Feature Article Task - Teens and gangs.

by coolgirlruthhotmailcom (student)

Feature Article Task

Surviving inequality: teens risking lives in gangs to get by

Gun shots aren’t exactly the ideal sound one would want to wake up to, but for some teenagers the sound is part of their day to day lives. You wouldn’t find these youths on the streets of Beverly Hills or anywhere in Orange County, the sounds are heard in the poorest of neighbourhoods while the rich drive around town in their expensive cars. The divide between the poor and rich continues to grow while someone’s bank account also continues to grow

Gangs and drug rings thrive on the poorest of neighbourhoods and the targets to be the messengers, are none other than the vulnerable teenagers who roam the streets looking for a sense of direction. These teenage messengers then eventually end up supplying the wealthy people who need their monthly ‘doses’.

For teenagers growing up in poor neighbourhoods, life isn’t always the easy or enjoyable and many teenagers in these neighbourhoods feel as though people will judge them for where they come from, and in some places this is the case. Despite efforts by governments, many teens choose the ‘fast life’ over the promising life because it seems like the easy way out. Being part of a gang shouldn’t be seen as an easy way out, rather a fast way to leave this earth forever as statistics have shown that a gang member is 60 times more likely to experience death by homicide when compared to the general population.

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Statistics from NCVC ( The National Centre for Victims of Crime) and youth help organisations show that over 40% of gang members are under the age of 18 and that there has been a dramatic rise in gang related violence since the early 1980’s. Another statistic shows that children who live in poorer neighbourhoods are much more likely to be abused or neglected as a child and victims of abuse are 53% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile and 38% more likely to be arrested of a violent crime.

Gang involvement is so common in poorer neighbourhoods due ...

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Gang involvement is so common in poorer neighbourhoods due to a number of factors but the most prevalent one is the factor of social inequality as poorer neighbourhoods have less opportunity for the youth when compared to affluent and suburban neighbourhoods which have the sense of community and safety needed to build an environment suitable for teenagers.

Often it is seen that many teenagers who live in an area where there is a local thug join the gang out of fear as it would be better to have ‘protection’ than to die trying to protect oneself from the local gang.

Of course now the question of the authorities must be raised and it might need to be asked what are the police doing about this? The police force often have many strains on their backs when it comes to this issue as there have been many gang related deaths of teens. Ever to often do teenagers get caught in the middle of the cross fire between justice and crime and the life of the youth is ended with the pull of a trigger. There are other options for the law enforcement that wouldn’t result in the death of any member of a gang. Officers can train to understand how to read graffiti as this is one sign of the presence of a gang and this will allow the police to know which area the gang affiliates with.

The state can also help by setting up hotlines and programs which target schools in poor areas in order to develop ties with the school and to teach students that there are other options to getting a better life which do not resort to violence or putting their own lives in danger.

Another way to reduce the teen gang statistics is for governments to provide funding into the poorer areas to create programs for the kids and teenagers so that they are given an equal opportunity, whether it is through recreation, education or for employment. The government needs to send the message to the children so that they understand that they don’t need to turn to a gang if their lives take a turn for the worst. The youth needs to be educated as many great minds and lives are lost because of gang violence as each and every child has potential to do something with their lives.

Prevention is the most effective method to accomplish a drop in crime and the government needs to provide more funding in schools as well to allow teenagers in these poorer areas to realise their own potential and so that they may have a chance of experiencing life beyond the violent streets they wake up to each morning.

Inequality between neighbourhoods has caused many families grieves and many young people have died trying to survive in communities where death seems closer than survival. Teenagers shouldn’t have to grow up in a society where they gamble their lives in return for the hope of waking up the next morning. For some of the teenagers in poor neighbourhoods, everyday is a fight and they award themselves for surviving till the next day. It is appalling that they should have to live in a world like this and for that reason, the divide of social inequality needs to be narrowed for the future of the next generation.