for what reason do you join a gang?

[fumadora]

i don't get it. why would you wanna be in a gang?

[bgcasper]

lol grow up in compton from a broken home go at kelly or roosevelt school and then you will understand why young kids from there join a gang ...

[bgcasper]

lol grow up in compton from a broken home go at kelly or roosevelt school and then you will understand why young kids from there join a gang ...

[bgcasper]

i will answer you this way so you may understand better , we join a gang for those reasons :
love, protection , glory and money . we join gangs because it provide things we don't have were we come from

[TINY_ENNY]

when u get jumped by gang so u go try 2 get put on by they rivels

exp:i got jumped lime hood so i got put on ward so we can put in work on some lemon heads

r cuzz yo family ws gang members

exp:my dad from hoover

[Pershing]

Because gangs r cool. Being in a gang is cool.

[STRAITUPRIDAH]

Plain and simple: To Gangbang.

Had hate for my enemies, had love for my friends.

Now it's more like got love for my kids and wife and have forgiveness of my enemies.

[ElGuero]

Its not about wanting to be in a gang.......you kind of just get forced into it.....for me, it was protection from other gangs....and the way the older guys made it look so cool.....it was a way to get things that there was no other way of getting being where we were, and as poor as we were.....money, respect, dignity.....attention....you could get a reputation and people feared you, girls wanted you.....just felt like someone....like I had value. It was a way of coping with poverty......almost every thing I made, I used to help my family.....pay rent, food, clothing.....and still had enough to spend on girls.....a car, myself....before I was in, the motivation was to not get a gun shoved in my face on the way home from school at least once a weak.....getting beaten up, and my family disrespected, after I was in, it was all about money to help my family, and the ladies.....everything else I just didn't care about, had no feelings, nothing.....because I felt like I was getting even with a world that fucked me over......so it made everything really easy.....

[Noog]

ElGuero, that touches me man, I hear you. Yeah, that speaks truthful volumes. Though our situation is different, the dynamics are the same. JUst standing in the middle, standing in that context, with thise choices in front of you. In my ends, boys join up with crews or get into gangster stuff for those same reasons ElGuero states.

Lonewolf sid on another thread that at the end of the day, it all boils down to poverty and inequality and Im with him on that. Im still moved....

[jae]

For me, it was simple; when i was little, everytime one of the homies got shot, beat up, robbed, stabbed, whatever, it was always a blue rag behind it, so for me, the older i got, before i even really knew what was going down, i HATED crips and evrything they stood for, so when i came of age, i started bangin' on them fools and got my revenge. So i guess you could say i just fell into it, protecting myself and my homies. i'm 27 now though, i put my rag down, moved out the hood (physically), but mentally i'm still there, hard to change that mentallity... bangin' is hella dangerous, and it's sad that black-n-brown fight amongst eachother, and at eachother, when the REAL enemy sit back laughing, getting paid off our bullsh*t. what's really going on?

- my bad, i forgot to "log in" this time, my member name is JAE.
(born and raised in L.A., now living in the I.E.)

[1111§]

Righteous, welcome jae.

[Chris.]

i don't get it. why would you wanna be in a gang?

For what reason do you make gay topics?

[C-Boy]

being in a gang is hella tight, u feel like ur at the top of the society.

[Boricua]

When its all you know, then it seems logical, and when you have the choice between being beaten up everyday by some gang or joining a gang to protect you, its also a logical choice. The real issue is the social conditions which create an environment where gangs can prosper.

For me, I was raised around it, the older members were there when I was small, they helped our family out, as I got older I wanted to be like them, they had respect for my family coz my dad was in prison for helping the cause of a freePuerto Rico. They supported the cause as well, that was a huge draw, it helped me get money to help my family, and then the other perks, money for myself and woman....

[SWblocks-Veteran]

Its not about wanting to be in a gang.......you kind of just get forced into it

Thats why I ended up getting blessed into the Nation. On my side of town it was gangs in every hood we had BD's, GD's, SWC's, MS13's, RSC's, LK's so I ended gettin into alot of fights and ended up being put on a gang's hitt list. I knew they was gonna kill me on site I was 12 going on 13 and really couldnt stand up against grown men and a bunch of yg's so since alot of my patnas was Folks I got blessed in to make sure I didnt get served without some type of backup. Kinda messed up looking back on it as a man now.

[JR]

Because gangs r cool. Being in a gang is cool.

Gangs aint cool! people die everyday through gang violence its everything but cool.

[BG MLOCO]

ME ITS A MATTER OF AFFILIATION AND WHO YOUR FREINDS ARE, IF YOU A MAJORITY OF CRIP HOMIES THEN IF THEY ENEMIES CATCH YOU SLIPPING THEN HEY U CRIP TO THEM, MOST OF MY HOMIES WERE AND STILL ARE CRIPS, WHEN I WAS LIKE 12-15 I ALWAYS WPRE BLUE AND RED WAS NOT MY COLOR AND ITS JUST AFFILIATION THROUGH ASSOCIATION, I MEAN I KNEW ALOT OF BLOODS GROWING UP BUT I WASNT AND STILL NOT A FAN OF RED. BUT I MISUNDERSTOOD THE GANG THANG, I THOUGHT IT WAS COOL AND THANG TO DO, BUT AFTER GETTING MY ASS WHOOPED PLENTY OF TIMES, CUTTING NIGGAZ, SHOOTING AT NIGGAZ, GETTING SHOT AT NUMEROUS TIMES, GETTING SHOT, IT AINT NO JOKE I HAD SO MANY WARS ITS CRAYZ AT TIME MY SET LIKE MY CLICC THE BG'S AND OG'S CLICCS LIKE SEPERATED AND HOMIES MOVED AND GOT LOCKED AT UP AT TIMES I WAS LITERALLY WARRING WITH WHOLE SETS LIKE ITS OR CLICCS ITS LIKE 60 OF THEM AND LIKE ME AND OTHER HOMIE. IT AINT NO JOKE, DONT JOIN A GANG UNLESS YOU ARE READY TO FACE AND DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUUNCES OF IT. IT YOU AINT READY TO DIE 4 IT STAY AWAY FROM IT.3X

[PlayaLarga]

for me it wasn't a hard decision, albeit a stupid one. a gang was the way of life since most of my family, growing up, were gang members. it was like getting baptized..it wasn't of matter of if i would join..but WHEN

[bdownhound]

its interestin, i live on the east koast now and did a bid in state here. alot of Philly kats was kurious bout the same thing, so i tried to break it down the best i kould. plus the publik in general has major miskonceptions of what its about, and the media only further feeds the ignorance an misinformation. this is not a dumb question. gang members are viktims of social prejudice, an knowledge is a good weapon agianst it. general society thinks we are jus a bunch of degenerate, heartless, viscous individuals not worth our own skin. so takin this ignorant stance they feel its hopeless to attempt to rektify the situation. they only want to take a reaktive stance and not a proaktive one. most of them dont even believe it to be their problem. so we in the know need to stepp up an be proaktive. attempt to edukate those who are ignorant. there are ppl who do kare, believe it or not, they jus dont know what it is.

-what i can share-
i grew up in a small nieghborhood surrounded by aktive sets. rock was jus startin to jump off. the krime rate jumped an it wasnt really safe no more. most of the shit goin down was bein perped by the kats who lived around the korner. we was jus makin it safe for those we konsidered nieghbors to walk around, with out havin to worry bout the yukmouths an bangers. some of the older kats in the hood was Bloods frum other hoods so we naturally affiliated ourselves with them. we fought fire with fire. nobody kared bout us except 4 us. thats what i know. i kant speak on everyone else but i know why i did it. we did it for the kode. and it was glorified to an extent for sure. but thats the original purpose behind it for me.
simply i tell them, if u grew up with a group of peers and u grow to love them an one gets shot or jumped what are u gonna do? u defend yours the way you know how. OGs tel you the guidelines of kondukt an bekause u look up to them u , atleast at a young age, want to konform with them. so u akt akkordinly. it gets to the point where its on on sight with the enemigos, kause u dont know if this kat shot or jumped one of yours or not. u just assume, he'd do the same. thats my perspektive

[BG MLOCO]

POINT BLANK YOUNG BLACK MEN GROWIN UP IN THE HOOD OR A DEPRESSED AREA WE WANT TO BE A PART OF SUMTHIN, WHETHER IT IS NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE. WE WANT TO BELONG EITHER A GREEK FRATERNITY, A CLICC, A POSSE A GANG OR A SET THATS IT. NAH MEAN WHEN I WAS COMIN UP I LOOKED UP TO THE GANGSTAS AND DRUG DEALERS I WASNT RAISED A BAD ASS, BUT I WASNT RAISED AS NO PUNK ASS ANGEL I MADE ALOT OF MISTAKES AND BAD DECISIONS BUT FUCC IT I DONT REGERET IT CUZ IF I DID THEN I WOULDNT HAVE DONE IT, NAH MEAN JUS IF YOU JOIN A GANG KNOW WHAT ARE GETTING YOURSELF INTO FIGHTS, SHOOT OUT, MURDERS, DEATH, JAIL DRUGS AND HAGE AND SELF--HATE KAH MEAN I LEARNED THE HARD WAY BEING STABBED, CUT, ASS WHOOPINGS, JUMPED GETTING SHOT AT. GETTIN HALF OF MY LEG BLOWN OFF AND BONES SHATTEREED TRUST ME GANGS AINT CUTE, AINT NICE, IF YOU AINT READY FOR THE CONSEQUENCES STAY FAR AWAY.3X

[BG MLOCO]

POINT BLANK YOUNG BLACK MEN GROWIN UP IN THE HOOD OR A DEPRESSED AREA WE WANT TO BE A PART OF SUMTHIN, WHETHER IT IS NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE. WE WANT TO BELONG EITHER A GREEK FRATERNITY, A CLICC, A POSSE A GANG OR A SET THATS IT. NAH MEAN WHEN I WAS COMIN UP I LOOKED UP TO THE GANGSTAS AND DRUG DEALERS I WASNT RAISED A BAD ASS, BUT I WASNT RAISED AS NO PUNK ASS ANGEL I MADE ALOT OF MISTAKES AND BAD DECISIONS BUT FUCC IT I DONT REGERET IT CUZ IF I DID THEN I WOULDNT HAVE DONE IT, NAH MEAN JUS IF YOU JOIN A GANG KNOW WHAT ARE GETTING YOURSELF INTO FIGHTS, SHOOT OUT, MURDERS, DEATH, JAIL DRUGS AND HAGE AND SELF--HATE KAH MEAN I LEARNED THE HARD WAY BEING STABBED, CUT, ASS WHOOPINGS, JUMPED GETTING SHOT AT. GETTIN HALF OF MY LEG BLOWN OFF AND BONES SHATTEREED TRUST ME GANGS AINT CUTE, AINT NICE, IF YOU AINT READY FOR THE CONSEQUENCES STAY FAR AWAY.3X

[KrazieShadow]

For 1 simple reason- To Be Down 4 The Hood and Down 4 the Homies

[Bo$$]

Its gotta be the lure for money, attention, cars, ho's. Thats what captures lil niggas minds and fucks them in the end.
Now in my case it was a fact that my 2 older brothers was both gang bangin, and every now an then i would chill out with them and they homies, You Know, nuthin violent jus chillin. But as time goes on, i started to hang out with the fellas a bit too often, and before you know it you gang bangin.

Thats how easy a nigga turns into a criminal. Sad but True.

[BG MLOCO]

IF YOU DONT WANT TO GET BEAT UP,CHASED SHOT OR SHOT AT OR HAVE YOUR FAMILY BEING THREATEN AND ALOT OF STRESS DONT JOIN A GANG POINT BLANK BOTTOM LINE.3X

[Noog]

In November last year, a boy stabbed up and killed another boy in front of my work (I work in the community for the community) - both 'bout 15yrs old. The blood was a slick in the street for days, 'n so I elected (with a prayer) to go and clean up the boys blood with ma bucket and bleach. For me, thats what being in a gang boils down to at the end of the day - hurt, death, pain, loss, incarceration and perpetuation of mad blood-fueds which resemble the bleakest family tree of death, murder, pain and loss.....

When I was a kid, I grew up in the North of England (Manchester) and was a member of a little crew. In those days up North, we fought with our fists in the main, crew to crew or one on one - Occasionally, a lad would die. I was never up for jumping lads coaught on their own from a rival firm - a group on one or so, 'cos I saw it as cowardly and without honour. If you wanted to be tough the way it was in that culture, then you had to give licks and take licks. I gave them and took them. Unfortunately, I also got cut and stabbed, cut with a beer glass, nose broken times four. But I have to admit that at the time, before I grew up, that I enjoyed fighting - I got a buzz - a rush of adrenaline, a real high. As a boy, I put my feelings away to both enjoy and survive. Now though, I love people first, love my community even though weve got nuff problems, poverty, bad housing and all the rest of the gutter side. I look to be a part of the solution, not part of the problem. But my heart is still for boys all over who are living that way -

[NW10]

thats what being in a gang boils down to at the end of the day - hurt, death, pain, loss, incarceration and perpetuation of mad blood-fueds which resemble the bleakest family tree of death, murder, pain and loss.....

we fought with our fists in the main, crew to crew or one on one -

Its sad that disputes and gang problems have to end the way they do nowadays.

Willie Jones your fists 'this is what makes you a man, you win some, you lose some, but you live, you live to fight another day'

Its sad that young people dont think like that today.

[tom420]

I dunno my opinion of kids joinin gangs is basicly havin some sort of safety hangin out in big violent groups and slangin,drugs just come with it.

[BG MLOCO]

ME PERSONALLY I LOVE TO SCRAP BUT MOST NIGGZ CANT NOWADAYS SO THEY USE HEAT AND MOST OF THEM CANT USE THEY FISTICUFFS.3X

[NuyoricanSoul]

I grew up with everyone becoming a Latin King, it was just something that you knew you'd do one day. It was a right of passage we all took, and we knew that we had to have that support system in order to survive the streets....you really couldn't do it alone and stay in one piece. Plus, it was the whole cause....the focus on Puerto Rican nationalism, f*cking over the occupiers of our nation, we saw ourselves as freedom fighters....

[BG MLOCO]

ITS MORE AFFILIATION THORUGH ASSOCIATION, WHO U HANG OUT WITH YOUR HOMIES AND YOYR FRIENDS THEY INFLUENCE U ALOT.3X

[Noog]

Thats right, affiliation through association, thats the way it is here in our micro climate (you Americans have the macro climate - yeah man, you people always gotta write tings too large, like the American waistline!)

Context is everything. Its hard to see how individuals have choices sometines when you been born into a particular context and if that context is the block or the Endz (East London equivalent to tthe block), then the trajectory of young lives are mapped out in the main - we are so not free - we are products of our environments and think that we make free choices but nah man, we ain't free at all. So for me, the individual gang member is never as culpable as the political situation which fostered gangs in the first instance. Gangs can never be an true expression of rebellion against an unjust system 'cos gangs are a reaction not a revolution. Sad that at the beginnings of gang history, many gangs sprung up as neighbourhood defence groups to ward off racist attack and over time mutated into something malignant and destructive. Joining a gang is like signing up to become a cannibal. Eat your own peeps, you know you love it!

[Pumpkin2]

Fearship.....is why u join a gang.....afraid to do the right thing for fear of what someone may think about you or do to u.......a real man can stand alone..