In maintaining a blatant disregard for the law, the mob and ms-13 both managed to stir up a substantial amount of problems for the United States. They shared together the notion of coming to be in America because of rampant turmoil in their home countries that called for emigration. During their respective periods of reign, the two groups were responsible for countless acts of violence and illegal activity; albeit for completely different reasons. While the mafia was a participant in illegal conduct for financial motives; ms-13 was a participant for predominantly social reasons including protecting their home turf from rival gangs, bringing down rival gangs, or to acquire more territory. In these varying reasons for perpetrating continuous …show more content…
The italian immigrants that ended up making up the mob left Italy due to a negative way of living under the rule of Benito Mussolini, while the people that began ms-13 emigrated from Salvador as the result of a civil war. Once taking residence in America, the american mafia came to be as a result of the need for a mediating force between Italian immigrants and the government. When the Salvadoran immigrants took refuge in crime-ridden neighborhoods of Los Angeles, some of them banded together to create ms-13 in response to the gangs that were already stirring up trouble in the area. Many of the Salvadorans were war-hardened after their experiences back home and quickly asserted themselves as no gang to take lightly as they gained notoriety for how violent they were. The mob was having its share of success at the beginning of their …show more content…
The mob’s structure is composed of different families occupying power, while a person in one particular family is considered the overall leader. Every large city had its own mafia sanction, with each sanction controlling its own business operations. In general, the mob had a very strong hierarchal structure. Ms-13 differs from the mob in the sense that they have no official national leadership structure. Cliques in different cities would operate independently of each other and communicate with cliques in different cities, but not generally for the purpose of conducting business operations with one another. There aren't nearly as many fights for internal power in ms-13 as in the mafia though, because ms-13 doesn’t have the strong hierarchal structure that would have positions members would be enticed to fight
These members that follow the rules blindly are subjected to loyalty. The consequences are grim if a member doesn’t obey the rules. In the documentary the reporter interviewed former members of MS 13. There is no hope for a former MS 13 member. “There’s no way out” states a previous MS 13 member “but either by hospital, jail, or death.” They’re jails strictly filled with all MS 13 members. If you’re a refugee to MS 13 jail is your safe haven. Many men who leave the organization flee to jails to seek protection. Because if they were on the streets they would end up dead. If you leave MS 13 there’s a target on your back. Once you’re in MS 13 you’re committed for life. No exceptions. No excuses. If you want out of the gang that is a sign of being disloyal. If you leave not only are you in serious danger, but your family are now at risk as well. The ultimate penalty of disloyalty is to be killed. That’s why many men who leave the gang go to jail for protection. The only correct answer in MS 13 rule book is to live your whole life solely devoted to the gang. These types of rules foster fear of leaving and that’s why a lot of members continue the path they’re on so that they can protect there family. The leaders of MS 13 make up the rules and their followers are required to follow them because there is no other option. When it comes to a right and wrong decision the leaders make the final decision. There’s only one
The MS13 is a perfect example of a counterculture. They are a world within themselves. The gang is very organized and structured; there is hierarchy with the gang. There is a significant amount of money flow within the gang. A few ways the gang obtains money is by drug dealing, illegal weapons, vendors pay the gang to work in their territories and for their protection, and drug dealers also pay the gang to earn the right to sell drugs in their territories. There are laws and rules that a gang member must abide by. One very strict rule for a gang member is silence. If a gang member becomes informant and it is found out that they are, it will more than likely result in death for the informant. The breaking of laws and rules are punishable, even by death. They have a law system and law enforcement of their own. Check courting is a punishment served by the gang to gang members who break the laws of the gang. There are initiations one must endure to become a member of the gang. Jumping in is one of the initiations, a brutal thirteen second beating by multiple people at the same time. (World’s Most Dangerous Gang) There is a communication system within the gang. They use stacking to communicate, tattoos, graffiti, and an overall dialect that is unique to the gang. This counterculture exists internationally inside and outside of prison walls. Within the gang there are individual cliques, but when threatened they will come together and fight alongside one another. It is instilled in a gang member to kill to maintain territory and to acquire new territories. T...
As more and more immigrants began to spread throughout the US, more and more gangs of people began to emerge. Gangs were usually made up of people of a common ethnicity, whether it be Irish, Italian, or Hispanic. These gangs were usually victims of anti-immigrant policies and looked for strength in numbers. As gangs became more and more sophisticated they realized they could make profits from the power they were accumulating. One of the most recognizable examples is the bootlegging of alcohol during the Prohibition. When federal officials attempted to enforce legislation such as the Volstead Act, there was a surge of illegal sales and profits. In 1927, Al Capone and his gang racked up over $60 million from bootlegged alcohol. With all of this money came tons of violence, people were getting murdered in broad daylight just so others could have a sum of all of this wealth. Soon Mob families would own clubs or casinos to increase their wealth. The attendees weren’t only made up of rich mob bosses, the alcohol, dancing, and gambling attracted many ordinary
Organized crime is a collective result of the commitment, knowledge, and actions of three components: (1) Criminal groups, who are core persons tied by racial, linguistic, ethnic or other bonds; (2) Protectors, who are persons who protect the group’s interests; and (3) Specialist support, which are persons who knowingly render services on an side-job basis to enhance the group’s interests. In order to thrive, an organized crime group needs many different elements. First, it needs an ensured continuity of members, clients, supporters, funds, etc. Additionally, it needs structure, criminality, violence, memberships based on common grounds, and a willingness to corrupt a power and profit goal. Generally, mafia organized crime groups disguise themselves behind the ownership of a legitimate business to avoid questioning from the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) regarding any financial sources. The ille...
With organized crime came many changes in the lives of all Americans then until this very day, and continues to affect all of us. Mobsters started running very illegal monopolies for a living and hiring common people to do their dirty work. This led to some very serious gang-related violence. Due to all of this occurring at the same time, it changed the way in which police forces were run. Prohibition led to widespread organized crime in the 1920s and 1930s because it opened up an illegal monopoly for gangs, initiated gang related violence, and the change in the way police forces operated, forever changing America as a result.
Gangs have been around forever and there are two types of gangs which are, street gangs and prison gangs. They have the same structures that are divided as leadership and soldiers. The main difference between a street gang and prison gang is that a prison gangs are more disciplined than a street gang. Incarcerated members cannot escape their environment and therefore, are forced to comply with the facilities and gangs regulation. Gangs are always involved with criminal activity and it's difficult to control negative behavior and to lower recidivism rates for gang members.
During 1869-2014 the Sicilian mafia in America evolved in a number of ways such as: the change in rules, leaders, how it is run, the change in code and power over American society. These topics will be covered throughout this essay and will give you a detailed explanation furthermore the history of the evolution that took place. The Sicilian Mafia started in poor Sicilian ghettos in America and spread into the cities striking fear into the American society. With around 2,500 members it is seen as the most powerful and the most active Italian organized criminal group in the United States of America. The Sicilian mafia is more commonly known as La Cosa Nostra.
“An estimated 1,300 gangs had spread like a deadly virus by the mid-1920s” (“The FBI” par. 1). The changes of crime over time have greatly impacted America during the 1920s and today’s time. The mafia’s criminal activity has changed. Organized crime gave way to a different future for mobs. As mobsters changed their way of illegal tactics it also led to an increase of crimes. Organized crime impacted the 1920s and continues to impact the world today.
The American mob, also known as the American Mafia, is a criminal organization in America. They originated from the Sicilian Mafia who came to America during the late 19th century and early 20th century by Italian immigration. They are usually activity in the Northeastern U.S; specifically in New York. There are five crime families in New York – Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchee. The Bonanno crime family is the most vicious one.
Franco, C., (2007, May). The MS-13 and 18th street gangs:Emerging transnational gang threats, Retrieved from http://opencrs.com/document/RL34233/2007-11-02/download/1006/.
The Mafia is a secret criminal organization that has great economic and political control over large parts of Sicilian society and operates both criminal and legitimate enterprises in the United States. It is believed to have started during Sicily's late Middle Ages, beginning as separate bonds of strong-arm enforcers hired by local landowners. It eventually evolved into a network of independent groups governing in rural areas. With the Sicilian immigration of the late 19th century, the Mafia began to operate in several large United States cities. During the period of Prohibition it monopolized the trade in bootleg liquor and controlled loan sharking, gambling, and prostitution. Competing Mafia families established mutually recognized territories, reaching agreement by negotiation or by intimidation. By the mid-1930 the Mafia had taken on the institutionalized structure that is now typical of organized crime in the United States.
With some street gangs being relatively harmless, there are others such as Mara Salvatrucha that are becoming more fierce and territorial. The beginning of the MS-13 can be traced to Los Angles in the 1980s. * At first, Salvadoran families fled their country to escape the civil war, “that left more than 70,000 people dead and displaced a fifth of the population.” (Abadinsky, 188). “El Salvador is one of the poorest countries in Latin America with almost half of its population living in poverty.” (Abadinsky, 188). With the United States being known as the Land of Opportunity, the war and poverty combination was a good reason for Salvadorans to enter the U.S. and call it “home.”
The Gangster Disciples and the MS13 are two of the most notorious street gangs formed in the United States. These two groups are involved in a wide range of illegal criminal activities and have inflicted fear amongst many people. This paper will illustrate both the Gangster Disciples and MS13’s origin, history, crimes, their locations and the number of members included within each of these organizations. I will also explore the connection between rational choice theory and the arousal theory in connection with the two gangs; as well as compare and contrast the two gangs.
Our team presentation focused on three Latino gangs, MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha), the Mexican Mafia and the Los Surenos gang. My part of the presentation was to provide information on the type of crime these three gangs are known to commit. The crimes committed by the MS-13 gang are varied, violent, and take place all over the country. The FBI even put together a task force called the MS-13 National Gang Task Force in December of 2004 to try to put a stop to this gang’s activities. (www.fbi.gov). Los Surenos or Sur-13, originally based in Los Angeles, has also branched out from turf wars with rival gangs to “for profit”, violent crimes across the country. The Mexican Mafia has a similar story to tell as well in regards to gang crimes, which again range from respect crimes, and retaliatory violence to crimes for profit.
Peter Maas declares organized crime the “biggest business in the country” (Maas). “The largest and best known organized crime group is the nationwide organization variously known as the ‘syndicate’, the ‘mob’, the ‘Mafia’, and the ‘Cosa Nostra’” (Nash, Jason O-155). Some activities of the Mafia include gambling, loan sharking, pornography, illicit drugs, and racketeering. The Mafia began in Sicily, but did not retain to just that one location. In fact, in the late nineteenth century many of the Sicilian members immigrated to the United States (Nash O-155). The Mafia in the United States contains members that are Americans with Sicilian ancestry (“Mafia” M-48). There are several Mafia groups in the United States. Law enforcement authorities agree that there are around twenty-five groups that operate in large cities across the nation (Nash O-155).