Gangs, Belonging, and Acceptance Essay - 1177 Words

Gangs, Belonging, and Acceptance A 12-year-old boy comes home from school. He enters his home through the front door and notices his mother sobbing. There is blood on the tissue shes holding. The boy starts to ask his mother why she is crying when he realizes what has happened. She answers his silent inquiry about why, by quietly saying, your dad . . . hes on the back porch . . . hes had a bad day. Feeling helpless he goes to his room. From his window he can see his dad taking in the last swallow of beer and yelling, loud enough for the neighbors to hear, Hey, bring me another beer. And where is that worthless son of yours? He was supposed to mow the lawn yesterday. The boy, having seen this too many times before, leaves the†¦show more content†¦Commander Bryan Smith of the Corpus Christi Police Department, when asked what type of family life do gang members have, said they come from male dominated households or one-parent households. Many of these youth are from families that are female centered, they are not necessarily female dominated, because an aggressive male father figure can impact on the familys history, and more importantly on the childs psychosocial development. This parental male is perceived as the most powerful member of the family system, who gratifies his needs through the use of aggression and intimidation. Many of these youths have been physically abused by this male adult and also have witnessed their mothers and /or siblings being battered. If the male figure is no longer in the home, his presence survives in the form of fantasy or family mythology long after his departure. (Adler) Happy homes do not send many of their youngsters into gangs. Gangs are appealing to those kids who have unpleasant memories of their home life. There is emotional pain involved in most gang-members pasts. In the authors work (Adler) with Chicano gang youth, (most gang members in Corpus Christi are Chicano) they point out that the Chicano gang members exhibit violent and aggressive behavior. These youths experience intense feelings of isolation within their families, culture, school, community and church. These intense feelings are best explained by Adler, Because of their own experiencesShow MoreRelatedThe Criminal Street Gang Activity Essay947 Words   |  4 PagesMany experts differ on the definition of what a â€Å"gang† is. Police use the term to refer to groups that hold and defend territory, or turf. Experts use the term to describe any congregation of youths who have joined together to engage in a delinquent act (Siegel Welsh, 2011). 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