Gangs It Is Time to Put an End to Their Reign

Over the years gangs have increased their power and dominance over communities in Chicago, and this has become a huge problem to everybody. It is very difficult for people to live normal lives when there are gang members standing right outside their houses or on street corners. I grew up in a neighborhood where gangs were in control, and they still are, but it is time to put that to an end. Gangs control many different aspects of a teenager's life such as where one can walk, how they can look, and where they can go to school. Because of this gangs need to be stopped and there are many ways in which people can contribute and help find the solution to this problem. Although they have existed for many years, gangs can be stopped, and there are ways for this to happen.

Gangs have controlled Chicago neighborhoods through various ways. They decide who can and cannot come into their neighborhood. For example, if a person is walking on the sidewalk, and the gang members don't know that person, then they will confront that person and interrogate them until they find out where that person lives. If they find out that the person lives in a neighborhood where a rival gang dominates, then they will most likely beat up that person. They won't do this to just anybody, a person has to have certain characteristics. If a person is a male, between the ages of thirteen to thirty, and have a short haircut or a bald head, and dress like a normal young adult, then most likely they will be harassed by these gang members. This is what I have seen in my neighborhood, as the street gang known as the Latin Kings have done this many times.

I myself have been harassed many times for doing very normal things such as going to the park. Because I was in another neighborhood where the rivals to the Latin Kings dominate, they harassed me by threatening to beat me up, and shoot me because to them I look like a gang member. The only way that I was able to get out of that situation was by "dropping the crown" which means that I reversed the hand sign which the Latin Kings use to represent themselves. This meant that I disrespected the Latin Kings by doing that, and it showed the rivals, who are the Satan Disciples, that I wasn't a Latin King and therefore they believed me. This is what many children and teenagers go through because of street gangs. They make life very difficult for young people. This is also very common in high schools. Many male and female teenagers will not go to certain high schools that are dominated by these gangs because they fear being harassed or getting hurt. These gangs are so intimidating that they are preventing many teens the opportunity to get educated in the high school of their choice. These gangs that make life so difficult for many people are the Latin Kings, Two-Six, and the Satan Disciples. They are predominantly Hispanic gangs that are all over Chicago.

These gangs are very violent. Many times when a person gets beat up, its hardly ever done by one person, usually it is done by the whole gang which can be as many as fifteen individuals or more. These people will use anything from their fists to baseball bats, or guns to hurt somebody. Many times innocent people are killed or caught in a cross fire between gang members. There was also a situation in Chicago where a man was driving with his wife and three year old son, and a gang member shot this man because he thought that this innocent man was a rival gang member. Not only do they hurt others, but they also fight and hurt each other. In order for a person to become a gang member, they have to have a "violation." This means that they have to be beaten up by several gang members for as long as two minutes straight. It is a way that they can get initiated into the gang. If they can hurt each other that bad then imagine what they will do to those that are not part of their gang. Sometimes they will get violated for not showing up to one of their meetings. It is a way to show discipline to each other. Gangs are extremely violent and they will harm anyone in a community, this is why they must be stopped. Not only do these gangs intimidate people, but they are also drug lords. Whenever somebody is in search of drugs, they know where to go. These gang members usually stand on street corners, or they will be in the neighborhoods selling drugs to teenagers and adults. They don't always have the drugs in their possession, sometimes they will have their drugs hidden in a secret place that only they know about such as in a crack in a tree or between plants in a garden. These people are harming the youth, and they are doing this without any remorse. Drugs are a huge problem in society today, and a main reason