Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member "Where I came from, in order to be down you had to be 'in'" (Shakur, 226). This quote, taken from Sanyika Shakur's (aka Monster Kody Scott) Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member relates the mind set of those growing up the concrete jungle of South Central L.A. This powerful account of the triumph of the human spirit over insurmountable odds brings the reader into the daily battles for survival. His story starts at the beginning of his gang life (being initiated
L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur Kody Scott grew up in South Central L.A. during the nineteen-sixties and seventies, soon after the creation of the Crips. Raised in poverty without a father, and a full family raised solely by his mother, Kody Scott led the stereotypical “ghetto” life, a poor and broken home. However he does not blame this on his own personal decision to join the Crips while only eleven year’s old. The allure of the respect and “glory” that “bangers” got, along with the unity
recognize that gangs have been around for what seems like forever. What they don't realize is that the numbers are increasing to amazing proportions, there were 28,000 youth gangs with 780,200 members in the United States (in 2000) and 20% to 46% of those members are female (Evans). And what is even more shocking is, in Chicago alone there are 16,000 to 20,000 female gang members (Eghigian). These girls start out as ?groupies?, become members, and sometimes even leaders of all-girl gangs because of
Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur The correctional system fails in the sense that it does not correct gang members behavior. In fact, it seems that prison only make the problems worse. Bangers sent to prison come out looking bigger, stronger, with new enemies, and are hungry to get back on the streets. In Monster's eyes being sent to prison is only another stepping stone in his path to O.G. status. The harsher the prison the better it is. The first mistake
A gang is an organized group of criminals who form together for a common goal or identity. Gangs can be formed based upon race, ethnicity, territory, or money making activities, and are generally made up of members varying anywhere between the age of 12 to 24. There are a variety of reasons behind the formation of gangs, whether it be for protection, profit, or because a group of people share a common trait. A gang rivalry is formed when two or more gangs grow to despise each other for their differences
Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member, is an autobiography detailing the criminal and personal life of Kody Scott. The book tells the story of how and why Kody Scott got involved in gang life, what happened during his time as a gang member, and how his life changed after his incarceration. It gives great insight into the inner workings of gangs in America, and shows how tough life is for the people who choose to be a part of it. Shakur greatly details his early years, his time as one
The main character in the book Monster, Kody Scott talks about two large gangs. He talks about when he was initiated into the Crips at age eleven and he committed his first murder. This is the first day he realized he would be “banging” for the rest of his life. He had worked hard to build up his reputation and the Crips gang, by being loyal to his homeboys. It was evident that he had the potential to become a leader. The name Monster stuck with him during a police encounter when he had been
school for flashing a gang sign during the school’s panorama picture; from here it was evident where Kody was heading in life. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, Kody was always surrounded by gangs and constantly witnessed the warfare created by rival gangs. Upon his return home from his sixth grade graduation Kody dashed out of the window in his room and ran to meet up with Tray Ball, a gang member of the Eight Tray Gangster Crips who had agreed to sponsor Kody into the gang. That night Kody was
Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member Introduction The year of 1993 was characterized by gang life along the United States streets. Initially, the lifestyle defined by the gang life was part of the foundation of the book: Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member by Shakur Sanyika. Based on the arguments presented in the book, different analysts have presented their perception on the contribution of the book towards the criminal justice concerns. The acts of sensationalist and
Can Young Gang Members Be Changed? In the Freedom Writers I saw the soft part of young gang members’ hearts. Being gang members, they still feel helpless. The problem of gang violence today is a worldwide problem that should solve carefully and urgently. Moreover, as the National Young Gang Survey Analysis says, there are more than two out of five gang members are juveniles. Freedom Writers focused on this global issue, described a true story about how a teacher changed her gang member students’
Criminalogical Theories Applied to Monster The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member In Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member, Kody Scott tells the story of the struggle between two significantly large gangs. At the age of eleven he was initiated into the Crips, and committed his first murder. It was this day that began what would become a career for Kody: banging (Scott, 1993). Kody worked hard to secure a reputation for his name. He held loyal to his homeboys and began to build
Rap war Shots ring out in South Central Los Angeles. A man screams in horror. This man has been shot in a heated gang war. This is everyday life for gang members. Gang members are used to cold blooded murder and most attend at least 5 funerals a week. Similar situations occur in Harlem, New York and in other places around the country. Why is this happening? Many people think that rap music is making kids more violent. They think that rap music is just a glorification of violence. All
uniforms. First, one of the chief benefits of school uniforms is their ability to make schools safer. Studies have shown that they help to reduce gang influences. (Isaacson, 1998) Many gang members wear particular types of colors and clothes to signify their membership to a certain gang. With every student wearing the same articles of clothing, gang members will not be able to establish a rivalry within the school. Uniforms also minimize violence by reducing some sources of conflict. A Long Beach Superintendent
crimes are drug induced. Before going out, the gang goes to the "milk bar" for some "milk plus" which is riddled with amphetamines. The first violent act came not more than ten minutes into the movie. It was when the boys, led by Alex, beat a helpless wino that asked them for some change. The gang then strode away as if nothing occurred. They struck him repeatedly with canes and they kicked him a few times to the job. Next, the boys went to see a rival gang. This other group was in the middle of raping
world through organized crime during the Prohibition era. He is solely attributed with Chicago’s reputation as a lawless city. Alphonsus Capone was born on January 17, 1899 in Brooklyn, New York. As a child he was a member of the Brooklyn Rippers and the Forty Thieves Juniors “kid gangs.” Capone quit school at age fourteen in the sixth grade. He worked a few odd jobs in Manhattan in a bowling alley and a candy store. Then Capone took a position as a bouncer in Frankie Yale’s Brooklyn dive and the Harvard
Hanks) is the right-hand man and surrogate son of gang chief John Rooney (Paul Newman). Sullivan’s older son, Michael Jr., witnesses his father and Rooney’s son Connor (Daniel Craig) machine gun dissident gang members. Connor’s long-time jealousy toward Sullivan now finds an “excusable” outlet: he kills Sullivan’s wife and younger son, whom he mistakes for the young Michael. Michael Sr., knowing that Rooney will protect Connor, turns to the Capone gang, run by Frank Nitti (Stanley Tucci), in Chicago
by a man having his wife serve on a jury in a federal case involving conspiracy, racketeering, drug dealing, armed robbery, and extortion. There were seven defendants and one that escaped from police custody. The key government witness was an ex-gang member named Larry who was called “the Canary” by the defendants because he turned informer. For two months Jean, the wife, listened to Larry’s testimony and tried to figure out whether his account of the incident was credible or not. A question in her
If uniform-requiring schools were actually in 'the business of learning' this would not occur. Many proponents say that school uniforms help to reduce the amount of violent out bursts of gang members in schools. To them I say why don’t we get rid of the gang members. Why don’t we simply place these gang members that are so prevalent into a more suitable learning environment, like boot camp. If you go out and look there is little research done to prove that school viol...
born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 17, 1899. He grew up in a very rough neighborhood and became a part of two gangs during this time. He was a very bright kid, yet he quit school in the sixth grade at age fourteen. He worked several jobs, such as a clerk at a candy store and a pin boy at a bowling alley, in between scams. After a while he became part of the well known Five Points gang and worked for the fellow gangsters. While he was working one night as a bouncer at the Harvard Inn, he insulted
The grace of evil in A Clockwork Orange is a recurring paradox throughout the novel and also implies a deep religious connotation. The main foci are the several aspects of evil, violence, and sexual acts committed by Alex and his gang members. However, Anthony Burgess has cleverly incorporated similar paradoxes to that of grace and evil, along with a different dialect to aid in masking the true harshness that lies underneath the violence. The other paradoxes include the extremes of night and day