NCJ Number
163837
Date Published
1992
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Based on interviews with Los Angeles gang members, this video examines gang member initiations, how gang members get their nicknames, the role of girl gang members, how gangs retaliate if a fellow gang member is shot, and whether and how a gang member can terminate membership.
Abstract
The video opens with the narrator noting the prevalence and extent of the gang problem in Los Angeles, accompanied by dramatized and actual video footage of gang activity and its results. The narrator advises that there are 900 gangs in Los Angeles County, and they are extensively involved in criminal and violent activities. Following this introduction, interviews are conducted with members of black, Hispanic, Asian, and white gangs. When asked about gang initiation or selection of new members, most said that their gang requires tests of expertise in surviving and countering violent attacks by gang members. Gang member's nicknames are derived from a their behavior, style of dress, or a prominent physical feature. An interview question about the role of girl gang members yielded a variety of answers that ranged from full gang participation that did not differ from male participation to supportive sexual and social roles in interaction with the male gang members. In answering the question about gang response to rival gangs who may be responsible for the death of a fellow gang member, the Asian gang representative said that such an incident would receive a thorough investigation before the gang decided whether and what type of response was warranted. Other gangs respond with a violent action to match or exceed the violence inflicted on a fellow gang member. Whether or not a gang clique or the full gang responds depends on the nature of the killing and the status of the victim in the gang. Regarding exit from gangs, some gangs require membership for life, others allow termination without recrimination, and many require that the member who wishes to leave the gang be punished with physical attacks by other gang members.