Many of the most crime-ridden urban areas today have seen increased gang activity over time. In recent years, psychologists, sociologists, community leaders, and other professionals have attempted to pinpoint why young people join gangs in the first place. Through firsthand research and discussions with ex-gang members, there’s been significant progress made in determining why this… Read More

The number of gang members in the United States exceeded 1 million as of 2009. The top reasons for gang involvement are: low income learning disabilities and emotional disorders peer pressure 94% are male. Source: www.helpinggangyouth.com Unfortunately, it’s much harder to reach and save these kids and young men after they have entered a gang,… Read More

I remember something that surprised me when reading about gangs: Contrary to popular belief, most gangs do not recruit young children, but rather young children seek out gangs. I remember the two main reasons cited for why these children want to join gangs. For one, children do it to emulate family and friends. Secondly, children… Read More

Today, when I looked through the stories about self-defense, violence prevention, etc., I saw so much about gangs and gang violence. In my opinion, many of these reports and articles incorrectly view gangs as a cause of social problems. In contrast, I see gangs and gang violence as a symptom. Don’t get me wrong; I… Read More