Second quarter project

For my second quarter project I decided to change what i originally planned on doing.  Instead i had the idea to focus on young people getting recruited into gangs.  For this project i plan on doing research on youth in gangs and try to find out how this effects our youth today.  I think that the topic of youth in gangs is something that has a huge role in gangs today and recruiting new people.  I will be using information found mostly on the internet.  

Quarter 2 Project

I am researching how gangs interact with each other by naturalistic observation. Recently, my group of friends decided to form two "groups" or "gangs". Although they are not real gangs, they still are effected in the same way. Their attitudes have changed and corruption among them is beginning to occur. I will be observing their actions in person as well as their behavior on social media sites - which includes them recruiting others into their gang. I will watch how their view on each other changes as more people enter the group. Because I know them personally, I know how they act with serious matters as well as in their natural environment when they are comfortable. This allows me to compare and contrast the differences.

11 Facts about Gangs

This week i found an interesting website called "11 facts about gangs".  This website is tells you 11 facts about gangs that i found to be very interesting and shocking.  This is a great website to get more information on random and broad facts about gangs.  It tells about how children are drawn into gang life and also about gang life throughout the US.  This website also has a link on the page for a petition to stop bullying which could be a form of gang violence.  I believe this website is great in letting people know that gangs are a problem throughout the US.

Gang fight video

This week i am posting a video that shows gangs.  In this video a gang fight starts in a taco bell.  This is a public place which shows that gang fights could start anywhere public or not.  It also shows that since this was in a public place that gang fights could endanger not only the people involved but also the people around the fight.  I think that this is a huge problem.  Knowing that a gang fight could break out anywhere is scary because you never know what could happen.

Street Gang Signs and Symbols

I found a website on street gang signs and symbols.  This website tells how symbols and signs are a big part in gang culture.  Signs and symbols represent a particular gang and is often used to tell them apart.  Some signs and symbols represent one individual group but others can represent an alliance of gangs that they sometimes call a nation.  Some signs or symbols can be as simple as a pyramid others can be something drawn or made up.  On this website you can see some examples of what some of these symbols look like.  I think that in some ways it is good that gangs have different symbols because since they represent themselves with these symbols they most likely will have them written or worn somewhere on their body.  This makes it more helpful to know who is part of a gang and to which one they are apart of.

How gang violence is tearing black America apart

I found this article on how gang violence is tearing black American apart and about how young people are getting into gangs.  This article explains how a young 17 year old girl got shot as an initiation for some guy to be in a gang.  Also how a 21 year old boy was shot to death at a hip hop concert, by someone trying to prove he was tough.  “Gang violence is an enormous and big problem in every major city,” says Brian Center, Executive Director of A Better LA.  This article says that the number one reason that young people are getting into gangs is need for power and recognition.  " Some of the early signs that kids have joined gangs are signs or symbols parents haven’t seen before, changes in behavior at home or in school, becoming more secretive and starting to wear specific colors", says Bruce Ferrell, president of the National Alliance of Gang Investigators Associations. 
I think that gang violence is a very increasing problem that needs to be addressed before getting worse.  I also think its important that more gangs are stopped so that less initiations happen and less deaths are caused.  Parents need to pay more attention to looking out for warning signs that their children are getting into gangs, because that could save a life.  

Violence with youth gangs

      "Gangs" describe as an organized group of criminal.  Lately there have been more and more young people getting caught up in gangs.  This recent article http://www.ehow.com/list_5955912_effects-youth-gangs-youth-violence.html  tells how violence is increasing in youth gangs.  Violence within gangs can be considered a way of life for the gang members. Violence can also be a way of getting into gangs and also earning more respect in them.  Drugs are a big part of gang violence.  Whether the gang member sells or uses drugs they can have a big effect on them.  If they use drugs that can start to have violent behavior.  Weapons are also a big way of creating violence with gangs, and can contribute to bigger crimes.  

      I feel that more programs in schools should be given focused on preventing gangs.  If more children are educated on the issue maybe less of them will join a gang.  I also think that they should make it harder to get weapons, and that parents just be more attentive to there child's life and know more about what there kid is getting into.