Gang Violence is a distraction to the church

Gang violence is a huge disraction to the church. We all know that all human beings are made in the image and likeness of God and we are made to spread his message. Gang violence comes with a lot of negativity. There is no positive when it comes to gang violence. This takes away from the church because people are going against the commandments when they decide to kill and take lives away in fights against other gangs or as there initiation to get in the gang. Another way it takes away from the church is because instead of living a good life helping people the main focus is money, power, respect and they will do anything to get that. They commit adultry which is a heavy sin going agaisnt god completely. They do that when females are sexed into gangs. Theft is also another way that gang violence goes against the church. Sometimes members steal from others as a way to join a gang or they just do it for the fun of it because thy feel as if they have all the power and they are untouchable. Police are God like figures in a way they try to seek all the bad in the world and turn it into good. Gangs have no respect for God and therefore they hate the police. One of the gangs initiation or part of their ceremony is too burn the bible which is absolutely ridiculous and goes against the church by all means.

Gang Initiation

In order to join a gang, all potential members are required to go through an initiation ceremony to show that the gang's members have what it takes. Some gangs have initiation ceremonies others dont. some gangs require potential members go through initiation ceremonies while others require only certain people to go through them while letting others join the gang without ceremony.






Some people may try to avoid gang initiation by getting blessed in. The people that are blessed into gangs have older brothers, fathers, mothers, or other relatives that are in a gang or use to be part of a gang.

There are many things that you might have to do for initiation such as:

• Killing a police officer
• Blood In Blood Out
• Being jumped in or beat in
• Sexed in ( for females )
• Committing a theft
• Drive By Shooting
• Russian Roulette
• And More

On the Front Line: Gangs, Guns & Violence

Why Do People Join Gangs?

There are many possible reasons for someone to join a gang, but four primary reasons seem to describe most gang members:

1. Poverty
   Many gangs exist mainly as a moneymaking enterprise. By committing thefts and dealing drugs, gang members can make relatively large amounts of money. People who are faced with a lack of money may turn to crime if they can't earn enough with a legitimate job. This partly explains why gangs exist in poor, rundown areas of cities. However, not everyone who is poor joins a gang, and not every gang member is poor.

2. Peer pressure
   Gang members tend to be young. This is partly because gangs intentionally recruit teenagers, but it's also because young people are very susceptible to peer pressure. If they live in a gang-dominated area, or go to a school with a strong gang presence, they might find that many of their friends are joining gangs. It can be difficult for a teen to understand the harm that joining a gang can bring if he's worried about losing all of his friends. Many teenagers do resist the temptation of gang membership, but for others it is easier to follow the crowd. Peer pressure is a driving force behind gang membership in affluent areas.

3. Boredom
   With nothing else to occupy their time, youths sometimes turn to mischief to entertain themselves. If gangs are already present in the neighborhood, that can provide an outlet. Alternatively, teenagers might form their own gangs. This is why many communities have tried to combat gangs by simply giving kids something to do. Dances, sports tournaments and other youth outreach programs can literally keep kids off the streets. Unfortunately, many youths and even gang experts use boredom as an excuse. Authors of articles about gang violence often write something like, "There's nothing else to do where they live." Indeed, youth sports programs, swimming pools or even libraries are often in short supply or poor repair in tough urban areas. But for every teenager who gets bored and joins a gang, there are 10 who find positive, productive ways to spend their time.

4. Despair
   If poverty is a condition, despair is a state of mind. People who have always lived in poverty with parents who lived in poverty often see no chance of ever getting a decent job, leaving their poor neighborhood or getting an education. They are surrounded by drugs and gangs, and their parents may be addicts or non-responsive. A neighborhood gang can seem like the only real family they'll ever have. Joining a gang gives them a sense of belonging and being a part of something important that they can't get otherwise. In some cases, parents approve of their children joining gangs, and may have been a member of the same gang in the past.

Drug use is an underlying factor in all of these reasons. Not only does the sale of illegal drugs drive the profits of street gangs, they also create many of the conditions that lead to gang membership.

I personally know a scarce amount of individuals whom associate themselves with gangs such as the bloods, crips, goonies & latin kings. in my opinion i think people join gangs simply because at some point in their lives they either felt greatly neglected, or just didn't have anyone to look after them. Therefore they resort to gangs because of the fact that they can make promises that nobody else really could. Giving them shelter, clothing & rations is apart of older gang members plot to gain the trust of their young apprentices. However at a certain point their forced to do the bidding of their older members which usually triggers (no pun intended) their realization that gangs aren't exactly everything their chalked up to be. They feed on the hopes & dreams of young men too blind to see what the world truly has to offer them outside of project buildings & desert eagles.

Background & Statistics of Gang Violence

Gangs have been in existence every since the rise of humanity. Humans have always banded together for mutual protection and support - and to better dominate others. Gangs have always provided a way for people to more effectively get what they want, especially if it comes to force. And weaker members of society gravitate toward gangs that they feel can offer a sense of community and protection from others. The word “thug”, though, comes from India. In about 1200 CE, the word was used to describe a group of criminals that pillaged country towns. The thugs had their own slang, rituals and signs to help identify other members and create their own tight-knit society. Gangs today have similar practices of creating their own sub-language, symbols, handshakes and other identifiers.

Street gangs in the U.S. arose with Italian immigrants related to the Sicilian Mafia and others. These street gangs in New York City stole and killed to get what they wanted. One of the most famous street gang members was Al Capone, who later moved to Chicago in 1919 to help keep the other gangsters in order. Street gangs of this type were quite popular in the 1920s and 1930s.

Later, other immigrants and poor youth followed the trend set by this earlier generation. Hispanics, Asians and African Americans began banding together to form gangs in the 1950s and 1960s. By the 1970s and 1980s, there were national gang alliances, with gangs moving out of Los Angeles and New York City, and spreading across the country, with affiliates in many towns, as well as drug routes to finance gang activities. Gang violence between opposing bands, as well as senseless violence, flourished.

Gang activity has decreased in the 2000s, but there are still concerns, and there are still gangs that are formed so that some can take what they want, acquire power and dominate, and others can feel as though they belong and are protected.

Stats:

• 100% of cities with a population of more than 250,000 report gang activity.
• 11% of rural counties report gang activity.
• 35% of suburban counties report gang activity.
• More than half of the homicides reported in Los Angeles, and more than half of the homicides reported in Chicago, are elated to gang violence.
• More than 24,500 gangs are active in the U.S.
• 772,500 people are members of gangs in the U.S.
• 94% of gang members are male.
• Only 2% of gangs are predominantly female.
• Only 37% of gang members are under the age of 18 right now.
• Gang member ethnicity breaks down this way: 47% Hispanic, 31% African American, 13% white, 7% Asian.
• Gun violence costs more than $100 billion a year.