Moises Gutierrez

ENG 114B

Professor Turner

April 4, 2017

Institutions

Gangs exist around the world, but here in the United States they are a major problem;

more specifically in the Los Angeles area where this type of institution begins to affect the local

community socially and economically. In Los Angeles, gangs have been increasing a vast

amount. Gangs are an organized group of criminals, meaning that the objective of a gang is

nothing but negative. Here in California, specifically speaking about the Los Angeles County

which by the way is the gang capital of the nation according to www.lapdonline.org. , there are

almost 50,000 active gang member and about 500 gangs in Los Angeles alone. This institution is

negative because to an extent, it affects the people within the community and it affects the

economy of the state.

In Los Angeles the so called gangs started to form around the 1920s with Hispanics and

African Americans being the main contributors of gang formation. Hispanic gangs formed in

order to have unity within their community or their barrio. It was not until the 1980s when

gangs that incited violence and that is when the white, and Asian gangs formed.

Los Angeles is notably one of the largest cities in the country, meaning that it is more

prone to gangs since Los Angeles is one of the biggest cities in the country. With gangs

increasing there will be an increase in violence that will affect the people that live within the
community. According to www.lapdonline.org, During the last three years, there were over

16,398 verified violent gang crimes in the City of Los Angeles. These crimes include 491

homicides, nearly 7,047 felony assaults, approximately 5,518 robberies and just under 98 rapes.

These are just the crimes that get confirmed that it was due to gang violence, but there are crimes

that go unnoticed and are not reported that they are due to gang violence.

Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, I came to realize that gang violence was a

reality. I have had experiences in which gang violence is present within my community. Within

the community I live in three large gangs are separated by three cities that are closely related to

each other. These three cities are San Fernando, Sylmar, and Pacoima. These gang are well

known by the people because teenagers or people in their early to mid-twenties are who form

these gangs nowadays. Some of my friends have fallen victim to this gang epidemic and it is sad

to see that the life they could have chosen would have been way better had they not joined a

gang in the first place.

Moreover, gangs affect not only one person, but the community as well. Gangs and gang

violence affect the people closest to the member of the gang. I have had friends that have passed

away because of gang violence. More specifically, I had a really close friend that I had played

soccer with and had known for a long time and he fell victim to a gang; he became a member of

the gang in Pacoima. He was a very calm and cool human being that liked to have fun when he

was younger, but as he grew older he got involved with the wrong crowd and was influenced by

his older brother to be in a gang since he was in one. Recently he got shot in the stomach once

and could have died but luckily survived. My friend was shot because he was part of a rival gang

of the gang that shot him.

 Additionally, my friend had another incident where his house was shot at because the

gang knew where he lived. This caused him to move and live in Mexico in search of a better life.

The irony is that many come here to America in search of a better life, but my friend left due to

the gang violence he was experiencing here. I cannot even imagine how his mom felt knowing

that her son was being searched and sought after by other gangs and getting shot at because he

was part of a gang.

Additionally, gangs affect not only the person involved in the gang. Parents get scared

because kids can grow up to hang out with the wrong crowd and this should not be happening in

society. Parents should not have fear that their kids will grow up to become shooters in gangs or

people who steal in gangs. I say this because I was surrounded by this epidemic and I never got

the point of joining a gang because in the end what are you really representing? Just a piece of

land that is not even yours in the first place because it belongs to the city.

Furthermore, gangs affect society because the people in the society are the ones who end

up paying the price literally of gangs. According to Legislative Analysts Office, the cost to

incarcerate an inmate in California is roughly 71,000 dollars. People who pay taxes suffer

because the people are who pay to keep people in jail. This is the truth about society and it

should stop because why do the people have to pay for something that they do not even incite to?

At least all that money people pay to keep someone in jail should go towards something different

that will help individuals such as education.