Final Summary/Reaction

After doing all my research over the past few months, I have finalized what I am doing. I'm sticking with all that I've said previously and am super excited to present it to everyone! I am really glad I actually stuck with the younger kids because I could relate to certain aspects of how they feel and why they would want to join a gang. I'm not saying that because I feel the same way I would go and join a gang, but I can see where they are trying to come from. Gangs make themselves look so much better than they actually are, and kids go there to feel like they belong somewhere. I had strong reactions to my research, mainly feeling sorry for the kids who so desperately just want to fit in and find a place where they belong. If I weren't to focus on the kids part, I think I would definitely go into Chicago and their gangs. Chicago has had such a high record of violence because they have the most gangs anywhere in the US, and it would have definitely been interesting to go into that as well. Overall, I am really happy with the direction I went in with my topic of gangs, and am excited to share all this information I have found with everyone!

Revised Summary/Plan/Udate

I am sticking with the research and plan I have since the beginning. I'm going to use the Archival Research method as I said I would, and I'm still focusing on the things that make young people, under the age 18, want to join a gang, such as power, a sense of belonging/identity, etc. I'm also going to look at their backgrounds and environments they grew up in because I think that has a lot to do with them joining a gang. For example, if a kid grew up in a poor, bad neighborhood and have been around gangs, they most likely will be influenced to join one because they've grown in up that type of area and have been in presence with gangs.

The statistics are really helpful, and will definitely help me with my research. They really help me look further into my research and benefit it as well. I have finally found a YouTube video that I will be using, actually two of them. One of them is about real teenagers who talk about someone they know who has been or is in a gang, and why they joined gangs in the first place. Then, I have a YouTube video that is global. It's about gang members from London who talk about all the things they do, and how they feel about the things they have committed. This gives us a really good insight on how gangs function and what they actually do.

Research Update

The research so far has been going pretty well! I have found numerous sites on more statistics, and have been looking up articles on why people join gangs. All of the sites I have been on so far have been extremely helpful and intend to use most of them for my research project. Most of the articles are pretty repetitive on why people join gangs, although some do bring up something different from the articles. Most likely, I will probably take those different things from the various articles and make a list.

I have looked on YouTube and have found some videos for the reason why kids join gangs. Not a lot of them have jumped out at me, so I'm going to keep searching. Once I find the one I want to use, my research project will be in pretty good shape. I'm extremely excited to get my project started.

My Strategy/Plan for Gang Research

As I said in my previous post, I still plan on using the Archival Research method for my research on gangs. I will be focusing mainly on what reels young people into joining gangs. I'm going to focus on kids under the age 18, and their environments in which they grew up in, and see how that affects and plays into their decision into joining a gang.

I will be looking at statistics on all different aspects. I will use statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and others sources such as Court Service Unit of Virginia and the University of Nebraska studies. The statistics I will be using from the FBI are: gangs demographics, total number of gangs from the year 2000 to now, percentage of gangs who are under 18, and how many gang members are in poverty or come from a low income family. 

As well as statistics from various sources, I will be including a video from YouTube. I will try to find a video on a teenager being interviewed on why he or she joined a gang in the first place.

I picked this area on the topic of gangs because I find it really intriguing. I am extremely curious on why kids under 18 join gangs. I want to explore their surroundings and environment, and get some insight on why they felt they needed to join a gang.

Research Method

The research method I chose for my topic, gangs, is Archival Research. I really want to go more into why people join gangs. I want to go more into the environment they grew up in, the influences that persuaded them into going, and psychological reasons. This research method is broader, and I want to get as much insight as I can. I want to fully understand why people join gangs.

Motorcycle Members Arrested on Weapons Trafficking Charge

A Brooklyn Motorcycle gang group, the Forbidden Ones, had a secret clubhouse in Brooklyn, where they held secret meetings. During these secret meetings, members of this outlawed motorcycle gang secured themselves with assault rifles, pistols, and grenades just to make sure they were protected from intruders. Their first line of defense though was a cannon, ready to fire, aimed at the door in case anyone dared to come in and interrupt them.

What these members didn't know is that one of them had turned them in and was working with the New York Police Department. The gang member who turned them in told the police all about their defensive line and weapons ready to go off if anyone came in during their special meetings.

On Tuesday, law enforcement officials arrested seven members of the Forbidden Ones and two others from other Brooklyn motorcycle gangs, the Dirty Ones and the Troublemakers. The police charged them with trafficking high-caliber weapons.

Some of the weapons discovered in 15 other locations were an AK-47 assault rifles, homemade bombs and a .410-caliber revolver. Some of these guns were kept at one of the gang member's house, where his wife ran a day care center!

The men arrested had different nicknames such as "Spider" and "Afro." Some of the gang members wore patches to show off their accomplishments. One had a "1% patch" which declared they rejected society and lived outside the law. Another had a "bangout patch" which shows two handguns crossing each other signifying the member had assaulted or had another confrontation with the police. The gang members arrested face up to 5 years of conviction.

I think this whole thing is really crazy. The amount of weapons they had was crazy, and I think it was completely ridiculous that they had a cannon ready to fire if someone opened the door! Another thing that made me really upset is that some of these weapons they bought were being held in one of the gang members house, and his wife runs a day care center! I can't even begin to explain how idiotic this is. They obviously didn't even think this out because if something went off while the kids were at his house there could have been some major damage done to both their criminal record and the kids. I'm glad their locked up, and hopefully it puts them in their place.

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Chicago & Guns

Chicago has hit a milestone last week, with the famous city recording it's 400th murder for the year. Homicides have raised up to 25% over the last year. Chicago has now surpassed both New York and Los Angeles for gun-related violence, most of this violence involving youth. Since 2001, Chicago has recorded more than 5,000 gun-related deaths; compare this to the 2,000 American military deaths in the war in Afghanistan.. This is a really scary fact.

So how are all of these people, especially the younger ones, obtaining these guns? A lot of them, 40%, of them are getting it through the secondary market- gun brokers, gangs, and other informal traders.A lot of men who own guns, especially in the inner city, shows a sign of honor and makes them seem more masculine.

Chicago has made many efforts to try and have people turn in guns. One way was when the police finally started targeting the secondary market, they started to let the public turn in guns to them with no questions asked. For example, in June, they had an annual gun "buyback" program where 5,500 guns were turned in (most of them replicas and BB guns). For every real gun turned in, a $100 gift card was given to the person. Although, there wasn't a significant drop in crimes rates, it was a way for the police to show they are trying to protect their city and handle taking the guns in a nicer manner.

Another problem though is that 40% of all criminals are getting guns in Chicago, and all over, from friends or family members. This is a serious problem. I think we should start getting people more aware of this. Sure, we can't take guns from the family members or friends; but we should try to advocate this message by telling people to not give their guns to others, no matter how close they are to them. They should spread the word like they do with texting and driving, or driving drunk- they should help get the message out by convincing friends and family members to not give away their armed guns. This would make people more aware of the situation.

Reading this article really opened my eyes. I mean, 5,000 gun-related deaths just in Chicago alone compared to the 2,000 American military deaths in the war?! That's absolutely crazy! And family members and friends are giving other people their guns, like why?! This article brought a lot to my attention, and I'm really glad I came across it and read it. I think you guys should really read it- it's very informative! All in all, let's just say I will never live in Chicago, ever.

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