When most people think of gangs they associate them with only being violet with guns, murder and sexual activity. For example, usually when people see a group of people, primarily african american men/boys, they call it a gang despite the actions taken place at the moment. For decades the word gang has revolved around being a bad thing and that they are not good for society.

What are gangs and Why do People Join them?

The dictionary definition of a gang is a “group of criminals”, but they are much more than that. Not all gangs live by “Sex, Money, Murder”. They usually have morals and codes and reasons why they do the things they do. I will be talking about gangs primarily in the United States. A lot of people in prisons and schools join gangs for a lot of different reasons. Prisoners join these gangs is for protection from other prisoners and sometimes even the prison guards. One gang that is prominent in most prisons is the Ku Klux Klan. Gangs like this usually have the members share tattoos symbolizing their gang. Whether it's trouble at home or for protection for themselves or others.

2 Most Notorious Gangs In America

Bloods: The bloods or Reds are a primarily African-American gang founded in East LA. The gang was formed initially to compete against the influence of the Crips in Los Angeles. The rivalry started in the 60's when Raymond Washington and other Crips attacked Sylvester Scott and Benson Owens, two students at Centennial High School in Compton, California. The word "Blood" is actually an acronym that stands for "Brothers Leading Others Outta Darkness." This was used to recruit people that were struggling and bring each other together.

Crips: The Crips or Blues are very similar to the Bloods, even though they believe in different things. They were founded in Southside LA by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams. Most members at the time were all around 17 years old. Now, the Crips consist of between approximately 30,000 and 35,000 members and 800 sets, active in 221 cities and 41 U.S. states. The states with the highest estimated number of "Crips sets" are California, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. The acronym "Crips" stands for "Community Revolution In Progress." The was usually used when revolting against police brutality and racism.

Hells Angels

Hells Angels are the motorcycle gang in LA whose members primarily ride Harely-Davidson motorbikes. This gang is know more for the good they do than the bad. They are sometimes even referred to as the "Biker Heros." The picture below shows annual toy drive that they organize for the less fortunate children in LA.

Gang Affiliated Celebrities

I think most people that use the word “gang” categorize a group of kids without knowing any background information are mostly the privileged ones who don't know much about struggle. Lots of people are very unaware of other people's situations and are quick to label people without know why they do the things they do.

Works cited

https://news.sky.com/story/el-salvador-authorises-lethal-force-in-gang-crime-crackdown-after-dozens-of-murders-11979293

https://www.quora.com/Why-do-many-people-assume-all-street-gangs-are-bad-Is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-good-gang-in-real-life

http://www.stuff.co.nz/video-pointer/10630573/Gang-feeds-hungry-school-kids

https://www.google.co.id/imghp?hl=en&tab=ri&ogbl