Why you would never become a gangmember?

This is the forum for those who believe that there are other options to gangs and violence and hope to see young people make better choices about their future. Where does change begin?

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Unread post by andrew » May 31st, 2007, 10:11 pm

i dont get it......i mean i see what you are sayin but i dont understand the why?

im in a gang.......i dont do dirt anymore....i aint real active....i usually the one to make peace within out own team

and im 37...been put on at 13 yrs old........whatever......................you are born into the shit......you live in our neighborhood the first word out of a baby's mouth is S.S.G.....it happens

but all you peeps here actin better or even judging us......even from other countries are all up on this site.......why is that?......fucked up....they gonna try layin it down for us and never lived amongst us?whites being "historians" and experts on non white gangs?...........peeps need to quit romantisizing us and leave us alone and quit tryin to
study us

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Unread post by Qdawg » June 1st, 2007, 10:38 am

see this is the thing alotta people confuse...when people (alot) say gangs nowadays is either something global(from cali/chicago) & alotta people seem to think if you not repping 1 of these 2 towns gangs then you not "banging"....all thats false advertisement..& you dont have to be born in a gang to be down with it...dudes start up gangs to represent they block & be on some chill type get money stuff,play sports,hit up parties just relax dont really be on the beef type stuff unless it comes to them ,weather dudes claiming "global gangs" dont look at block gangs as real gangs or not doesnt matter in the police files there still listing as 1

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Unread post by Old Shatterhand » June 1st, 2007, 3:43 pm

You want to know why? Ask the people from your neighborhood that didn't join (or stay in) your gang. Afterwards, we'll give you about 1,000 more reasons.
andrew wrote:i dont get it......i mean i see what you are sayin but i dont understand the why?

im in a gang.......i dont do dirt anymore....i aint real active....i usually the one to make peace within out own team

and im 37...been put on at 13 yrs old........whatever......................you are born into the shit......you live in our neighborhood the first word out of a baby's mouth is S.S.G.....it happens

but all you peeps here actin better or even judging us......even from other countries are all up on this site.......why is that?......#%@& up....they gonna try layin it down for us and never lived amongst us?whites being "historians" and experts on non white gangs?...........peeps need to quit romantisizing us and leave us alone and quit tryin to
study us

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Unread post by andrew » June 5th, 2007, 6:48 pm

what i ask is if you are so much better.....why are so many of you here talkin about gang shit?..........i think secretly all of you want to be us

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Unread post by Mcminister » June 5th, 2007, 7:13 pm

com'on dawg u kno the website sais "STREETGANGS.COM"
i think ud expect alot of talks buot gangs

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Unread post by Noog » June 6th, 2007, 6:47 am

:shock: Nah Andrew, thats not on the money, I for one don't want to be a gang member. Why do I come on these boards? A few reasons...but in the middle is that I come from an area in London which has been impacted heavily by gang culture, which is sadly on an expansion tragectory, like a viral thing, infecting our youth form a very young age. The place I live is like a 'Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens...the novel begins "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." and its like that here - Hackney is on the edges of the commercial districts of The City and Docklands, but is one of the poorest areas of UK. In the face of great wealth is widespread social exclusion and a burgeoning gang culture growing faster than even prophets of doom among us anticipated. Gangs here mean boys shotting left and right, it means peeps getting jacked for chains, moby's (cell phones), money, drugs, cars whatever. It means walk ups and drive by's, it means boys shanked up, beat down and young people lying in the gutter spilling thier blood and guts down our drains. It means grieving mothers, sisters, brothers and Post Traumatic Stress becoming an hidden mental health epidemic...and untreated PTSD can produce cycles of revenge and fury, which many people over your sides in places like LA know only too well has a logic of its own and seems unstoppable.........Peace

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Unread post by Lonewolf » June 6th, 2007, 8:59 am

Ey Noog, I understand everything that you said and I feel where you're coming from,
but you're making it sound as if it is the "the gangs" that be turning your world corner
into a nightmare of a neighborhood, when in reality it is your Brit.gov who's the main
culprit -- wouldn't you say?

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Unread post by andrew » June 6th, 2007, 5:50 pm

Noog wrote::shock: Gangs here mean boys shotting left and right, it means peeps getting jacked for chains, moby's (cell phones), money, drugs, cars whatever. It means walk ups and drive by's, it means boys shanked up, beat down and young people lying in the gutter spilling thier blood and guts down our drains. It means grieving mothers, sisters, brothers and Post Traumatic Stress becoming an hidden mental health epidemic...and untreated PTSD can produce cycles of revenge and fury
about 15 years ago this woulda sounded like a good time to me.....now it sounds like another night at the club

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Unread post by Old Shatterhand » June 6th, 2007, 9:05 pm

It's always a good time when your young, dumb, and full of cum Andrew, that is, until it's your blood or your best friends blood seeping away on the asphalt or an emergency room floor. This beast is much bigger than a night at the club. It's bigger than your whole neighborhood. Live long enough and you see there's NOTHING glamourous about it and we don't make light of it here. I wish it didn't exist.
andrew wrote:
Noog wrote::shock: Gangs here mean boys shotting left and right, it means peeps getting jacked for chains, moby's (cell phones), money, drugs, cars whatever. It means walk ups and drive by's, it means boys shanked up, beat down and young people lying in the gutter spilling thier blood and guts down our drains. It means grieving mothers, sisters, brothers and Post Traumatic Stress becoming an hidden mental health epidemic...and untreated PTSD can produce cycles of revenge and fury
about 15 years ago this woulda sounded like a good time to me.....now it sounds like another night at the club

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Unread post by andrew » June 8th, 2007, 7:27 am

thats what im talkin about....i wish it didnt exist..and i been in the abovementioned scene many times and it hurts bro.....and it hurts not being able to stop loved ones from following your example.....and i aint the one glamorizing it...im 37 now..all you who aint in a a gang,never been in a gang,sittin on the fence....hang in on the internet "asking questions" are the ones glamorizing.....this shits real.........and if you have no ties to gangs,if you have no participation in gangs.....why you here?thats what im asking......why are ther so many gang groupies here taking such an active role in discussions?

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Unread post by Common Sense » June 8th, 2007, 10:07 am

andrew wrote:if you have no participation in gangs.....why you here? thats what im asking......why are ther so many gang groupies here taking such an active role in discussions?
Good question. There are alot gang groupies here. These are the one's I particularly try to reach. I think groupies glamourize the lifestyle to the point of being borderline wannabee's. Some wannabee's do cross over trying to fit in or be part of this mysterious lifestyle.

Why am I here Andrew? I'm here mainly to discuss prevention, intervention, awareness, and education, by all means necessary.

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Unread post by Lonewolf » June 8th, 2007, 2:43 pm

Common Sense wrote:
andrew wrote:if you have no participation in gangs.....why you here? thats what im asking......why are ther so many gang groupies here taking such an active role in discussions?
Good question. There are alot gang groupies here. These are the one's I particularly try to reach. I think groupies glamourize the lifestyle to the point of being borderline wannabee's. Some wannabee's do cross over trying to fit in or be part of this mysterious lifestyle..
WARNING!!! Wannabee's are usually "victims and amongst the first casualties of war" . . . WHY? 'Cause if you ain't raised and schooled in it since the early years, then you haven't learn-up how the politics works and then you "ACT" on the wrong stupid sh*t and get yourself in deep problems before you make the grade. Most people don't understand this fundamental thruth about gangs ~~> if you didn't start out young with the neighborhood, or you ain't got the roots and/or wisdom to hang with the inner-circle, then you're an expandable affiliate and not many tears or bullets will be spent in your memory, so keep that in mind 'cause the streets ain't no f*ckin' joke, and that's serious.

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Unread post by Noog » June 8th, 2007, 3:58 pm

The reason I came on here was because the neighbourhood I live in is gang impacted and on a negative tragectory. In London, modern gangs came about as a response to many factors - from the racism experienced by the Windrush Generation (the first peeps to come to UK from the Carribean in the 40's, as many Carribean islands were in the Commonwealth to boost transport jobs, nursing and such). Newly arrived black communities faced racism through the fifties, sisties, seventies and exploded in rage against racist police 'sus' laws in 1981 when riots broke out all over the nation, from Liverpool to Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, London, all over. The Brixton Riots in London lit a fire. Again in 1985, one notorious riot being in an estate called Broadwater Farm in Tottenham, North London.....in those times, on many estates/neighbourhoods there were reggae sound systems which people gravitated around, some in conflict with white racist groups. From these sound systems came the original Man Dem, such as Hackney Man Dem and Tottenham Man Dem - but as time went on, instead of fighting with a racist system and racist attack, man dem turned against each other - one influence being the impact of Yardies coming over in the 80's and British born youth imitating thier gun happy ruthless style - add into that mix American gangsta rap - followed by UK Garage, Jungle and now Grime etc with its emphasis on aggression, violence, gangs etc and added together with a growing gap in wealth here, widespread social exclusion - add to that drugs, coke, crack and the big smak thing brought all over by Turkish Mafia in the borough - add to that hype, glamourization, add to that the influence of the 'LA model' of 'what gangs are supposed to look like', mixed with an old school East End/Cockney gangster influence, a Jamaican Yardie influence......its kind of fucced up. And kids are joining up, wanting to be.......the youngers are taking on the 'LA model' more so than olders. So here is an opportunity to see what happens elsewhere in the world and little by little, try to make more sense of whats happening on my doorstep every day. Hackney has had a gun crime problem for many years, but the perpetrators and victims are getting younger each year. So the more I understand, the more I can help in my own community. And thats exactly what I do for years now. I'm proud of getting a good education and feel there but for the grace, so can't help but feel deeply for the young ones and older ones involved in the madness.

That and I also enjoy fuccin' about and chattin breeze as an enjoyable distraction.
Peace

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Unread post by andrew » June 8th, 2007, 4:32 pm

Lonewolf wrote:
Common Sense wrote:
andrew wrote:if you have no participation in gangs.....why you here? thats what im asking......why are ther so many gang groupies here taking such an active role in discussions?
Good question. There are alot gang groupies here. These are the one's I particularly try to reach. I think groupies glamourize the lifestyle to the point of being borderline wannabee's. Some wannabee's do cross over trying to fit in or be part of this mysterious lifestyle..
WARNING!!! Wannabee's are usually "victims and amongst the first casualties of war" . . . WHY? 'Cause if you ain't raised and schooled in it since the early years, then you haven't learn-up how the politics works and then you "ACT" on the wrong stupid sh*t and get yourself in deep problems before you make the grade. Most people don't understand this fundamental thruth about gangs ~~> if you didn't start out young with the neighborhood, or you ain't got the roots and/or wisdom to hang with the inner-circle, then you're an expandable affiliate and not many tears or bullets will be spent in your memory, so keep that in mind 'cause the streets ain't no f*ckin' joke, and that's serious.
aint that the truth

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Unread post by Noog » June 10th, 2007, 3:44 am

That is true. So what will stop youths wanting-to-be this quasi-mystical street myth thing? What will check 'born outside of it' wannabe youths and what might turn around youths born into a generational situation? For eather party, its a death cult. For those who believe that because they have been emmersed since time into this thing, that they have an 'authority' to say who can be an 'authentic' streetgangster and are therefore by definition 'sound', 'real' - so what, death is death is death, so what.
In La gangs had a beginning right? were those first few generations thought of as 'fake' because they had no precidents? And if a new street 'death cult' begins elsewhere in the states/world and has a beginning, those are then seen as fake, as in not as old. I'm not down at all with c and b copycat things, seeding, fam connects, whatever, its a foolishness, that simple - but speaks of the destructive dynamics effecting youth all over today - the recipe is similar in place where these things occur - background racism both overt and covert, through ommission and comission - poor environment, lack of access to an equal slice of the pie, exclusion from mainstream wage making, run down housing, drugs economies etc etc plus the world wide 'us and them' fears which have been amplified by the likes of Sept11 and London bombings too - that thee is an enemy 'out there' waiting to get us. Youths act all this out and how......you arre intelligent people, you can figure.

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Unread post by Lonewolf » June 10th, 2007, 12:22 pm

Noog wrote:That is true. So what will stop youths wanting-to-be this quasi-mystical street myth thing? What will check 'born outside of it' wannabe youths and what might turn around youths born into a generational situation? For eather party, its a death cult. For those who believe that because they have been emmersed since time into this thing, that they have an 'authority' to say who can be an 'authentic' streetgangster and are therefore by definition 'sound', 'real' - so what, death is death is death, so what.
In La gangs had a beginning right? were those first few generations thought of as 'fake' because they had no precidents? And if a new street 'death cult' begins elsewhere in the states/world and has a beginning, those are then seen as fake, as in not as old. I'm not down at all with c and b copycat things, seeding, fam connects, whatever, its a foolishness, that simple - but speaks of the destructive dynamics effecting youth all over today - the recipe is similar in place where these things occur - background racism both overt and covert, through ommission and comission - poor environment, lack of access to an equal slice of the pie, exclusion from mainstream wage making, run down housing, drugs economies etc etc plus the world wide 'us and them' fears which have been amplified by the likes of Sept11 and London bombings too - that thee is an enemy 'out there' waiting to get us. Youths act all this out and how......you arre intelligent people, you can figure.
Nah nah nah!!! It ain't like that... THre's is street crime and there are street gangs. In the stret gang naighborhood world there are unwritten codes of cunduct and a culture that must be understood in order to operate in it and "play it safe" as one may say. We're talking about families of young, medium and old that abide under the same laws per say, and no petty crimee, burglar, stick-up kid, rapist or whateva' can compare towhat I'm talking about.. Even if like you said, "L.A's gangs beginnings" ~ it still equals a death cult, IT IS STILL DIFFERENT, because it still derives out of a mixed culture. It's like the Britons when they arrived in England and had to deal with the Celts. They had to deal, and their clans followed a pattern of conduct derived from their roots and upbringing, that's how it was and that's how it still continues in large part here in L.A.. So we're not talking about a simple death culture, nah, because even the U.S./U.K. and all the rest of the Armies of the world follow a death culture. Our "gang" world is interwined with our "neighborhood family culture" . . it's way different than just simple gangs bonded by crime, therefore, if you ain't grown up or schooled well in it, then that's how easy it is for you to become a victim.

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Unread post by Lonewolf » June 10th, 2007, 12:40 pm

Nah nah nah!!! It ain't like that... There is street crimee's and there are street gangs. In our street gang neighborhood world there are unwritten codes of conduct and a culture that must be understood in order to operate in it and "play safer" as one may say. We're talking about families of young, medium and old that abide under the same laws per say, and no petty crimees, burglars, stick-up kids, rapists or whateva's can compare to what I'm talking about.. Even if like you said "L.A's gangs beginnings it still equals a death cult" ~~> IT IS STILL DIFFERENT because it still derives out of a mixed survavalist culture. It's like when the first Britons arrived in England and had to deal with the local Celts. They had to deal accordingly, and their clans followed a pattern of conduct derived from their roots and upbringing; that's how it was and that's how it still continues in large part to follow upon here in L.A.. So we're not talking about a simple "death culture", nah, because even the armies of the U.S./U.K. and all the rest of the Armies of the world follow a death culture. Our "gang" world is interwined with our "neighborhood family culture/life" . . it's way different than just simple gangs bonded together per say "by crime" like the Jesse James gang or such; therefore, if you ain't grown up or schooled well in it, then that's how easy it is for a wanna-be to become a victim.

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Unread post by Garf » June 10th, 2007, 1:58 pm

G-school it is. R.I.P. La G.B.C.
yaw'll think i'm crazy i;ll try not to wear it out. But, I remember what I REmember.
Back to topic now~
My parents grew up in a time where there was violence, but gangs No, In my home town it started out as mistreatment of one another which ened in brawls at first, but then they got so out of hand with the fist fights some ened in death. That my friend, is when ciques started.
Where I come from we have great agricultured soil. So the Mexicans would work the fields. These were called camps. My grandfather(not by blood, by law) was an inspector. Well, those same areas are now all turf going in directions from East, to West, to north.
How they became turf is probably simple. I asked my Parents some one sleeping with someone's girl, hurting the inocent, plus poverty. And it created the local latino gangs, in my hometown. The Cycle. The Cycle is getting worse. I know some people who knew to stay out of the cycle, because it gets worse. That should be enough to stay out, but sometimes it almost impossible.

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Unread post by andrew » June 10th, 2007, 4:46 pm

Common Sense wrote:
andrew wrote:if you have no participation in gangs.....why you here? thats what im asking......why are ther so many gang groupies here taking such an active role in discussions?
Good question. There are alot gang groupies here. These are the one's I particularly try to reach. I think groupies glamourize the lifestyle to the point of being borderline wannabee's. Some wannabee's do cross over trying to fit in or be part of this mysterious lifestyle.

Why am I here Andrew? I'm here mainly to discuss prevention, intervention, awareness, and education, by all means necessary.
ok bro...i read some of your posts and you do seem sincere

but answer me this.....you aint or never been a part of a gang.....who you expect to listen to you? and mysterious lifestyle?shit is fucked up....and theres nothing mysterious about gangsters when they turn 40 all wino'ed out,tweakin and stabbin eachother out in the parking lot of local bar and running around shirtless showin off gang tats
hey....reality...i aint so far away and i have to constantly check myself
and noog....whats with all the talk of underlying racism and economical underdevelopment shit?i wasnt alking about the shit me or peeps like me endured.........im talking about dumbasses mostly suburban and well to do coming here "looking for info".....what are they gonna do with it? dont they know this shit aint a fuckin game?and no matter how hard they try and mimic us and start some wigger gang or something.....they can still never be like us......so again....whats the attraction?

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Unread post by Noog » June 11th, 2007, 3:24 am

Those are good questions Andrew for true. Whats the attraction? I can't speak for suburban kids because I don't really know - I'm not sure there are wannabe suburban kids in UK, probably is, though I dont know any. Probs many wiggas too, but I dont know any. In Hackney, East London we have mixed ethnicity neighbourhoods and black and white kids grow up together on the same estates. Some parts of the borough have more black kids, some more white kids, but its mostly mixed. So the slang both black and white kids speak is the same nowadays - if I close my eyes and listen to younger peeps under 25, I can't tell if they are black or white by the sound they make these days - thats in Hackney though and other inner London boroughs. The attraction for kids round these ends is that its very hard to avoid and many kids batch/click up because they are scared in the main and think that being in the estate/area crew will protect them - not being in a crew/gang means having to run the gauntlet of gang members living on your own estate. There is a lot of fear in our community.

I saw a film recently called 'Alpha Dog' - (I got it with a load of pirate dvd's from my local Chinese fella, he sells 5 pirates for ten quid he he) - I'm not recommending this movie because it was irritating as fuccc..but it was about these suburban, wealthy, bored youths who were into imitating gangster things, glorifying it, wanting to be it. And of course, it all ended in tragedy and foolishness. Fucccin idiots, apparently based on a true story.

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Unread post by andrew » June 11th, 2007, 9:10 am

ok....cool bro.......now id like to hear an american point of view..........especially from a suburban nongangmember with a thousand posts on here

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Unread post by Anesis » June 11th, 2007, 12:28 pm

So Andrew, you are basically trying to figure out why suburban kids who have had no real dealings with street gangs are interested in them?

I've taught in inner-city high schools and suburban schools, and I this is what I have seen recently:

In my area, there has been a demographic shift. A lot of the inner-city families are moving away to the suburbs to flee the drugs and violence, but in reality, they are only relocating with the problems. Those students then introduce their lifestyle to kids who have never experienced it.

So, it's like an infection. Ones that have been exposed (or slightly exposed) move out to areas where it's not common and suddenly they become a celebrity. A bad ass. And everyone loves a bad ass, right? So, they decide to start their own gang based on what they can remember and piece together from the Internet.

Also, in schools with few minorities, many people already expect them to act that way, even if they aren't exposed to it. For example, I've heard of teachers asking black or Hispanic students what it's like to be in gang for no other reason than the color of their skin. Some of it seems to be meeting cultural expectations.

I haven't seen too much of it in high school; mostly intermediate/middle school.

That's what I've seen, for what it's worth.

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Unread post by Lonewolf » June 11th, 2007, 2:10 pm

Anesis wrote:So Andrew, you are basically trying to figure out why suburban kids who have had no real dealings with street gangs are interested in them?

I've taught in inner-city high schools and suburban schools, and I this is what I have seen recently:

In my area, there has been a demographic shift. A lot of the inner-city families are moving away to the suburbs to flee the drugs and violence, but in reality, they are only relocating with the problems. Those students then introduce their lifestyle to kids who have never experienced it.

So, it's like an infection. Ones that have been exposed (or slightly exposed) move out to areas where it's not common and suddenly they become a celebrity. A bad ass. And everyone loves a bad ass, right? So, they decide to start their own gang based on what they can remember and piece together from the Internet.

Also, in schools with few minorities, many people already expect them to act that way, even if they aren't exposed to it. For example, I've heard of teachers asking black or Hispanic students what it's like to be in gang for no other reason than the color of their skin. Some of it seems to be meeting cultural expectations.

I haven't seen too much of it in high school; mostly intermediate/middle school.

That's what I've seen, for what it's worth.
And now you've heard it from the typical SMART ASS suburbanite :lol:

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Unread post by $outhPhillypuppet » June 11th, 2007, 2:32 pm

Anesis wrote:So Andrew, you are basically trying to figure out why suburban kids who have had no real dealings with street gangs are interested in them?

I've taught in inner-city high schools and suburban schools, and I this is what I have seen recently:

In my area, there has been a demographic shift. A lot of the inner-city families are moving away to the suburbs to flee the drugs and violence, but in reality, they are only relocating with the problems. Those students then introduce their lifestyle to kids who have never experienced it.

So, it's like an infection. Ones that have been exposed (or slightly exposed) move out to areas where it's not common and suddenly they become a celebrity. A bad ass. And everyone loves a bad ass, right? So, they decide to start their own gang based on what they can remember and piece together from the Internet.

Also, in schools with few minorities, many people already expect them to act that way, even if they aren't exposed to it. For example, I've heard of teachers asking black or Hispanic students what it's like to be in gang for no other reason than the color of their skin. Some of it seems to be meeting cultural expectations.

I haven't seen too much of it in high school; mostly intermediate/middle school.

That's what I've seen, for what it's worth.
translation=they wanna be cool like the gangsta kids.

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Unread post by Anesis » June 11th, 2007, 3:00 pm

Lonewolf wrote: And now you've heard it from the typical SMART ASS suburbanite :lol:
Suburbanite. That's funny. Not hardly. I'm certainly not living in 5th Ward, but calling me a "suburbanite" is defamation of character.

I do admit the smart ass part, though, but I don't really see where I was smart ass in my reply.

$outhPhillypuppet, I don't think they are trying to be cool like the gangstas; I think they are just trying to be cool. If something came along that was cooler, they'd pick that up. I think some might be homesick, and I think others feel like it's expected of them.

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Unread post by andrew » June 11th, 2007, 6:01 pm

yeah.....gangster aint cool........and im a gangmember though i dont bang anymore....shit i tell all the youngsters that want on the team do do something better with themselves.......i just hate seein peeps mimic us.....i think its disrespectful if you havent paid your dues.......a couple white boys just got put on recently and they are out tryin to earn more stripes than all the o.g.'s.......they got some chicano family and they live in nice houses and they want to come down and put in work......the homies represent dont get me wrong and i got love for them.........i just cant understand why......they were born with the world in thier hands

Anesis
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Unread post by Anesis » June 11th, 2007, 6:31 pm

Andrew, are you seeing mainly whites or do you think it's just easier to spot the whites?

The other thing is that even though the stereotype is that the people in the suburbs have it made. A house, two cars, decent schools, college scholarships, etc. But there is a lot that is hidden underneath. It's a different world.

Some of those kids are doing it to rebel against their parents.
Some don't have any parents.
Some never fit it with the "regular" kids.
Some just will never be able to live up to the expectations their family gives them.

In fact, it's the kids from the upper class families that are on the hard drugs, like cocaine. My poorer students just drink and smoke.

But the students that I have that are from well-to-do families are trying to bang. They are getting high and dealing. I think they are too racist to pretend to bang. They are the ones who'd have those MLK and Civil War dress up "parties" and not think a thing about it.

What do you specifically mean by acting gangsta? The lifestyle? The language? The clothes? Or just claiming to be in a gang?

Where do you draw a line between modern day fads and being gangsta?

andrew
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Unread post by andrew » June 12th, 2007, 1:43 am

so anesis.....are you part of a gang?ad if not what the fuck you doing on here with so many posts?

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Unread post by Noog » June 12th, 2007, 7:14 am

:shock: Hey Andrew man, thats not quite fair don! I'm not a gang member - mans dont have to be a gangmember to 'qualify' to be on these boards, peeps just need an interest, and theres many views/angles and entry points of interest. I'm a bit older....when I was a teenager, I moved with what we called a crew, not a 'streetgang' - my crew were made up of boys who lived in the same proximity and batched together through friendship. We did enjoy fighting with other crews - or arranging one on ones between crews, a sport. In the main we fought with fists and some weapons weapons but never firearms. I got shanked twice (first in legs and second slashed across my hand, almost severing my little finger right off, hanging by a thread!!), nose broken a number of times, ribs broken, arm broken when stamped after being caught in wrong place at wrong time by rivals. Sadly, I did things too hurt other teens too I don't feel proud of - jumping boys when in a batch, beer glass in a face and that kind of scumbag/loser behaviour. I was a smart kid and left violence alone after my early twenties, actively stopping ish if I could after that.
Later in my life, I wanted to use my experiences to help others...so thats what I do now. So any aspiring to be a street gangster is way old and out of date for me. Since those times, streetgang culture is here in UK whether I like it or not and my community is particularly affected - there are many gangs in my borough, don't know how many exactly, but the figure is 30 plus. The gangs here are not (apart from one) c or b ID stealers, but indiginous London 'ManDem' gangs..
Here in Hackney the gangs claim post code areas and rep those areas hard. Examples from a few Hackney post codes are -

London Fields Man Dem - formerly Hackney Man Dem aka Mashtown E8
Mother's Square Man Dem E5
E9er's
E5th Rydaz (now crips apparently - but the only one)
Holly Street E8
and a heap more

Anesis
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Unread post by Anesis » June 13th, 2007, 10:53 am

I think my profile says it all - I teach high school to at-risk students. I'm here for them. I'm not in a gang, although I have family members who are/were.

I don't make any pretenses as to what I am - which is why I originally came here for advice and to educate myself.

I stay because I still get something out of it. I'm not here to make friends. I'm not here to start a gang. I generally try to avoid pointless topics.

We are in the Prevention, Intervention, Education, and Awareness forum, correct?

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Garf
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Unread post by Garf » June 13th, 2007, 4:01 pm

Omg~ Ok. I did not come on here to read fuccin drama. You know who you are if you claim/claimed. DROP IT! I got relocated fuccin picked on every white suburban kid or minority not exsposed to homeland warfare picked and teased me I refused to tell, or show then, because I knew they would use it on the streets this is to them!~ How can wannabee's sleep at night trying to prove to wangstas the ways, wanting to go to heavily dangerous ares? If you got it good keep it. This inferiorates me, it's not cool, ever so disrespectful. I talk to people close to me that don't act like wangstas, and just tell me its over. I don't have to say anything to some fake ass thug all I have to do is give them the hard look! Mad doggin~. I still think I went throught it for a reason I want to flip it out reverse it and be an advocate for struggiling young teens. Which is why i'm still alive(Thankz to beinig relocated.) R.I.P. My fallen friends/conrades/soilders.

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Unread post by Old Shatterhand » June 13th, 2007, 8:20 pm

Andrew,

Honestly (and with respect), who are you to qualify everyone's purpose for posting on this board? Some of us grew up in hell and found our peace and now work for a better world in the way in which we understand it can be. These people represent the majority of old time posters on this board and are a diverse lot including black, la raza, white, and asian (listed in no particular order): though we are a diverse lot with differing belief systems. Some go the other way. And some are just suburban posers whose gang banging is confined to suburbia (with few exception [like those wiggers just put on the set]). Yes it's a mixed bag in here and if you're honestly curious I understand that. Understand this, mostly it's a place where those who grew up on the streets of Los Angeles in a neighborhood where gangs existed educate wannabes. I'd say the positivity (prevention, intervention, education and awareness) outweights the negativity (attempting to build up gangs and keep it going) by a large margin. There's one honest answer. Where do you fall in the mix? You've lived that life and seem to be a real person. Are you ready to become part of the solution here, part of the ongoing problem here, or opt out alltogether?
andrew wrote:so anesis.....are you part of a gang?ad if not what the fu-- you doing on here with so many posts?

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