Family impacts

All members have different reasons as to why they join a gang. What doesn't differentiate is the impact they cause on their families, especially if they come from a non traditional gang family background. For they may be able to find comfort and a since of belonging with their "hoomies" (other gang members) and even protection but they don't realize how this impacts their family. For their simple involvement in the gang increases their exposure to drugs and violence for once they become part of the gang they immediately gain enemies, which won't only harm them but can also harm their family. Rivals won't take into account that their targets family has nothing to do with their gang alliance, they won't stop unless they complete there task. 

It also impacts the family relationship that such person has with there family, in general because most likely the family will disproof of there actions and clothing. This causes a lot of tension in particular between the parents and the teen. As a person who has lived through such experience I would have to say that it is very hard on the family and especially on the parents who work hard to give their kids the best opportunities in life. Though most parents don't realize that by working so much they are lacking to give their children the attention and focus they need, which is why some teens go out to the streets to find comfort. Once again this ties to our text book because of the reference that it makes about teens that come from a poor or working family class background tend to be more lenient to commit crimes and become part of a gang. 

Native Mob

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mn/downloads/eagle.fall.08.pdf

Like many of the gangs in the twin cities the Native Mob is "traditionally structured” (they have gang leaders, maintain illegal enterprises, etc.). The mob is composed of Native Americans who actively transport illegal drugs and guns from rural Native reservations to those located in the twin cities. This activity has increased the amount of violence in the reservations.

 As we can see just like the other gangs the Native mob isn't much different from others for it causes violence to its community and it makes, its money by one of the traditional ways (selling drugs, pimping, or stealing). They are mainly known by police due to the traffic of drugs which is one the reasons that gangs fight among each other causing violence. Though as quoted from an ex. gang member that I interviewed "Minnesota gangs aren't as violent as those in Chicago or other cities, for there is a bigger market in the twin cities." This means that the violence that is caused isn't entirely the gangs fault but in part it is also our society. For there is a demand of drugs across our society which draws gangs attention, this leads to violence for they fight over their territory and the supply they have. As stated in this article we can see that the "U.S. Department of Justice, found a strong correlation between an increase in illegal drug operations and the recent spike in national violent crime statistics".

Not only has it increased violence nationwide but also here in Minnesota, especially because it is easy money this includes ex gang members. “It is hard to draw away from it” as the ex gang member I interviewed stated "you go from being able to earn 1,000 to struggling to make it by." This "business" is being managed by gang members who are middle school aged for they are the ones targeted by the leaders. They’re like they’re guinea pigs who commit the crimes and make the “easy money” in order to not expose the leaders.

This is a smart tactic in their behalf for it makes it harder to dismantle the gang in a whole, for most of the traditional gangs are well structured due to their head leaders. Even though it protects the higher ranked it’s unfair for the teenage boys to have to proof their loyalty by committing crimes, especially when half of the time they won’t be seeing the profits in whole.  As I have stated in my first blog most kids, join a gang in order to feel important or protected which is not the case. Especially if you view it from an outside perspective, for the leaders aren’t actually caring for them, they’re just using them for their own profits. On the other hand the youngsters belief that they are just proving their loyalty to the gang. What they don’t realize, is that if they get caught in the process of the crime they will be spending anywhere from months, to years or even life depending on the seriousness of the crime.