Why do you think people join Gangs?

Question

I was just wondering because I was driving and a ton of them were running across the street and traffic had to stop for them
and one looked in at me and I think he looked like a kid
I used to tutor long ago.How sad He had a black tear drop under his left eye.

His mom's white and his dad's Hispanic
this isn't a race issue.I know he had trouble at home so that makes sense. To belong like their his Family almost.

Answer 1

Poor self-esteem, no sense of belonging, or hope for the future. Gangs make kids feel powerful, like they are important and they matter. From where I grew up, many kids have a hard time envisioning themselves being successful outside of sports/entertainment.

Answer 2

The black tear drop can mean several things. Such as ,they lost a loved one, been down (prison) 10 yrs., or killed some one. People join gangs to feel they belong to some important. Sex ,drugs, and money are a big thing as well.

Answer 3

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.

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 teen to understand the harm that joining a gang can 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.

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.

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.

Answer 4

their family stopps caring ,no one loves them, they feel like they arent importtant,they want some freedom,they just want too, they like the frienfds they get,they like to be noticed,unlike some plp im not racist...
Poor self-esteem, no sense of belonging, or hope for the future. Gangs make kids feel powerful, like they are important and they matter. From where I grew up, many kids have a hard time envisioning themselves being successful outside of sports/entertainment.
F**** all the haterz, im getting preety tired of racist comments on this question........

Answer 5

It's sad that people turn to gangs. But I think one reason is to feel like they are part of something. Many gang members have/had rough lives and turn to a gang to feel like they belong. The fighting is also a big part of it.

Answer 6

that's easy and i feel so sad but people join gangs because when they don't have a good childhood and a good education then there will be no way to get money and survive so if they are in gangs they feel safe because they rob,kill,murder and so many other foolish things, if i was president i would stop that immediately! how many people get killed because of stupid gang shootings is unbelievable!

Answer 7

Gang members are loser cowards. In a gang they think they are really someone to be feared. Get a gang member away from the gang and he shows his cowardice. I ran up against one of those punks a few years ago. He tried to rob me (his words were, "GIVE ME YOUR WALLET OR I'LL CUT YOU.") and instead of continuing to threaten physical violence when I had him against the wall, he said, "My boys will GET YOU." That's when I kneed him in the groin and he peed himself. He picked the WRONG old white man to try to rob. I told him if his BOYS were as big of cowards as HE was, I had nothing to fear. Just like the school yard bully; stand up to one and and they show their true colors...YELLOW

Answer 8

The tear drop under the guy's eye means that he has killed somebody.

Answer 9

They long to be apart of something, and for them they find it in a gang.

Answer 10

To feel wanted or to belong to someone or something.