Street Gang Violence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Street Gang Violence - Research Paper Example Policing force and governments across the world have come up with strategies to control street gangs but the process has become very complicated, Street gangs are always a step ahead of the government control agencies making it a challenge to control them. Street gangs have evolved to be very influential and powerful becoming a major threat to the society and the economy yet they are almost uncontrollable as they are always a step ahead of the relevant agencies and devising strategies that work will be important for the safety of people and economic growth. History of Street Gangs Unlike what most people think, street gangs started many centuries ago in Europe. There were gangs in the in 1600s in England that wore ribbons to identify themselves. In the 17th and 18th century, there were gangs in Germany that did criminal activities. The gangs at the time were made up of two to five members but there were some that had as many as ten or twelve members. These gangs were not really stree t gangs but they started the path to street gangs. After the Industrial revolution in England and Europe, many people in the society became rich. At the same time, there many people who were poor and lived in the slums, which became common at that time. People in the slums were looking for ways to take what the rich had. They formed groups which were mostly made up of young people between the age of 14 and 20 years. Each of the gang wanted to take control of a certain region within the city. Many gangs like the Redskins, Black hands and beehives were formed in the early 19th century. The gangs were spread across Manchester, London and Glasgow (Covey, 2010). At the same time, street gangs also started to be formed in the United States. The forty thieves’ street gang from New York was formed around 1820. This gang is one of the most popular street gangs in the United States. The gang was formed by Irish Immigrants who were trying to take control of New York City. These gangs we re involved in illicit activities like pick pocketing, stealing and violence. Some of the gangs in both Europe and United States were well organized and grew to feared gangs in their regions. At first, gangs were formed by people within a certain age group for example the youth in Europe. As time passed, street gangs evolved to be formed by immigrant minorities in other countries for example the United States. United States was a major hub for immigrants in the 19th century as it was growing and progressing very fast. Irish people were among the first immigrants in the United States. To survive, they formed gangs for example the infamous forty thieves in the New York City. Immigrants from other countries specifically Italy wanted to compete with the Irish Gangs in New York City. At the same time, there were other Irish Immigrants who wanted to form their own street gangs rather than join existing Irish gangs like the forty thieves. By the end of the 19th century, there were more tha n five common influential and powerful gangs in the United States. This country became the new hub for the Street gangs in the world. The gangs were mostly in New York and Chicago at that time. These two cities were the most common with immigrants (Andrews, 2013). United States continued to attract many immigrants from all over the world. Irish, Italian and Polish gangs were most common in the United Sta