Outline

Gang Violence in Washington D.C.

1. Introduction

• My conflict is gangs of Washington D.C. Vs. the residents of Washington D.C.

1. The residents of Washington D.C. would like to try and deteriorate the level of gang violence, in doing so they hope to see it go away eventually.
2. The gangs want to continue to cause crime because of the rival gangs between neighborhoods.

• There could be many different outcomes between both sides such as:

1. The residents could find a way to crack down on gang violence laws and, programs for kids and this could potentially lead to an end to gang violence.
2. The gangs could continue to cause trouble within the cities neighborhoods and, the residents wouldn’t do much of anything as far as prevention goes from stopping the gang activity.

• The causes if the gang violence were to not come to an end would lead to more gangs acting as they already do and the problem wouldn’t really get solved as fast or as well and this could also lead to the creation of more gangs and more violence among the residents and the gangs.

1. History

• Gang violence has existed in the United States all throughout the 20^th century and, attacked major east coast cities.  Cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, and, New York City. It eventually spread to many different areas in the United States like Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and, other urban areas.
• The history of gangs in Washington D.C. has many periods of ups and downs when it came to crimes and, the amount of gang activity. It started to become a problem around the 70s and 80s but hit its peak around the 90s.
• The 90’s were a particular time period where Washington D.C. went through a lot of gang violence and gang activity within its cities neighborhoods.

1. Triggering Event

• The main triggering event was the formation of gangs in the early 1900s because these gangs that were in the big cities lead to the gangs eventually spreading to many different cities around the nation.
• There were other events that helped to contribute to the increase in gang violence in Washington but it was mainly the increase in gang violence through out the late 1900s.

1. Side 1: The Gangs of Washington D.C.

• The gangs of Washington D.C. would like to continue to do what they’re doing because they don’t really think that they’re doing anything wrong they’re just doing what they’re doing to get by or they just don’t really care.
• There are three main things that gangs participate in violent crimes.

1. Drugs
2. Social acceptance
3. Money

• For most that live in poverty or just don’t feel accepted in school and at home then they often get involved with gangs because it’s a form of social acceptance.
•  There are many that live in very low-income families and they choose to sell drugs because it’s a fast way to make money and, many gang members sell and do drugs.
• The gangs also have rivalries among different gangs and, this often leads to gun violence because in order to feel in charge they have to prove themselves the be more powerful so sometimes they get into bad situations and, usually people end up injured or, dead because of this.
• Although the gangs bring many bad things to Washington D.C. they’re doing what they seem fit in order to feel in control, to feel social accepted, and to make money.

1. Side 2: The residents of Washington D.C.

• The residents of Washington D.C. want to see and end to gang violence because it often interferes with their everyday lives and many of there loved ones have been lost due to the increase in gun violence between the gangs.
• They want to try implementing different after school programs for the younger crowd that get into gangs at a young age mainly between twelve and thirteen.
• For the older generation mainly the older members they want to see stricter laws put in place for the different crimes they commit.
• These two solutions the residents believe could bring about safer neighborhoods and a decrease in gang activity around the city.
• They could bring a decrease in areas like:

1. Gun Violence
2. Crime
3. Gangs

1. Desirable solution

• Each side views their solution as the best one or the more desirable one.
• However the best solution to solve this conflict would be side two’s approach in trying to have more after school programs and, stricter laws on crimes and gangs.
• This solution could lead to a decrease in gangs, gang violence and, would lead neighborhoods being safer and less dangerous.

1. Conclusion

• Gang violence in Washington D.C. has been an ongoing problem within the city and throughout the world. The only was to see it stop is to act and come up with a solution.
• Each side wants completely different things but when it comes down to it the best solutions are to try to get rid of the violence and, the gangs in the city eventually.
• They all present different and, interesting arguments and, the out comes can vary depending on the solution that the city sees fit.

Blog Post 7: Washington D.C. Gang Violence

Blog post 7

What do you claim will be the desirable conclusion or resolution to your conflict?

The gangs of Washington D.C. want to continue to prove that they are on top and are the most superior out of all the gangs that exist in Washington D.C. They also need a way to get by as well but for some it provides social acceptance and a way to get by and make money by selling drugs for those who live in poverty some don’t want to get out because this how they get by and they see no direct problem to what they do and how it affects so many people.

“Instead, there are more armed robberies and burglaries by juveniles, who form their own groups to commit their crimes, authorities say.”(McCabe 2011) “These gangs are hybrids, banded together because they have something in common or are from the same neighborhood.” (McCabe 2011)

Reference:

McCabe, S. (2011, June 26) D.C.-area gangs younger, violent, and tech-savy. Washington Examiner, From http://washingtonexaminer.com/d.c.-area-gangs-younger-violent-and-tech-savvy/article/115579

Blog Post 6: Washington D.C. Gang Violence

Blog Post 6

What do you claim will be the desirable conclusion or resolution to your conflict?

D.C. residents want to see an end to gang violence because it has brought with it guns, drugs, and many other sorts of violence to the area. By accomplishing what they hope for the future they should set up more support groups and programs for younger children to prevent them from getting involved in the gangs and for the older gang members they should try and strengthen the laws that have been set before them on gang activity.

“Prevention programs are needed to target youths at risk of gang involvement, to reduce the number of youths who join gangs; intervention programs and strategies are needed to provide sanctions and services for younger youths who are actively involved in gangs to separate them from gangs.”(National Gang Center n.d.) “and law enforcement suppression strategies are needed to target the most violent gangs and older, criminally active gang members”(National Gang Center n.d.)

Reference:

Frequently asked questions about gangs. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/About/FAQ#q9

Annotated Bibliography

Francesca Cimilluca

Gang Violence in Washington D.C.

Duggan P. (2013, September 15). In D.C., bullets leave another child fatherless. The Washington Post, From http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/local/2013/09/15/bullets-a-burial-and-a-fatherless-child/?src=longreads

In this article the author is reporting on a certain story on how gang violence in the inner city of Washington D.C. is closely linked to gun violence. It focuses mainly on one person’s story and how he was killed because of the gun violence in Washington D.C. It also discusses how the residents of Washington are trying to handle this issue and how it affects them in their day-to-day lives.

I picked this article mainly because it focuses on a larger theme connected to my over all conflict which is gun violence. The article relates to my conflict because it talks about the inner city of D.C. it also talks about how the gun violence and gangs are a problem in the city still and how people deal with that on a regular basis. It focuses on the area of gun violence mainly and its definitely one of the things that people are most concerned with it seems. I thought it was helpful because it talked about the city I’m researching even though it didn’t talk about gang violence specifically it talked about one of the main problems that goes hand and hand with gang violence.

Zinsmeister K. (1990, June) Growing up Scared. The Atlantic, From http://www.theatlantic.com/past/politics/family/growing.htm

In this article it discusses how many children that live in poverty and low-income homes and neighborhoods and how this affects them and what they are trying to do in order to prevent them from getting involved with crime and gangs that are around them. It talks about how violence and gangs can effect youths across the nation and how they can suffer from this. The article talks about what exterior things effects these youths like their family life they neighborhood they live in the people they surround themselves with and the school they go to.

            I picked this article because it presents a good overview on how youths get involved with gangs and how this is causes and how it can affect them. It relates to my conflict because it talks about the main demographic of kids and teens that get involved with gangs and how this can affect them later in life. It also relates to my conflict because it talks about what the law enforcement want to do in order to cut down on gangs and gang violence. The fact that they broke down each key point that went into what leads kids and teens to resort to violence, crime, and gangs.

Short, J.F. (1990). Cities, gangs, and delinquency. Sociological forum, 3(4), 657-668

            This scholarly article goes into what gangs go through today and explores their history and what led them to what they are today. It goes into what a gang is and how this definition has changed and how it’s become what it is.  It also discusses what a gang is and what the criteria for gangs are and what leads gangs to become what they are.

             I chose this article because I thought it provided a lot of information on what a gang is and how they develop in different cities. It presents more of a broad overview on the topic and doesn’t focus specifically on one aspect of gangs. This relates to my conflict because it goes into what makes a gang and my conflict goes into gangs in general and what makes them want to cause violence in the Washington D.C. area.

Moore, J. (1990) Gangs, Drugs, and Violence. De La Rosa, M, Lambert E.Y., Gropper B. Drugs and Violence: Causes, Correlates, and Consequences. Rockville MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.

In this scholarly article the author discusses the meaning behind gangs and how they are developed it also talks a bit about the history behind gangs. It goes in the social science that relates to gangs and drugs, but it talks mainly about the stereotype that lies behind it. It talks about the economic strains on poor communities that suffer from gangs and gang violence.

            I found this article helpful because it went into some history of gangs but also provided relevant information about gangs today. This relates to my conflict because it discusses the background behind gangs and how they effect the neighborhoods or the cities they live in and my conflict goes into how gangs effect the people and residents of Washington D.C. It focuses mainly on the social science behind it all and defines gang behavior and gang violence.

Vigil J.D. (2003). Urban violence and street gangs. Annual Review of Anthropology. 33, 225-242.

            This scholarly article talks mainly about the immigration and the poverty that goes with gang violence. It talks about how gangs have become more integrated and multidimensional when it comes to immigrants participating in gang activities. It also dives into the socioeconomic and sociocultural experiences that immigrants who participate in gangs go through or experience.

            I picked this article because it went into one of my themes that goes with gang violence in cities and that is immigration or immigrants that participate in gangs. This relates to my conflict because Washington D.C. has some of the larger immigration numbers and I thought it would be an interesting theme to explore a little bit more. It focuses on the specific area of immigrants and how they are connected to gang violence.

 

 

Primary Source: Washington D.C. Gang Violence

Link: http://frontpagemag.com/2013/dgreenfield/how-washington-dcs-illegal-alien-friendly-policies-promote-gang-violence-and-child-rape/

This picture shows an illegal immigrant that is getting arrested for gang activity and violence in the Washington D.C. area. The purpose of this picture is to show how gang activity leads to people getting into trouble with the law because of the violent crimes that these gangs commit. The value of the picture tells me that my conflict is still an issue that the people of Washington D.C. are still dealing with constantly because gang activity exist in many neighborhoods in D.C.

Washington D.C. Gang Violence Articles

Both articles, “Police Chiefs Focus on Disparities in Gun Violence, With an Eye Toward Solutions” and “D.C. area’s high-end neighborhoods not spared from gang violence”, highlight the presence of gangs throughout many of the neighborhoods in Washington D.C. The social class of the neighborhood, whether they be wealthy and or poor does not make a difference in the acts of gang violence throughout the region. The articles declare that the time to take action about this is now and not later. The primary difference between the two articles is, “Police Chiefs Focus on Disparities in Gun Violence, With an Eye Toward Solutions” talks mainly about the gun violence that gangs bring to many poor areas of cities such as Washington D.C. and what possible solutions they should take in order to stop these violent crimes that are brought on by different gangs. The article, “D.C. area’s high-end neighborhoods not spared from gang violence” talks about crimes such as rape and sex trafficking throughout the different more affluent areas of Washington D.C. Both articles have the same relative point of view that is gang violence needs to come to an end sooner rather than later because of the high crime rates and the danger they bring the innocent people of these neighborhoods. Both articles have proximity to them and prominence. Proximity because it’s local news to those living in the D.C. area and prominence because this is very important to the people whose lives are affected due to high gang crime rates as in Washington D.C

Sources:

 

Durgin, C. (2013, July 10). D.C. area’s high-end neighborhoods not spared from gang violence. The Washington Times, From http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/10/dc-areas-high-end-neighborhoods-not-spared-from-ga/

 

Goode E. (2012, April 27). Police Chiefs Focus on Disparities in Gun Violence, With an Eye Toward Solutions. The New York Times From http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/28/us/police-chiefs-focus-on-disparities-in-gun-violence.html

 

Gang Violence in Washington D.C.

Conflict Summary

Washington D.C. is just one of the numerous cities around the globe that suffers from gang violence among their neighborhoods. The innocent people and the gangs of Washington D.C. are the groups of people involved in this particular conflict. This conflict has caused quite a few issues between both parties. One of the main issues is it has caused the gangs to bring a lot of crime and violence to many different neighborhoods. This is mainly due to the rivalry between gangs and the trouble that goes on within the gangs themselves. Gang members commit crimes such as drug dealing, shootings, rape, homicide and robberies. The gangs tend to want to create more crime in order to seem more in charge and assume more of an alpha or leadership role in comparison with other rival gangs. The people of Washington D.C. work hard to eliminate or lower the crime levels in an attempt to get rid of the crime.  The ideal outcome would be to eliminate gang violence that follows most of these gangs. The reason gangs are a target for crime prevention is because their actions include many violent crimes, which makes for very unsafe living conditions and promotes, causes, and encourages dangerous neighborhood activities and is directly tied to increase in gun violence. 

 

References: 

• Frequently asked questions about Gangs (n.d) Retrieved from

            http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/About/FAQ#q9

 

• Horvath A. (2013, January 4) Deterring gang violence by building connections across crews. Metro Trends Blog, From http://blog.metrotrends.org/2013/01/deterring-gang-violence-building-connections-crews/

 

• Noble A. (2013, May 27) D.C. drive-by shooting blamed on rival gangs. Washington Times. From http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/27/dc-drive-by-shooting-blamed-on-rival-gangs/?page=all