英语小论文Gangs in America.docx

英语小论文Gangs in America.docx

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英语小论文GangsinAmerica

GangsinAmerica

Qujin

Abstract:

ThispaperconcernsthegangsinAmerica,whichintendstoanalyzethehistory,culture,classification,andharmfulnessofthegangsthathasbeencausingalotofproblemsintheUnitedStates,inordertoexposeadarkaspectofAmericansocietyandshowthatthegangsappearedwhenthenationwasfoundedanditisveryhardfortheUnitedStates’governmenttoputanendtothegangs.

KeyWords:

Gang,Origin,Immigrants,Development,Crime,LargeCities,andUnavoidable

1Introduction

ThispapershowstheAmericangangissueintheaspectsoftheoriginofthegangsincludingthecauseoftheearlygangsandsomeinformationaboutthefirstgangs,thedevelopmentofthegangsconsistingofthecharacteristicsofthegangs,thetypesofthegangs,andthreemajorgangscities.TherearesomeinformationandclassificationoftheChinesegangs,andothersimilarnotoriousorganizationsintheUS.Andthispaperiswrittentomakeaconclusionaboutthefutureofthegangsaccordingtowhatwehaveshowedandcollected.

2Origins

2.1Immigration

TherehavebeenalargenumberofimmigrantsintheUnitedStatesknownas“meltingpot”.Amongtheimmigrants,inorderofpriority,theIrish,Italian,African,Mexican,andChinesehavetheirowngangsinAmerica,whichhavetakenupalargeproportionofallthegangs.

2.2Problem

AftermanyEuropeansmigratedtotheEastcoastofAmericaforabetterlife,thesavingsofthemwasquicklydepletedandmanywereforcedtotakeoutloanswithlocalmerchantsandcolonizationcompanies,whochargedsteepinterestrates.Lifeforthemigrantswasmoredifficultthantheyimagined.Manyofthemdiedduetopovertyanddisease.Andtherewerealsomanywhodiedorphaningtheirchildren.ItbecameacommonprobleminmanycitiesthatthereisnomoneytosendthechildrenbacktotheirhomelandandnotanyrelativetocarefortheminAmerica.

Atthesametime,someimmigrantsformedsomecertainkindofclubsasameansofself-protection.Thenlotsofimmigrantsandtheorphanedchildrengotinvolvedintheclubs.Andtheclubsbeganbiggerandbigger.

2.2TheEarlyGangs

Inthelate1800s,someofthebigclubsformedtheearlygangsintheUS.IrishgangsliketheWhyos,DeadRabbits,andPlugUgliesterrorizedstreetsofNewYorkCity.ThemostnotoriousgangduringthiseraformedinNewYorkduringthelate1890sandearly1900s.ThisgangwascalledFivePointsGang,becauseitshometurfwassituatedintheFivePointssectionoflowerManhattan,changedthemoldoftheAmericanoutlaw.

3Developments

3.1Characteristics

OneoftheearliestandmostfrequentlydefinitionofagangismadebyThrasher（1927）.Thrasherdefinedagangasagroupthatformsspontaneouslyandwithoutanyspecialattachmenttoexistingpartsofsociety.

Gangstendtohavemanycommoncharacteristics.Residenceisacommoncomponent.Mostgangswillbeformedincities.AnothercommonCharacteristicingangsistheageoftheirmembers.Gangsaremostlycomprisedofteenagersoryoungadultsintheirearlytwenties.Gendercanalsobeconsideredamongthecommoncharacteristics.Gangstendtobemaledominated.Millen’s（1975）nationalstudyfoundthatover90%ofgangmembersweremale.Atlast,gangsveryoftenreflecttheirethniccomposition.TherearegangsthatareformedbasedontheirethnicitysuchastheLatinKingsandtheChinesegangs.

3.2TypesofGangs

Itshouldbenotedthatthereareinfactdifferenttypeofgangs.Notallgangsarethesame.Andforthisreason,theirbusinessesarefordifferentpurposes.

OnekindofclassificationisthattherearethreetypesdescribedbyTaylorasfollow.

（1）Scavenger:

Socialandviolentgangs

（2）Territorial:

Organizedarounddefendingaparticularterritory

（3）Corporate:

Similartocriminalgangs

Fagantookitonestepfurtheranddescribedfourtypesasfollow.

（1）Characterizedbylowratesofillegalbehavioranddruguse

（2）Characterizedbylowratesofillegalbehaviorotherthanvandalism,druguse,anddrugsales,alsoiscalled“seriousdelinquent”gangs

（3）Involvedinmostformsofillegalbehavior,butonlymoderatelyinvolvedinharddruguseanddrugsales,alsoiscalled“partygangs”

（4）Heavilyinvolvedinallformsofillegalbehavior,includingharddruguseanddrugsales,andishighlycohesiveandorganized

Thedifferenttypesofgangsrangefromthesocialtothecriminal,andhavedifferentagendas.

3.3ThreeMajorCities

3.3.1BriefView

Gangsareusuallyfoundinlargecities.Theyhavebeenflourishedaswellasthelargecities.NewYork,ChicagoandLosAngelesaremosttypicalamongallthecities.Thenumberofgangsinthethreecitieshasbeenalwaysrankedonthetop.Forexample,in1900s,therewereapproximately2,000gangsinthewholecountrywhiletherewereabout1,500gangsinthethreecities.Thatistosay,thenumberofgangsinthethreecitiestookupabout75%ofthecountry.

3.3.2NewYork

Astheplaceoforigin,NewYorkhasanimportantpositioninAmericanganghistory.BesidestheFivePointGang,therewasanotherbiggangatthesametime.ThatistheFortyThievesGangoperatedasprofessionalmurderers,smugglers,burglarsandpickpockets.In1825,theFortyThievesGangandmanyotheryouthgangscausedNewYorkCityofficialstoannouncetheircityhadagangproblem.

Bythe1850s,gangssuchasthePlugUgliesGang,theDeadRabbitsandtheChichestersGangwereformedwhichwereestablishedbytheIrishandItalian.Atthesametime,thegangproblemwasvirtuallydescribedasanIrishandItalianproblem.ThenthegangsinNewYorkspreadandinfluencedothercitieslikeChicago.

Since1900s,becausetheIrishandItalianhavenotconsideredsecond-classcitizensandthegovernmenthastakensomestrongactions,thegangprobleminNewYorkseemslessserious.ButtherearestillsomeAfrican,ChineseandMexicangangcrimesheardinNewYork.

3.3.3Chicago

ChicagoisconsideredasthelargestgangcitiesinAmerica.Gangshavebeenclassicallyviewedasaby-productofsocialdisorganization,theweaknessoftraditionalinstitution,liketheschool,toreplacethelostprimarynetworksofthetraditionalworld.

RaceprofoundlyshapedthehistoryandcontoursofChicago’sgangs.Whileotherethnicgroupswereontheladderofassimilation,AfricanAmericanswerecrowdedintothesouthside“BlackBelt”.AsWWΙbroughtmoreandmoreAfricanAmericanintoChicagotofindwork,tensionsrose.In1919araceriotbrokeoutspearheadedbyIrishgangs.Inthefollowingyears,AfricanAmericanswouldstaysegregated,whileEuropeansdidnot.ViolencemetattemptsbyBlackfamiliestomoveoutofapartheidconditionsintoWhiteareas.Mexicanimmigrantsalsocameatthistime.

Inthe1920s,ItaliansreplacedtheIrishontopoftherackets.TheIrishranthelegalpoliticsandtheItaliansrantheillegalone.Theyworkedtogetherjustfine.In1950s,thespacesofthecitybegantobemoresharplycontested,asthenumberofAfricanAmericanhadgrownsolarge.Atthesametime,mostWhitegangsfadedaway.AnditcanbeseenbothaninvolvementofBlackandLatingangsintheundergroundeconomynowadays.

Chicagoisagangcity.FromtheEuropeanimmigrantgangstoAfricanAmericanandMexicangangs,theChicago’sgangshaveinstitutionalized.

3.3.4LosAngeles

ComparedwithNewYorkandChicago,LosAngelesisayounggangcitybutitisthenewwarmbedforgangstogrow.AndithasbecomingmoreandmoreimportantinthedevelopmentoftheAmericangangs.ItshistoryofgangsbeganaftertheWestwardMovementduring1920s-1930s.Atthattime,AfricanAmericanandMexicanstreetgangsbegantobeformedandbecamemajorgangsinLosAngeles.BecausetherewerenoIrishandItaliangangs’influencesinthenewcity,thecityhasbecomethebaseforBlackandMexicangangs.

TherearetwobiggestgangsinLosAngeles.OnewastheCripfoundedinEastLosAngelesduring1960sand1970s.AnotheristhePirusfirstinvolvedinL.A.during1970sasaBlackstreetgangsthatformedforself-protectionfromtheCripsgangs,whichpredominatedthisareas.ThePiruswerelaterknownastheBloodgangs,becausetheyclaimedthecolorred.BloodgangsbegantospreadacrosstheUSduringthe1980s,andwerefrequentlyportrayedinmusic,moviesandothermediaformats.

ThereisatendencythatthegangcentersbegintomovefromeastcoasttowestcoastoftheUSwiththedevelopmentofwestcoast.

Bythemid1990stherewereanestimated650,000gangmembersintheUnitedStates（U.S.DepartmentofJustice1997）,including150,000inLosAngelesCounty. Inaddition,in1996therewereover600HispanicgangsinLosAngelesCountyalongwithagrowingAsiangangforceofabout20,000. Withgangmembershipincreasing,gang-relatedhomicidesinLosAngelesCountyreachedepidemicproportionsforblackandHispanicmalesthatrepresented93percentofallgang-relatedhomicidevictimsfrom1979to1994（Hutson,etal.1995）. From1985to1992,gang-relatedhomicideshadincreasedineachoftheeightconsecutiveyears. 

4.ChineseGangs

4.1Formation

Forself-protection,ChinesegangsbegantoforminvariousAmericanurbancentersinthemid1960s.Theyrapidlyexpandedinthe1970s.Itseemsthesegangsweremorelikemartialartsclubs.WhenoneconsidersthegangproblemthatexistsintheUS,veryoftentheChinesegangsreceivelittleattention.Itwasnotuntilseriousgangshoot-outseruptedinChinesecommunities,weretheygivenmuchattention.

Sincethemid-1980s,AsiangangshavebecomeamajorforceintheillicitdrugtradeintheUS.Asiangangs,primarilyofChineseorigin,operateonbothcoastsassignificantplayersininternat