Title: Gangs, Crime and Violence (California) - the California Crime and Violence Prevention Center Tarrant Cares, Texas
Headings: Gangs, Crime and Violence (California)
Add To Favorites
Gangs, Crime and Violence (California)
California Gang History
Recognizing Denial
Partnerships for Prevention
What is a gang?
Asian
African American
Hispanic
White
Age
Gang Migration

Content: While attempting to adapt to this change, the children became strangers both to their own families and to their new
homeland because they were not fully accepted into the culture. Add social dysfunctions, such as class distinction, bias and prejudice, and an “us versus them” attitude developed. The result is that some of these young people formed gangs. Initially, most gangs formed for protection, but quickly as gang membership grew, rivalries developed and violence escalated. While violence in the early 1940’s involved fist fighting, today it includes extremely violent and deadly acts, often perpetrated with guns. Even in today’s 21st Century society, immigrant or refugee groups can experience alienation. While social and cultural family stress has been a factor in the formation of many different types of gangs, it is not the sole reason that gangs form. Joining and maintaining membership in a gang is motivated by many other reasons. Some gang members report that they joined a gang because of a belief that they are missing something at home. It may not be money or material things, but a sense of belonging.