Introduction

I. -A Los Angeles family takes a wrong turn into gang territory and is fired
upon. A 3-year-old is killed and her 2-year-old brother wounded.

-A Chinese immigrant in Brooklyn is kidnapped by a Chinatown gang which

demands ransom
payments from her family. She is murdered when the family fails to pay.

-Two FBI agents and a police sergeant are murdered inside the Washington,
D.C. police
headquarters by a gang member.

-A Pittsburgh police sergeant walking home with his daughter is killed with
his own gun after he
stops and confronts a gang spraying graffiti on a street.

II. Resolved : that the Federal Government should pass laws to prevent the
development gang related youth violence.
Definitions-

1. Development: as defined in Websters Dictionary is "to make

more elaborate; to enlarge"

2. Gang: as defined in Websters is "A group of persons who are

organized and work together or socialize regularly; a group of
adolescent hoodlums or criminals; gang up on; to attack as a
group."

3. Violence: as defined in Websters is "Physical force or

activity used to cause harm, damage or abuse"

4. Youth: as defined in Websters is "The appearance or state of

appearing young; the time of life when one is not considered a
adult; a young person"

III. Our current juvenile justice system is no longer adequate for today's
hardened young gang members. Demographics indicated this problem is not going
away. In fact, only will get worse. This is a serious problem that can not be
left unchecked. If this is not addressed it will only lead to the decay of our
society. We must take action to combat gangs in a new way. Vice President Albert
Gore recently told the White House press corps, "Gangs have been a major cause of
the growth in violent crime in the past decade." He cited a Treasury Department
report that found the presence of rival gangs, the Bloods and the Crips, in 35
states and 58 cities across the country. At the same press conference, Attorney
General Janet Reno cited the impact of disabling one gang in New Haven,
Connecticut. Eighteen members of the "Jungleboy" street gang were put in jail, and,
according to Reno, New Haven's murder rate fell by one-third in 1993.

I. Outline of Need Arguments

A. Problem: Many highly rated experts warn of the impending youth crime crisis.
Youth violent crime has been rising dramatically for more than a decade. An
upward surge in youthful perpetrators of violence is complemented by an
unprecedented growth in youth living with little or no adult supervision.
Professor Dean Rojek, a sociologist at the University of Georgia, says, "For
decades violent crime
was driven mostly by adults, with kids involved mostly in property crime.... What's
been changing is
that you have juveniles becoming much more involved in violent offenses, with the
use of weapons. If
we add to this more babies, you could have a multiplier effect... a mini explosion
[in violent crime by
youth]." Gang's only heighten this problem.
California authorities describe the youth gang as a "violent and insidious
new form of organized crime. Heavily armed with sophisticated weapons, (gangs) are
involved in drug trafficking, witness intimidation, extortion, and bloody
territorial wars. In some cases they are traveling out of state to spread their
violence and crime."
According to the FBI, "The fastest growing murder circumstance is juvenile
gang killings." Almost one-third of Los Angeles' homicides are gang related.
Nationwide, the rate of violent
offenses by gang members is three times as high as for non-gang delinquents.
"Unless we act now," says Attorney General Janet Reno, "to stop young people
from choosing a life of violence and crime, the beginning of the 21st century could
bring levels of violent crime to our communities that far exceed what we have
experienced." Reggie Walton, a Washington, D.C. Superior Court judge who handles
juvenile cases, blames it on the disappearance of fathers. Walton says fathers
leave children to be raised by young mothers who themselves are often struggling
with mental or emotional problems, limited education, poverty and addiction. Walton
labels these children "walking time bombs."
This time bomb has been in the making for some time. Today, and historically,
young males commit far more crimes than other age groups. Teenagers commit the
largest portion of all crime in America. More than one-third of all murders are
committed by offenders under the age of twenty one. More murders and robberies are
committed by eight-teen year old males than any other group. (Paul McNulty,
"Natural Born Killers? Preventing the Coming of Explosion of Teenage Crime", 1995)

No matter the type of gang, most gang members are male. A Chicago study of
four police districts found that only 2 to 5 percent of gang arrested were female.
These females are typically
auxiliary gang members.
Gang members range in age from 8 to 22 years old, but there are exceptions
where tenure is often well beyond 22 to perhaps more than 40 years old. A counselor
in a juvenile detention facility in California said: "(If) you find a gang member
who comes from a complete nuclear family, a kid who
has never been exposed to any kind of abuse, I'd like to meet him.... a real
'gangbanger' who comes
from a happy, balanced home, who's got a good opinion of himself. I don't think
that kid exists."
Sydney Harris, a nationally syndicated columnist, said, "Gang members tend to
be chronic losers, who can accomplish nothing individually, or who live in so
depressed an environment that only by
banding together can they exercise any influence over their lives. In both cases,
they are as much to
be pitied as condemned."

B. Significance: Young males belonging to a gang have been proved to be much more
violent than non-gang members:
 Orange County, California probation statistics indicate that gang-related
youth had significantly higher law-violation rates (55.1 percent) than
non-gang affiliated youth (26.4 percent). A study of 20 years of data
collected by Philadelphia's police gang unit shows that "gangs engage in
more violent behavior than do delinquent non-gang groups."

A study in Wisconsin found that most violent crimes by youths were committed
by groups of three or more. This "pack" behavior, not surprisingly,
seems to be at the core of much of the rise in youth crime.

A study of New York City teenage gunshot victims found that 40 percent were
shot during school hours. Another study found that of children and
teenagers wounded in drive-by shootings in Los Angeles, 71 percent were
"documented members of street gangs."

Not only do gang members tend to be more violent than non-gang members, but
gang membership appears to prolong one's criminal career. One study found that a
"large portion of persistent and dangerous juvenile gang offenders become even more
serious adult offenders." Another study in
California found that previously-incarcerated gang members continued their lives of
crime after being
released.
Gangs are spreading across the country and are not just limited to major
cities. Bernard Friedlander, a University of Hartford psychology professor and a
violence expert, says, "This is an American problem, not an inner-city problem....
It's spreading slowly.... On one level it's simple fad
imitation... but on another level the isolation of youth is just as profound in
some of the more stable areas as in the inner city."
The spread of gangs can be attributed to at least three factors. First,
parents, desiring to protect their gang-culture-saturated children from the
hometown gang's influence, send them to relatives across
the country. Sometimes this strategy works. But many times this back fires and
helps transplant the gang
culture into a new community.
The drug trade has created entrepreneurial gangs which fan out across the
country to expand their markets. Franchises of the Bloods and the Crips are now in
most metropolitan centers. With their expansion, they have introduced collateral,
gang-like violence, reminiscent of the Mob earlier in the century.
To an extent the entertainment industry contributes to the spread of gangs.
The gang culture, value system and mentality are sprinkled across the country
through movies and "gangsta" rap music. These cultural amplifiers educate young
audiences to gang values and attitudes. They denigrate women, promote exaggerated
manhood or "machismo," and glorify violence. They also pass on gang language,
symbols, activities, and traditions.

According to Justice Department estimates, the United States has some 1,436
gangs and 120,636 gang members. They exist in all size communities and in rural
areas. The Justice Department figures are disputed by the National School Safety
Center, which in 1993 estimated that the Los Angeles area alone has at least 959
gangs with approximately 125,000 gang members.
There are many types of gangs. Some are black, white, Asian, Hispanic or
other ethnic-centered gangs. Others are structured around territory, commercial
activities, corporate businesses, political agendas, religion, music and special
types of crime.

Race/ethnic-based gangs: Larry Rawles, deputy director of Philadelphia's

Crisis Intervention Network, says, "When any ethnic group was at the
bottom, they formed gangs -- the Jews, the Irish, the Italians." Gangs
offered status, a sense of self-worth, and protection. Today, most gangs
are racially segregated (54.6 percent are African American and 32.6 percent are
Hispanic). Blacks and Hispanics constitute the largest numbers of
youths arrested for gang offenses today.
The all-black rival gangs, the Crips and the Bloods, have an estimated
70,000 members in Los Angeles County alone. They have franchises in most states
and metropolitan communities where they tend to dominate the crack cocaine trade.
Darlyne Pettinicchio, a probation officer in Orange County, California,
says, "(White gangs are) punk rockers and heavy metalers (who) come from
all socio-economic classes. They're of average intelligence and they're
capable youngsters. They have very little parental authority. They're
usually angry. Their dance is violent. Their music is violent. Their behavior is
violent. They're into anarchy."

Economic-based gangs: Some gangs are organized around a commercial activity.

Members may be all from a single race or the same neighborhood or they
may be very diverse. The glue that holds them together is making money.
They often see themselves as Robin Hoods or Bonnie-and-Clyde types who
practice their own version of free enterprise. A close cousin is the
corporate gang, which selects a type of industry or business and dominates the
field through intimidation and violence.

Territorial gangs: can be from any race or ethnic background. They lay claim
to a particular territory. They typically "tag" their territory with gang
graffiti and are willing to defend their turf to the death.
Professor Cornel West, a Princeton University social scholar, says in his
book Race Matters
"The frightening result is a numbing detachment from others and a self-destructive
disposition toward
the world. Life without meaning, hope, and love breeds a cold-hearted, mean-
spirited outlook that
destroys both the individual and others."
The youth gang satisfies a void. It provides the child a sense of identity,
belonging, power, and
protection. The gang satisfies the child's desire to feel secure. Living in a high-
risk environment
without paternal protection, the young gangster satisfies his insecurities by
aligning himself with a
gang, his surrogate family. The gang provides a protective barrier against the
outside forces. One gang member says, "Being in a gang means if I didn't have no
family, I think that's where I'll be. If I didn't have no job that's where I'd be.
To me it's community help without all the community. They'll understand better than
my mother and father."
This new "family" has a distinct set of values that affect every aspect of
his life. According to the Los Angeles District Attorney, "It confronts and
confounds adult authority on every level -- sex, work, power, love, education,
language, dress, music, drugs, alcohol, violence. As icons of popular culture,
gangs not only represent a powerful group identity utterly inaccessible to adults,
they are surrounded with an appealing aura of outlaw danger."
"Tagging" their territory with gang graffiti is common. It proclaims the
presence of the gang and offers a challenge to rivals. It may claim credit for a
crime. The denser the graffiti, the closer one is to the
gang's core territory. The Crips often mark "B/K" for "Bloods killers."

The gang problem is obviously a enormous one for Americas youth and must be dealt
with swiftly and effectively. My partner Tom will detail our plan later on in this
debate.
II. Outline of Plan

A. Program:
This program will detail ways of preventing some gang violence. No plan or
program could ever get rid of the gang problem as a whole. Our plan is primarily
focused on prevention but also includes some stricter laws as a deterrent to
others. Our aim is to significantly decrease the gang problem in America.

1.Higher mandatory school enrollment age:

Higher the age a child can legally withdraw from school to the age of 18.
This would make sure all children had a better education. It would also keep many
involved in school and off the streets, with out as much time to commit to criminal
behavior. Preventing "drop out's" from causing trouble often related to gangs. A
exception to this law would be made for any High School or GED graduate.

Cost: NONE; funding for these students is already in place

Enforcement: $50 fine for any illegal absence

2.More "Real World" training in High Schools:

Make vocational and other job specific classes more available. Not all teens
can or want to, go to Higher Education. If they had a career path right out of
High School many would not join gangs for economic reasons. Computer and other
high tech training will be available and well as the traditional Automotive,
Construction, ect.

Cost: Federal Government will not build one Stealth B-1 bomber plane
($1.1 billion).
Funds will be diverted to local school districts with the most
need for equipment.
Enforcement: All federal funding of schools will be revoked from any non
compling local jurisdictions

3. National Curfue Law:

A 12:00 midnight to 5:00AM national curfew for all persons under the age of
18. Exceptions would be made if the child was with a legal gardein or some one
over the age of 25. This has been very successful in reducing crime some
localities.

Cost: NONE
Enforcement: Any law enforcement officer can issue a (maximum $75
minimum $20) citation during regular patrol.

4. Expand the Drug Free School Zone Program:

Not only would drug penalties be doubled within a 1000 yard radius of any
school but also any crime that could be linked to gang activity the penalty would
also be doubled. From a illegally parked car to murder, all punishments doubled
for known gang members.

Cost: Funded via. sin taxes on items such as alcohol and tobacco.
Money would pay for extra patrols of school areas and added
jail time for those convicted.
Enforcement: Double punishment for any illegal activities that could be
related to gang activities. Quadruple penalties for any gang
members committing a drug related crime in those areas.

5. "Drive by's" act of terrorism:

By labeling thing such as "drive by" shootings, or any violence directed at

the public in general, an act of terrorism they would be a federal offense
punishable by death. Committing a federal offense normally carries a much higher
sentence than that of local jurisdictions, and is punishable by death no matter
what state the crime was done in.

Cost: Negligible
Enforcement: Punishable by Death (Capital Offense); Mandatory life in
prison for any adult involved. Juvenile Mandatory 50 years.

6. Expand programs such as Head Start:

Expand pre-kindergarden programs such as Head Start to be avalible for all,

just like public school. Will give millions of children, 2 and up, a preschool
program who parents previously could not afford. Also lets parents go to work and
get off welfare programs.

Cost: The cost of the school would be offset by the amount of

single parents being able to go back to work and therefor not
relying of welfare and food stamps.
Enforcement: NONE

B. Solvency:
Individual programs such as Head Start, Curfew, Real World Training, and Drug
Free School zones, have all ready proved there worthiness. Either by already
partially implementation around the country or full implementation in select cities
and proven to work.
New ideas such as Drive By's a terrorist act, and increasing the legal age to
leave school are both very workable ideas but have not to my knowledge been tested
in any fashion. These two programs need to be tested for say 1 year before being
implementing for the entire county.

C. Advantages:
While none of these six plans would do much to curb violent gangs alone, all
of them at the same time should make a noticed difference. Also side benefits of
my plan are:

Free preschool for all children older than 2 years of age

Allows single parents to work
Decreases gang and drug activity outside our schools
Gets tough with the most violent gang members
Encourages kids to stay in school
Better job training is offered for High Schoolers

III. Conclusion

"We've got so many kids out there who've lost hope, who believe in only
living for today," says John Turner, chief of police for the city of Mountlake
Terrace, Washington. "They join a gang and get
involved in criminal activity because there aren't any people taking them by the
hand in simple terms
and pointing them in the right direction, giving them self-esteem and positive
feedback."
Perhaps gangs exist because modern society has failed to harness the male
hunter/predator instinct and converted those energies to familial
provider/protector efforts. Delinquent young people lacking values, conscience or a
sense of remorse can easily find themselves drawn to the gang lifestyle.
Noted author James Q. Wilson writes in The Moral Sense that modern society
with its "rapid
technological change, intense division of labor, and ambiguous allocation of social
roles, frequently
leaves some men out, with their aggressive pre dispositions either uncontrolled or
undirected. Gangs
are one result." Wilson says the profits from illegal drug sales provide gang
members economic opportunities which combine with their uncontrolled aggression to
develop a "warrior culture that under invests in family life."
Converting male energy to familial provider/protector efforts has always been
the task of the intact family. But the nuclear family is declining, especially in
predominantly black inner cities where gangs dominate life and rain violent crime.
Many of these children join gangs to find purpose, security, and self-esteem. The
gang culture gives them a sense of belonging and remakes their value system.
Partying, fighting, and vicious gang loyalty become their primary values, thus
pushing aside virtues
that favor family life. This is a vicious cycle and it must be broken.
Given that youth gangs account for a disproportionate share of youth
violence, their potential for
contributing to a future crime wave is enormous. A recent decline in violent crime
appears to be more a result of fewer teenagers than better law enforcement. When
the current bumper crop of elementary-age children become adolescents, the violent
crime rate is likely to explode.

Gangs are the powder magazine, they must be dealt with before the bomb goes
off.
Rebuttal extensions-

Population of 14-18 year olds

Now 17,620,472
5 Years 18,628,635 + 6 %
10 Years 20,284,601 + 15%