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The following notes were taken from History Channel Documentary: Street Gangs, A Secret History, November 2, 2007.

Street Gangs represent the dark side of the American Dream, created by immigrants craving inclusion in a new country.  Orphaned and homeless youths banded together to survive. On the streets, they found protection in numbers and formed a surrogate family.  Gangs roamed the back alleys of cities and were primarily ignored until their violence spilled onto main streets.  The social divide widened, especially among Irish immigrants who faced rampant discrimination and unemployment, leaving them with few options.  Outside of Boston the Irish settled in New York City in a neighborhood called The Five Points, which was notorious for its poverty and criminal activities. 

The Forty Thieves was the first formal gang formed in The Five Points.  They defended their turf and controlled the area for ten years until their leader was hanged for murder. The Dead Rabbits, The Roach Guards and other gangs quickly rose to fill the void left by The Forty Thieves. Gang warfare broke out as each gang tried to establish their dominance and control of the area.  The first police force was formed to deal with the fighting. 

The victims of gangs were usually members of their own population and they controlled political organization with promises of votes or by intimating opposing voters.  The line between politics and gang membership became blurred.  Gang members began to offer their services to the public for a cost, ranging from broken bones to murder.  In 1911, NY adopted the Sullivan Law, which required a license for possession of a firearm in an attempt to control the violent gang activities.  During WWI, many gang members went to fight and their places were filled with young children.

Neighborhood gangs were mischievous thieves until Prohibition, when the gangs became organized.  Gang affiliation was now about making money, not protecting turf or ethnic pride.  During the early 1920’s the less fortunate found entrepreneurial opportunities and European immigrants found inclusion for the first time in America. Mexican immigrants were the new victims of discrimination and class division.  Some Mexican Americas labeled themselves Pajucos, which defined the marginalization of second generation youths.  The Pajucos wore Zoot Suits to rebel against acceptable society. Service men resented Zoot Suiters for flaunting disobedience to law and order and for not going off to war. Zoot Suiters were arrested when conflicts occurred and civil unrest escalated until hundreds were arrested and riots occurred throughout the nation.  It wasn’t until President Franklin D. Roosevelt demanded military personnel out of the area that the Zoot Suiters Riots ended.

The racial composition continued to change across America.  The organizational structure of gangs began to change after WWII, incorporating military strategies and jargon.
“The Wild Ones” and “Rebel Without a Cause” romanticized gang members and “West Side Story” showed the disharmony of racial groups but down played the graphic gang violence.

Police tolerated rumbles as long as innocent bystanders were not threatened. Some outreach programs attempted to stop fighting before it started.  They used former gang members who had street cred to talk to younger members.  For those who didn’t get out, gang members became more territorial due to influx of immigrants and the role of women in gangs increased.  Women were used as sex objects for the gang members and attempts were made to intercede, offering girls alternatives to gang life. 

By the 1960’s, social activism drove demonstrators to the streets and violent confrontations occurred.  Race riots shook the nation and neighborhoods were destroyed. The Vice Lords ran the streets of Lawndale, until 1967 when they joined the system instead of fighting it, to gain a better way of life. The Vice Lords then incorporated and opened several businesses, cleaned up the neighborhood and tutored youths. Other gangs were threatened by the growing membership and power of the Vice Lords, but their pleas for peace were ignored and violence continued.

Asian gangs, specifically Chinese gangs, are based in hundreds of years of social status and rivalries.  In America, many Chinese people were distrustful of laws, choosing to rely on gang members for protection and enforcement. Extortion of shop owners provided revenue for the gangs. Deadly rival gangs battled for control of territory in Chinatown.  The gang members grew numb to the violence because there was no room for the weak on the streets. Gangs were at war and collateral damage was an acceptable cost.

Influenced by the ideals of the The Black Panthers, two previous gang members formed the CRIPs -Community Revolution in Progress.  To survive smaller gangs banded together and formed the Bloods. The gangs were identified by the colors they wore and fighting for territory was fierce. Despite the positive intent of the Crips, the gang devolved into groups of street thugs who were self absorbed and unremorseful.  The introduction of rock cocaine in the mid 80’s destroyed any loyalty to the community and gang. Now individuals were driven by profit and greed. Crips turned on Crips,  turned on Bloods and innocent victims were caught in the cross fire. 

Law enforcement fought the gangs but at the same time, they alienated the communities they were trying to protect.  Black youths distrusted law enforcement and the Rodney King beating and subsequent LA Riots was the peak of violence between groups.  The Crips and Bloods declared a truce and took responsibility for their community and survival.  The gangs still exist, selling drugs, fighting for territory and intimating communities. The 18^th Street Gang was the target of a LA police unit called CRASH. The Mexican Mafia controls the movement of drugs and profits from prison, via the 18th St Gang.  CRASH overstepped civil rights of citizens, allowing police search with no probable cause, which caught the attention of the ACLU. While it’s wrong to take away one individual’s civil rights, at the same time it protects another’s civil rights.  In 1999, Officer Rafael Perez was arrested for stealing drugs from evidence and testified against CRASH to lessen his sentence and CRASH was disbanded.