Youth Gangs a Growing Problem in The Bronx
By:Aaron Cruz
The increasing influence that gangs have on teenagers is a major problem in New York City today. Many teenagers are either inspired to be in gangs or finding themselves harmed by gang violence, according to police officials. There are many prevention programs for this situation, such as the Department of Education's project "Gang Prevention and Intervention." This unit vows to create a safer environment at schools by preventing and terminating any gang violence on campus.
"There are definitely more teenage thugs and gang members now than I've ever seen in my whole life," said Rafael Villegas, a police officer at the 49th Precinct. "I've been a cop for a while, and since becoming one, I've seen gang violence on a daily basis. It kills me to see all these young kids in it too because they are destroying their lives when it barely just started. Four out of 10 kids we have arrested as a precinct are in gangs. I think it's messed up," Villegas said. "There needs to be more programs and activities to get kids involved and off the streets."
One such example is Christopher G., a 16-year-old Young Bosses gang member. Young Bosses is a newly emerging youth gang, which originated in New York City and has spread mainly to cities on the east coast. He has been in it for about a month and joined through a juvenile program, jail and hanging out with the wrong crowd of friends. He was arrested in April, shortly before his initiation, for a robbery charge, which he was arrested for three days. He was arrested again for an assault charge and had to serve two weeks in a Brooklyn juvenile facility. There is also poverty in his household, which might have influenced him to make many of the decisions he has made, such as hanging out in the streets more often.
"They treated me like family and watched my back when I was locked up. Gangs are just the new trend; a lot of kids see their friends doing it and they want to do it too," Christopher said, when asked why he joined a gang. "It's the cool thing now and it's more of a lifestyle than anything else. Sometimes I want this lifestyle and sometimes I don't."
He added, "I want it because it feels good inside to know I have a bunch of people out there who have my back. There's always someone out there who's bigger and better then you, so I feel like I need people to watch my back when I can't."
Christopher's parents went to court with him, visited him when he was imprisoned and did their best supporting him with the little bit of money they had. They were there for him as much as they possibly could have been; his parents never left his side. They also kept Christopher's head high through all his decisions. He had a normal childhood, loved sports, watching TV and playing video games.
"I don't know where he went wrong," said a close relative of his. Although he was never involved in any gang violence, Christopher still worries those close to him. "I've never physically hurt someone with gang violence, but I lost two of my closest friends to it," he admits. "I think that might have had a subliminal impact on me becoming a gang member. Sometimes I really think about getting rid of this lifestyle, but it's a lot easier to get in it than out of it."
Reflecting on his decisions, and thinking about the future, Christopher said, "When I look at life now, it is alright and at times I enjoy it and there are times I don't. But when I grow up I want to be a social worker, that's my future."
Renzo V. is another example of a teenage gang member. He is barely 15-years-old, but he is currently a Young Gunner, which is another youth gang. He was initiated in January, by getting "jumped in"—an initiation where gang members attack someone who they want to join the gang. He decided to join because he smoked with a lot of the members, and looked at them as more of brothers, rather than friends. He participated in gang violence, such as jumping an individual with his fellow members, but was never arrested. "Life's alright; I have some regrets but I just live it up day to day," Renzo said. "One of my biggest regrets is losing my best friend. He was killed by [Young Bosses] members."
"I keep my gang violence away from my family, because it would kill me to know I hurt my mother so much emotionally," he said. "My mom is a single parent and she supported me more then I can believe. But she was always there for me, and I just don't want to let her down."
He believes life is a valuable thing, which is why he has so many regrets. Throughout all of his pain, he still enjoys life and this lifestyle. "I was raised on the streets, might as well die on them. I don't really see a future in my life anyway," he said. "I don't want to go to college and I could already tell I'm not responsible enough for a job. Gangs are a serious thing and become a serious part of your life. I have a lot of friends in gangs, too. They join because rap music has a big impact on the streets and they see other people in it, and before they realize it, they can't get out of it without nearly facing death."
In the past, gangs were a serious problem on the West Coast and Midwest. Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings and many more other groups emerged as early as the 1940s. The Latin Kings formed in Chicago in the 1940s. They were mostly Mexican and Puerto Rican males. Stanley Williams and Raymond Washington created the Crips in 1969. Blue clothing identifies them. This crew formed by uniting local gang members, to battle other nearby gangs. The Bloods, which are the rivals of the Crips, originated in Los Angeles, California, in the 1970s. This group formed to compete against the Crips. Red clothing or certain hang signs can identify the Bloods. The Bloodline was a root of the Latin Kings established in the New York State Correctional System in 1986. During this period, the Latin Kings made up the most organized and "successful" gang in the New York City jail system. Two years later, the United Blood Nation, a smaller part of the Blood gang, was formed in 1993 in New York City's prison facility Rikers Island, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice, Delinquency Prevention, Florida Department of Corrections, National Gang Intelligence Center and National Gang Threat Assessment.
Gangs are tied to a lot to violence, according to law enforcement officials. In the 1980s especially, crimes and violence increased throughout America and gangs were more dangerous than ever. Certain gangs harm many other gang members, even new comers have to face violence from the gang before becoming a member of the gang. Drug trafficking also occurs within gangs. For example, in the 1980s, the Crips sold excessive amounts of phencyclidine, amphetamine and marijuana in Los Angeles which helped make it one of the largest street gangs in history. Guns, robberies and other unnecessary unlawful activities are also a big part of gangs, and they forever instilled that influence on future groups, according to the U.S Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Gang violence among teenagers is steadily increasing and is a major problem in New York City, according to Villegas. The Department of Education, the Queens District Attorney's Office and other after school programs are working daily to prevent and stop gangs within the youth population. "Even our program is trying to keep kids off the streets for such things as gang violence. It kills me inside to see all these young thugs in the streets," said Keith Jackson, a staff member at Kips Bay, a nonprofit after school program designed to keep young people off of the streets.
