Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences ...



Introduction to GangsUniversity Studies 7: Course Plan*Power Points and Videos will accompany these lesson plansItalicized writing is class discussion/engagementsWEEK 1Topic: History of Gangs Materials:Syllabus PowerpointsIntroduction (11-11:05)Take attendanceThis seminar is designed to give you a little taste of how gangs are interacting in your society without you even being aware of itDiscuss a little about ignorance in our society/not paying attention to anything but what affects people directly Syllabus Review course description, objectives, grading scale, academic honestyAny Questions?***Disclaimer for the class mentioning that there will be content in this class that is gory and bad language. If anyone feels uncomfortable at any time, feel free to step outsideIcebreakerHave students say their name, major, and year and why they are taking this classQuick Write:Take out a piece of paper and write what you think the definition of a gang is. Write what else you know about gangs thus far. The Term “Gangs”The word “gang” as no negative connotations. In Old English “the work simply meant a number of people who went around together.”Today, the word means differentlyThere is no set definition for what a gang isThe term gang associates with “a group with an organized leader; a group whose members show unity through clothing and languages and a group whose activities are criminal or threatening to society.”Where did gangs originate? (Powerpoint)Discussion: Does anyone know where gangs originated? Gang violence traces all the way back to the 12th century where gangs existed, however, structured gangs did not appear until the 17th century.The first sign of modern like gangs consisting of structure took place in the early 1600s in London, England. A group of organized gangs, calling themselves the Hectors, Bugles, Mims, and Dead Boys, found excitement in destroying part of the city that was home to many residents.These gangs dressed in “colored ribbons to distinguish the different factions” which is one aspect that modern day gangs adopted from historyAccording to the Federal Bureau of Investigation “about 20,000 violent street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs with approximately 1 million members are criminally active in the U.S. today. Many are sophisticated and well organized; all use violence to control neighborhoods and boost their illegal money making activities” (Federal Bureau of Investigation). Why is this an important topic to cover?Any Ideas?Gangs are indirectly or directly affecting your lives everyday. People who are not directly affected do not care UNLESS it affects their daily livesCommunities deny having a ganging problem, or they overlook it unless it hurts them directlyGang crime and violence has had an impact on law enforcement, judicial and probation systems. Also affects our medical facilities, schools, shopping centers, and personal lives. Why do Gangs Form?Turn to a partner and discuss how gangs and fraternities and sororities relateThey relate because they are all looking for something to join with people who are like themHumans have been known to group together for strength, especially in neighborhoods that have a high crime rate, and gangs have been the number one way to provide that opportunity.The most common ages that have been documented for joining include, but are not limited to, ages thirteen to twenty-five.Because these youth do not have an established identity of who they really are or whom they admire, they rely on their peers and surroundings to influence their choices. Sometimes, joining a gang seems like a possible solution because they think it just simply makes them fit in. Gangs often do advertise security and family, which are the two main factors that children, who have no been brought up in a loving household, are looking for.Gangs not only provide “protection, power, and solidarity” but also a sense of identity and money (Short 86).But because these children are so young and easily enraptured, they do not see how the gang life will harm them until it actually does. Many of these young adults are influenced by family, friends, or their surroundings to join a gang for protection. Some are even just born into a society where gangs are the norm.WEEK 2Topic: Gangs and the MediaIcebreaker: Get up out of your seat and answer the following questions:Are all gangs corrupt?What are some gangs you know of?Do you know anyone in a gang?Why do Gangs pose a threat to society?Gangs have been problematic to society, and have caused racist ideas to continue to prosper.White supremacy refers “to the attitudes, ideologies, and policies associated with the rise of blatant forms of white or European dominance over ‘non-white’ populations” (Fredrickson 1). Although many people believe persons of color created gangs, the assumption is inaccurate. As stated before, the first sign of gangs were created in England for the idea of white supremacy. Whites have created an image to show that they are dominant against other races, which occasionally causes persons of color to feel threatened and feel as though they are inferior. Regardless of what anyone says, racism has not been eradicated, and it never will be. To this day, if we take a look at some of the gangs such as Wah Ching, Aryan Brotherhood, Mexican Mafia, Nazi Lowriders, etc., we are able to conclude that the names of the gangs are directly relating to the races of the members in the gangs.Gangs prosper off the idea of bias, racism and class distinctionThe Media Turn to someone next to you, and tell them what you think about the media and how it displays it’s informationThe media shows what it wants you to think about a situationDue to the media’s secondary claims, gangs are being glorified and gang members are looked as heroes and survivors.Falsely advertising money, power and successWhen a gang related incident occurs and a person of color is at fault, the media falsely portrays it as a racial issue versus a gang related issue. “The public, media, and local government agencies may become fixated on an ill-defined gang problem” and define the issues as racial homicides rather than suggesting that the overall issue of gangs is the cause of the crime.Ted Talk on the MediaWEEK 3Topic: Different Gangs in our Area/The World and Gang BehaviorPresentationDifferent Gangs Street gangs, criminal street gangs, modern day gangsTake out a sheet of paper and list the names of gangs you knowHave some people share to the classBehaviors of GangsMales comprise about 90% of the gang membership but there are females and female gangsMost gangs are without formal organization and the leaders are the strongest members. But some do have a formal structure and titles are associated with rank and responsibility.In gangs, actions speak louder than words. One “14 year old Latino gang member said, ‘The crazier you are, the more respect you get.’”All gangs use violence to intimidate, maintain control, influence others, and gain respect and commit crime to have status.Street and prison gangs are some of the most violent groups in America. For street gangs, fear is equated to respect. For some gang members, joining a prison becomes a goal (it’s like getting a highly ranked job after college)Prison gangs can have a direct influence on street-gang activity. Most gangs have some type of stylized dress, tattoos, graffiti, use of hand signs, spoken and written languages, stylized haircuts, use of certain colors, scars, body piercings, branding, substance abuse, weapons, etc. NO insult goes unanswered no matter how small(Photos)Latino GangsLatino street gangs are in the US and other parts of the worldSouthern CA street gangs are not the oldest gangs in the US but many other gangs have adopted the traditional Latino street gangs behaviors including their stylized dress, tattoos, graffiti, mentality and hairstyleSome of them formed because of gang migration, or undocumented immigrants looking for protection against the existing street gangs.Surenos and NortenosSURENOS: Outside of CA, the rivalry began separating the north and southGangs started using red and blue to indicate which part of CA they were fromThe Southern part started calling themselves the Surenos or Surenos-13They distinguish themselves by wearing blue, black or khakiNORTENOS: Northern Latino gangThey distinguish themselves by wearing some type of redBoth gangs are involved in crime such as murders, extortion, drug trafficking, and vandalism18th Street GangOne of the largest Hispanic street gangs in the country, also considered a transnational gang,Formed because of racism and bias on the part of Mexican street gang members against mixed-race Mexicans and non-MexicansInvolved in crimes such as auto theft, murder for hire, drive-by shootings, drug sales, arms trafficking, extortion, rape and murder.MS-13 or Mara SalvatruchaFormed in LA to assist other Salvadorian immigrantsUnique because they show no fear to law enforcementInvolved in drug and human trafficking, extortion, robbery, auto theft, intimidation, assaults and murder. Some were involved in check fraud operationsAsian GangsFormed because (culture shock) many of the youth became social outcasts because they had problems with language, mode of transportation, the monetary system, and education. Primary factor was culture and languageUnique because they are nomadic and don’t claim turf. They easily travel around.Korean GangsFormed because the culture shock and many families had parents work long hours, so the youth were left alone.Youth came together because they wanted to protect themselves and they shared common issues Committed robberies, burglaries, thefts and other crimesThere are also Filipino gangs, Samoan gangs, Vietnamese gangs, and Indo-Chinese gangs, ETC.Wah ChingFormed in SF because of bias, class distinction, and racism Dressed like Latino gangsSkinheadsFormed because of the White Supremacy movementCharacteristics of the gang: shaven heads, work style boots, tee shirts with suspendersColor: red but also white and blackHigh belief about themselves and their raceLike to commit crimes in small groups and hate crimeCrimes; drive-by shootings, home invasion style robberies.Not crimes are all violent such as identity theft or burning a cross in the yard of a resident, or drawing swastikas. Nazi Low RidersFormed within the California state Corrections systemSkinheads are a powerful base for the NLR and will follow any orders given by NLRWhite Supremacist gang, but any mixed race can join EXCEPT for African AmericansThey see themselves at war with Blacks, Jews and anyone they perceive to be non-whiteAlly with the Aryan BrotherhoodCrips and Bloods- will be going into further detail laterHomework: Read PDF of Gang Behaviors (pg. 59-65) and answer the following questions:What is earned through the use of violence?A member who tends to participate in a gang related crimes tends to demonstrate which five behaviors?Week 4Topic: Crips and BloodsIcebreaker: Turn to a partner and name as many gangs as you can from last class. Then discuss which one stood out to you specifically and why.In Los Angeles, surrounded by the California dream, lie two of the most violent gangs in history; the Crips and the Bloods.Some communities in Los Angeles have been known to be wealthy and others have been either poverty stricken, or declining. Economic, social, and cultural factors tend to nudge many adolescents towards joining gangs. This was not always the case; these gangs began as a result of racist incidents that repetitively put them down just because of the color of their skin.VIDEO: Crips and Bloods: Made in America 0:00-7:56DISCLAIMER: There is gory content and language in the video, if at any time you feel uncomfortable, feel free to step outside. How do you think the factors that Kumasi, Ron, and Bird mentioned affected them in their daily lives? How would you feel if you were in their positions? These young boys at the time had no intentions of being disruptive, but after continuously being stopped on the streets for no apparent reason and being told that because of the color of their skin they “looked like robbers,” they began fighting back against the racist community.From 1950 to 1966, a new chief had been put into position: Chief Parker. Parker had police officers take it to another level to treat blacks as though they were animals and make sure blacks stayed in their own neighborhoods at all times. This redlining caused those who crossed the invisible barriers to be harassed verbally and physically.VIDEO: 10:20-14:26Quick Write: Take out a piece of paper, and write down your thoughts and feelings about Crips and Bloods: Made in America. What do you think you would have done under the circumstances mentioned? Turn it in as you leave.Assignment due next class:Write a one page double spaced paper answering the following questions:What are some of the gangs we mentioned in class, and which one stood out to you the most? Why?Do you think there are any gangs currently in your hometown? Why or why not?PRINT and turn it in next classWeek 5Topic: Gang ViolenceWhat are some of the types of gang violence we have already discussed in class?Gangs use violence to intimidate, maintain control, influence others, and gain respect to commit crime and have crime.Violence is ALWAYS used whether it is last resort or the first optionNO insult goes unanswered no matter how smallStreet gangs and prison gangs are the most violent in the USLatino Street gangs: use violence to protect their turfBlack street gangs: use violence to sell crack cocaine and fight over turfAsian-American Gangs: work as mobile criminal enterprises and commit crime for a profitMany gangs have a “blood in, blood out” motto which means you must kill to get in.Review the FBI’s 2015 National Gang Report: through first statement on page 1Criminal activity for street gangs page 12Criminal activity for prison gangs page 16Criminal activity for outlaw motorcycle gangs page 24Show gang statistics on PowerPointReview requirements for the Group Project and put students into groups. Week 6Topic: Prison Gangs Prison gang membership is a serious commitment in becoming a lifelong gang member. Many street gang members aspire to join a prison gangPrison gang members have a direct influence on the criminal activities of the street gangs they are associated withMain reasons why prison gangs are created? For protection and controlDiscussion: Turn to someone next to you and answer the following question: How are prison members separated? By criminal activity? By race? By gang membership?To the outside, it seems like prisoners are separated by race. That is not true. The reasoning why it seems like this is because gangs are created for protection; so most people choose to associate themselves with their own race.Rival gang members are not held together for safety reasons. Why do you think so?Prison gang members are highly respected to their younger counterparts. They are seen as “the bad of the bad.” Why are they respected so much? They are held in high regard and the more violence a gang member is the more respect he gains from his peers.Mexican Mafia in Prison (EME)Formed in the 1950’s in prison for protection due to a power struggle in the California Prison system.Nuestra Familia (NF)Formed in prison in the late 1960’s formed for protection against the Mexican Mafia Northern StructureBecause of the involvement in criminal activities, NF was targeted for investigations and prosecutions by state corrections, local and law enforcement. NF created the Northern Structure to distract law enforcement attention away from NFAryan BrotherhoodWhite supremacy inmatesFounded in 1957 at the Duel Vocational InstituteBlack Guerilla Family (BGF)Most politically orientated gangs in prisonFormed in 1966, allegedly because of the White oppressionAllies with NFTexas SyndicateIntroduced to the California prison system in the 1970’s but had Texas rootsFormed for protection against other gangs, Activity: Jeopardy game on last couple weeks. Split students into groups and play until game endsHomework: Read PDF pages 143-151, there will be a discussion regarding the reading next classWeek 7Topic: Transnational Gangs What does the word transnational mean?Extending or going beyond boundariesWatch video on Transnational Gangs-MS-13: you can see, gangs operate not only nationally, but transnationally as well.Transnational gangs have been observed in Australia, Canada, Africa, England, Europe, Jamaica, Mexico, Spain, and the US.Some of the gangs who are found to be transnational are motorcycle gangs, some Asian gangs, Jamaican posses, Bloods, Crips, some Hispanic gangs and some prison gangs. Pass out article and have students read it. Then start a discussion:Which gang was focused on during this article?Can anyone sum up the first section of the article?How do you think gangs communicate transnationally?Globalization: defined as the “increased mobility of goods, services, labor, technology, and capital throughout the world.” There is a tendency for governments not to recognize the gang problem, which is often known as “Euro-paradox” or it might more aptly be name the “global-paradox.”Why do you think governments deny that they have a gang problem? How does this affect their society? What do you think facilitates globalization?Technology is the main factor in facilitating globalization, especially the advances in the telecommunications infrastructure and the use of the Internet.In groups of 3, discuss why how you think the media facilitates this?The media sometimes glorifies gangs by talking about the lump sums the drug dealers in the gangs make or by publicizing them. In the same groups, have students think of some claims they have seen in the media that have pertained to the glorifying of gangs, or glorifying some type of subject indirectly. Have students share to the classWeek 8Topic: Drugs and GangsShow quote to class:This is simply one quote from millions of people who experience this every single day when finding out their siblings, cousins, or friends are involved in a gang. If you were in his position, what would you do?Many gang members’ use, sell or deal drugs. Not all gang members are addicts, however that is one source of income for many of these gangs. Why else do you think gang members are involved in drugs?Many gang members use drugs because they feel lost, alone or confused. They take drugs to cope with their problems. Or if everyone in the gang is taking drugs, it just seems like the norm.According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs and prison gangs are the primary distributors of drugs in the USStreet gang members convert powered cocaine into crack cocaine and produce most of the PCP available in the USPrimarily Outlaw motorcycle gangs produce marijuana and methamphetamine. Gangs are highly involved in smuggling large quantities of cocaine, and marijuana and smaller quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, and ecstasy into the US from foreign supply sources.Without gangs, drugs from many foreign trafficking organizations wouldn’t reach the end user on the streetsAlthough gangs use drugs for profits, what do you think the “negative” effects are?Users under the influence are more likely to commit violent crimes because of the effects of the substance. Users commit violent crimes to get money for the drugs because drugs become a necessity. Do you think gang members in prison use drugs? How do you think they get the drugs into prison?VIDEO: Let’s take a look at the Alameda County Jail in CA and a Bergen County jail in New Jersey: Assignment due next class:Write a at least a one page double spaced paper answering the following questions:What did you think about the documentary we watched in class?Were you surprised to find out that drugs could easily get into jails?Why is King content with being in and out of jail over 100 times?Week 9Topic: Reduction Programs/Education Programs to Combat the Gang Problem How can we combat the gang issue? What happens when someone who holds a gang membership finally wants out? One of the largest problems that have helped gangs grow is the ignorance exhibited by people who are not directly affected by the problem. Many people and communities, in general, overlook the gang problem because they have either gotten used to it, or they do not even consider it a problem.As a result of this, according to Shelly Domash, an award winning investigative reporter for The Long Island Press, some communities “fail to concede that they have a gang problem until the gangs become firmly entrenched”The reasoning for this is because many people are overlooking the gang problem and have not found the passion in themselves to make a difference. Even though “tackling the gang problem is a difficult and often complicated undertaking,” there are possible ways to help reduce the amount of youth who join gangs in order to create a safer society.Throughout the last decade, law enforcement has put more of an effort to be involved in “a nationwide campaign to both exchange information and find ways to deal with gang problems in local communities,” Although there are possible solutions to the gang problem, not all solutions are entirely feasible. The main reason for this is because humans tend to do what they want to, not what they are told to do. Even though sometimes opportunities are handed to people, some decide to turn the opportunities down and take a different path.Police enforcement are not responsible for taking care of every gang problem until it directly crosses with the laws and this idea is often overlooked, as well. It is a parents’ job, and a community’s job to put a helping hand into gang prevention. There are many programs offered to help students become educated about the risk factors of joining a gang that sometimes changes their views from positive to negative about gangs.The most feasible way to minimize the gang problem is through education. One option of doing so is through public education in schools. Classes or community wide programs can be taught to make children aware of the problem that gangs pose. If the community is able to accept the problem, only then will they take affirmative action to help combat the gang issue. One example of this implementation is the Gang Resistance Education and Training, also known as G.R.E.A.T. This program was approached by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and “is an evidence based and effective gang violence prevention program built around school-based, law enforcement officer instructed classroom curricula.”As a parent, they can watch for signs of distance, attitude change or decrease of communication or family belonging and then understand when to put children in a program like G.R.E.A.T. (Violent Crime and Personal Safety). The results from this program after following a group of students for a year include “a 39% reduction in odds of gang joining among students who relieved the program compared to those who did not and an average of 24% reduction in odds of gang joining across the four years post-program”Another way of helping gangs and gang membership diminish slowly, is through reduction programs.Show Homeboy Industries video/website: How do prisons help those who are incarcerated? In the US, they don’t. Take a look at the differences in the prison system in the US and Norway: Although not all gangs are violent, they still pose a threat to society. After researching, I found that gangs are some people’s families, and even though violence is not the answer to filling a sense of family that is nonexistent, for some people the only way they will ever feel safe is to be in a gang with a gun or knife in their pocket. Some gangs even provide protection for various communities; however, the protection is served with violence. The most efficient way to help this issue is to work at lessening the gang problem through the reasons mentioned above, however, the only way for a change to take place is for a large number of supporters to end gang violence to speak up and do something about the problem.After knowing this, do you think a gang member can recreate their life?Assignment due next class:Final PresentationsWeek 10Topic: Why do you need to learn about gangs?Gangs affect you EVERYDAY whether it is direct or indirectly. It is important for you to understand what is happening in your neighborhoods and society. Have students get together in groups of 3-4 and discuss why they took this course, and was it what they expected? Why do we need knowledge on gangs? Have students come up in their groups to do presentations. ................
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