Essay/Term paper: Gang violence and substance abuse

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Domestic Abuse

Gangs in the United States are becoming more violent and deadly than
ever. Thousand of people are dying each year from these ill-mannered
thugs. In today's societies gang activity is an everyday occurrence
whether it includes violence, drugs, death or any illegal activity in
which they participate. The research that I have conducted will focus on
how the selling of drugs by gangs members can lead to violence/death and
how turf wars between rival gang can also lead to death.
In recent years the selling of drugs has increased in the world of gang
members. It is their primary economical way to acquire money to support
themselves and their family. In doing so, they are destroying people's
lives. Gang members will stop at nothing to sell their drugs for a
profit, even if it means that they have to hurt or kill someone. They
will sell drugs to anyone as long as they make their money.
A gang member must have street knowledge and have the skill to protect
themselves as well as their profit. This kind of activity is extremely
dangerous to others, innocent



bystanders and even the gang member themselves. There are many ways that
this activity is dangerous.
Gang members may front (give the customer some drugs in which they have
a certain time to repay the cost of the drugs back) the drug to a
customer whom they believe to be a loyal customer. This can be very
deadly if the customer
does not pay the gang member back. If the front is not repaid the gang
member or the whole gang will come looking for the person who owes
money. The gang members will hunt down and hurt or even go as far as
kill the person the first chance they get if the person is found. If
they can't find the person they will go the extra mile and threaten to
kill someone in the person family. They want to make it known that a
payment is due and soon.
If a gang or a member is jacked (drugs stolen, usually at gunpoint)from
another person, gang or junkie, it too is an automatic death sentence.
Gangs are always strapped (armed) and ready for anything that might go
wrong. Their number one priority is to preserve the drugs well being and
to alleviate their quantity of drug to make a profit. If a person
interferes with this process they are interfering



with their business. That means they have to suffer the consequences
that will follow from it.
While a gang is in the process of selling drugs they must be aware of
who they are selling it to. Gang member must have the expertise in
spotting an undercover cops or penitential crack head(junkie who will do
anything to get their fix). Most gangs do not like cops or as they would
call them pigs. If a cop is trying to break the gangs procedures in the
drug trade the police officer is a marked target (bulls eye for a
bullet). Junkies often try to pull a fast one to score(get the drug).
These people are desperate and will do any thing to get their fix. They
will rob and steal from a gang member. They know the consequence but
they still keep on trying. Their mind is so clouded from all the drug
abuse that they don't care whether they live or die trying to get the
drug. Junkies are like pest to a gang member. They are always bothering
them for a score. Gang member hate that and as a result they will knock
them off (kill them). It draws to much attention and when you draw
attention people are sure to come running over to see what going on,
especially cops.




In addition to gangs and how the selling of drug leads to death, gangs
as well as others die because of turf violation. Gangs have a specific
turf they hang out in. The turfs consist of streets, blocks and
hangouts. These turfs are well guarded and looked after and forbid
outsiders to enter unless they are a potential buyer for drugs. If any
member of a rival gang shall enter it is a ground for termination
(death). The turf is the gang's territory.
Gangs use the turfs for drug trafficking. That is one of the main
reasons why they do not like rival gang to enter. If the rival gangs
were to take over their turf they would eventually lose all of their
drug customers and that means no income. These turfs are vital for a
gang's survival.
If a gang or anyone else violate the norms of a gang's turf there is a
hefty price to pay. Violence will erupt and all hell will break loose.
There have been rival gangs that have violated the turf codes of another
gang and as a result there was gang warfare. Gangs will do any thing
possible to keep their turf clear from other whom do not belong there.
They will beat you to death, stab you and



even shoot and try to kill them. If they can not kill them while they
were violating their territory they will pass through their hood (turf
zone) and retaliate against them. Usually they retaliate by a drive by
shooting. A drive by shooting is when gang members stroll through
another gang's neighborhood turf and shoot a gun from the car in which
they are riding in to kill the rival gang or at least wound them. When
they are doing this it is suppose to represent a clear statement: Stay
away from and out of our turf zones.
From reading and researching this subject I found it interesting how
gangs interact and how violence is an every day occurrence in a gang
members life. While I was researching the material I had to stop a
couple of time and just think of how gang member could live the way they
do. With all the shooting, stabbing and people dying how can a gang
member sleep at night knowing that they could be next. To live in this
kind of environment must be terrifying.
I have learned that drugs play a very big role in a gang's survival. The
drugs bring in an income that gets them by. I notice that a lot of gang
members have nice things like nice clothes, jewelry, sneakers and nice
cars but they live in a poor neighborhood with run down housing


and have no means of moving on to a better and much cleaner one. I
wonder why that is?
I believe that gangs affect human development. People are affected by
their irresponsible actions. The ordinary people who want to live life
to the fullest have a hard time doing so because gangs interrupt that
cycle by their attitude and by their violent actions. People are scared
of them and don't want to come into contact because they fear for their
lives. They won't even pass through their neighborhood because they
don't want any trouble.
Businesses suffer because of gangs. They lose business and customers and
as a result the business may have to close down. The neighborhood the
gangs live in are worth nothing on the markets because they are all run
down and in a neighborhood that is considered a bad section of town.
There is no prosperity in selling the neighborhood because there is no
one interested in buying it. The reason is because the fact that it is
gang territory and that it is run down. Gangs affect many people and
their lives and will continue to do so because I believe that they will
always exist and they will never come to an end because people are
sucked into this lifestyle every day.