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Racial inequality in the united states
Summary of the impact of the Black Panther party
Racial inequality in the united states
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The Crips and Bloods that the American society has come to know are commonly, and rightfully, thought of in a negative light. The same can be said for Americans view on the U.S Congress. While they are the same in this aspect, one may assume that while both take on negative auras, it is for vastly different reasons. Despite this, it is safe to say that they have many more similarities than one may initially think when looked at through the three main lenses of Sociology. Simply looking at the racial composition of both groups exemplifies both similarity and difference. Both the U.S Congress and the Crips/Bloods are made of diversity lacking members. White people are the overwhelming majority when looking at the U.S Congress, taking up over …show more content…
Representation and protection are a common thread when comparing these two groups. While it is fairly obvious that Congress is structured around representation, with its members representing the fifty states of the U.S, so are the street gangs. The Crips were originally formed because of a man who was a member of the Black Panther Party (Fanon 63), an organization created for the protection of African American people mistreated by Police officers in the 1960s. Due to the outlandish treatment that was imposed upon the African American community during that time, the Black Panther party was formed. The Black Panthers served as not only a form of protection from the police, but as a representation of the community. Not simply representation of their people, but of their struggles as minorities in the racist environment of Los Angeles during that …show more content…
Most street gangs make their money the same way, illegally. Money that is made by the Bloods/Crips is primarily obtained through the selling of drugs, theft, and killing (Peralta). They do this because, for the most part, they have no other way of obtaining jobs due to the oppressive system they live in. The money they make is for their survival. On the other hand, there's Congress, whose main purpose for making money is election. Running campaigns cost money. In 2016, the average winning Senate candidate had spent 10.4 million dollars on their campaigns (Kim). The main way the U.S Congress receives its money is through taxes. In essence, this is just taking money from other people. Taxes may be how they receive their formal salaries, but for a very long time, Congress members have been looked at as immoral in the way they make money. Earmarks, which is money for public projects, are abused in a way that ends up giving the Congressmen money for personal use. In fact, when looking at The Washington Posts analysis in 2012, 55 members of Congress received money for projects that would essentially aid their own outside business or companies (Fallis). In the end, both the street gangs and Congress seem to have immoral ways of getting money. In contrast, the street gangs have a less discreet and sly way of doing
When Kody Scott was 6 years old, the gang wars started in Los Angeles. It started out as a battle between the Crips and the Bloods, but by the late 70's and continuing today, the biggest killer of Crips is other Crips. The Crip Nation was divided into different divisions, which Monster compares to the U.S. Army. "For instance, one who is in the army may belong to the F...
As well as identifying individuals, correctional system make the mistake of identifying each gang. The crips are forced to wear a different colored uniform than the rest of the inmates. By dressing and treating crips differently authorities are almost giving them the respect they want. Not only are they tough on the streets, but even cops fear them. This practice indirectly sparked a greater war between the crip nation. Monster explains that the division of East and West began in prison, due to the grouping of the gang members. Being recognized is what bangers strive for. Identifying them as gang members instead of murderers, robbers, or druggies only adds fuel to their fire. The pride of being a banger grows when they are separated from the general population because they are unsafe.
This can be connected to the Crips and the Bloods by the similar treatment the African Americans receive compared to the roughnecks. This recognition as being a roughneck makes it much more difficult to get a job, and escape the society they are currently in.... ... middle of paper ... ... Anderson discusses the code of the streets and how this set of rules and norms dictates how people behave in South Las Angeles and gives rise to organized gang violence.
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
The racial/ethnic composition of gangs also appears to be changing. African-American and Hispanic gangs still predominate, but law enforcement agencies in a number of cities are now reporting Asian and South Pacific groups, more white gangs, and more racial/ethnic mixing than in the past. (Klein)
Crips and Bloods: Made in America took place in south of Los Angeles focusing on gang violence among two fearsome African American gangs, Crips and Bloods. The documentary sends the viewer to the roots of the social strains of African American people that created Crips and Bloods. After the Civil War in the United States, slaves were granted freedom, they moved far from the south. As time passed African Americans were faced with many hardships from loss of jobs to racial profiling from law enforcement.
Washington’s intentions did not go far. He thought that he could get the gang together and be ”neighborhood watchers.” He made several neighborhood kid cliques called the “Baby Avenue” (Aka Avenue cribs). By late 1971 the “Cribs” were being referred to as Crips and their reputation grew. By 1972, there were about eight Neighborhood Crips Rollin’ 60’s gangs, which grew to about 45% in 1978. Around this time, Washington met Stanley Tookie Williams who lived on the west side and recruited him into the crips. In 1979, Raymond Lee Washington was killed and Stanley Tookie Williams was sentenced to prison for quadruple murder (Street gangs). The Neighborhood Crips Rollin’ 6o’s (NHC) was one of the fastest growing organization in the history of gangs at this point. This gang got it’s name from Washington thinking they were neighborhood watchers and came from a neighborhood. Rollin’ 6o’s came from the years it was founded in-1960’s Some of the first crips gangs came from Los Angeles California and included the following; East Side Crips, Compton Crips, West Side
According to the 2015 National Gang Report (NGR) from the National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC) almost half of law enforcement juristictions across the United States reported a rise in street gang membership and street gang activitiy. My communitty is no exception.
The Bloods is a big time gang group that has over twenty-five different gangs in the city of Los Angeles. They are known for killing and murdering other people or other gang members. This gang is mostly an African American youth gang. they are not a normal gang because they promote themselves all over L.A.. This is not the only violent gang in the gang community gangs also consist of different races such as hispanic gang members and European American gang. These gang members are one of the biggest reasons that there is so much crime in the L.A. area. The gangs in L.A. are becoming more violent and causing more problems that and they are even getting into the illegal drug business.
Symbolic characteristics of these gangs actually are quite similar to the urban gangs. In fact, terms such as Crips, Bloods, and the Latin Kings are used as names for the Native gangs due in part by their perception of what they expect gang life to be (Theriot 2007). Criminal behavior is perhaps the biggest difference amongst the two lifestyles of these gangs. Whereas Urban gangs are driven by the economic aspect of gang life involving drugs and weapon trafficking, Native gangs are often seen acting out property crimes and misdemeanor offenses such as graffiti and theft, as well as alcohol offenses. Native gangs as a whole seem to be more on the pursuit
There were groups such as the Black Panthers, and the US Organization, which were known to have been rivals due to false rumors that had been spread by the government and the media. Black Panthers were known to have offered a more reliable source of protection during this time than the police did for African Americans. Sloan interviews current and former gang members from a variety of gangs spread throughout Los Angeles. He gives us a different perspective on where gangs came from and why they formed. Although they were originally formed to protect African Americans, they have strayed far from where they started.
The Bloods and the Crips are the two well-known gang families that started in the 1940’s in Los Angeles as a defense approach by the blacks against the whites (Dorais, Corriveau, 2009, p 8). Gangs are most often visible in specific areas such as restaurants, bars, metro stations, etc.: “The appearance of street gangs in Quebec and Canada dates from the 1980’s, when these groups started to become larger, more visible, and more disruptive to authorities and residents (Dorais, Corriveau, 2009, p 8-9). There are six definable features that can be used to identify the presents of a gang: “ a structured or degree of organization, an identifiab...
The documentary Crips and Bloods: Made in America, can be analyzed through three works: “Modern Theories of Criminality” by C.B. de Quirόs, “Broken Windows” by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling and “Social Structure and Anomie” by Robert K. Merton.
The documentary, “Crips and Bloods: Made in America” talks about many social concerns. In the documentary, both discrimination and economics are the main factors for the problems in Southern California. The gangs started because of discrimination. By denying people because of their skin color to join social activities such as the boy/girl scouts is what led to the formation of groups that later turned into gangs. Apart from that, hatred and threats escalated the situations that then turned the gangs into what they are today. According to the documentary, because of the gang rivalry there exists an invisible line that separates the territories of both the Crips and the Bloods. Not only is that the only factor, but also
The Crips, originating in Los Angeles, California, are one of the oldest, largest, and most notorious gangs in the United States. They have been involved in murders, robberies and drug dealing in the Los Angeles area. The Crips are mostly identified by the blue color worn by their members. What was once a single gang is now a loose network of "franchises" around the United States. The gang primarily (but not exclusively) comprises African Americans. The Crips have an intense rivalry with the Bloods and are also known to feud with Chicano gangs.