which are either intended to be or are often regarded as insulting impolite or unkind In Communications a code is a rule for converting a piece of Information (for example a letter, Word, Phrase, or Belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a Proposition or Premise to be true A ritual is a set of actions often thought to have Symbolic value the performance of which is usually prescribed by a Religion or by the Traditions The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" ^[24]As an alternative language, signs, symbols, and slurs in speech, graffiti, print, music, or other mediums communicate specific informational cues used to threaten, disparage, taunt, harass, intimidate, alarm, influence^[25], or exact specific responses including obedience, submission, fear, or terror. Harassment refers to a wide spectrum of offensive behaviour The term commonly refers to behaviour intended to disturb or upset and when the term is used in a legal sense it refers Intimidation (also called cowing) is intentional behavior "which would cause a person of ordinary sensibilities" fear of Injury or Harm. An alarm (French À l'arme - "To the arms" gives an audible or visual Warning of a problem or condition Extortion, outwresting, or exaction is a criminal offense, which occurs when a person Unlawfully obtains either money property or services One study focused on terrorism and symbols states: ". Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion The musical instrument is spelled Cymbal. A symbol is something --- such as an object, Picture, written word a sound a piece . . Symbolism is important because it plays a part in impelling the terrorist to act and then in defining the targets of their actions. Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion "^[26] Displaying a gang sign, such as the noose, as a symbolic act can be construed as ". . . a threat to commit violence communicated with the intent to terrorize another, to cause evacuation of a building, or to cause serious public inconvenience, in reckless disregard of the risk of causing such terror or inconvenience. Violence is the exertion of force so as to injure or abuse The word is used broadly to describe the destructive action of natural phenomena like Storms and Earthquakes Intent in Law is the planning and desire to perform an act, to fail to do so (i . . an offense against property or involving danger to another person that may include but is not limited to recklessly endangering another person, harassment, stalking, ethnic intimidation, and criminal mischief. Property is any physical or virtual entity that is owned by an individual The term person is used in Common sense to mean an individual Human being. Harassment refers to a wide spectrum of offensive behaviour The term commonly refers to behaviour intended to disturb or upset and when the term is used in a legal sense it refers ---- Stalking is the obsessive following observing or contacting of another person or the obsessive attempt to engage in any of these activities Intimidation (also called cowing) is intentional behavior "which would cause a person of ordinary sensibilities" fear of Injury or Harm. Mischief, in Criminal law, is an offense against Property that does not involve conversion. "^[27]

See also

• Bloods
• Crime in Brazil
• Crime in Mexico
• Drug cartels
• French suburbs
• Gangs in the United States
• Chicago Outfit
• Gangbanger
• Gangs in Canada
• Gangs in England
• Gangs in New Zealand
• Gang signal
• Gangster
• Government
• Group (sociology)
• Folk Nation
• Gang feud
• Hooliganism
• Marginalization
• Organized crime
• Street fighting
• Subculture
• Vigilante

References

Publications

• Frederick Thrasher, The Gang: A Study of 1,313 Gangs in Chicago, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1927
• Varrio Warfare: Violence in the Latino Community, Gabriel C. Morales, 1998

External links

• A bibliography on the sociological study of Gangs
• A 1923-26 map of Chicago gangs made by Fredric Thrasher
• A complete Resource Guide on gangs in Los Angeles, California
• Jeanne Weiler, The Sociology of Female Gangs
• Robert Snyder, Gangs: the Family in Turmoil
• Ben Leapman, London's criminal families replaced by ethnic gangs, The Telegraph, 22 April 2006
• Gang Photos - Pictures of different types of gangs and gang members
• Gang Profiles - Gang Prevention Services
• John Hancock, Combating Gang Activity in Prison, Gangs Across America