Gang Violence And Substance Abuse Essay -- Drug Addiction Essays

Gangs in the United States are becoming more violent and deadly than ever. Thousand of people are dying each year from these ill-mannered thugs. In today's societies gang activity is an everyday occurrence whether it includes violence, drugs, death or any illegal activity in which they participate. The research that I have conducted will focus on how the selling of drugs by gangs members can lead to violence/death and how turf wars between rival gang can also lead to death. In recent years the selling of drugs has increased in the world of gang members. It is their primary economical way to acquire money to support themselves and their family. In doing so, they are destroying people's lives. Gang members will stop at nothing to sell their drugs for a profit, even if it means that they have to hurt or kill someone. They will sell drugs to anyone as long as they make their money. A gang member must have street knowledge and have the skill to protect themselves as well as their profit. This kind of activity is extremely dangerous to others, innocent bystanders and even the gang member themselves. There are many ways that this activity is dangerous. Gang members may front (give the customer some drugs in which they have a certain time to repay the cost of the drugs back) the drug to a customer whom they believe to be a loyal customer. This can be very deadly if the customer does not pay the gang member back. If the front is not repaid the gang member or the whole gang will come looking for the person who owes money. The gang members will hunt down and hurt or even go as far as kill the person the first chance they get if the person is found. If they can't find the person they will go the extra mile and threaten to kill someone in the person family. They want to make it known that a payment is due and soon. If a gang or a member is jacked (drugs stolen, usually at gunpoint)from another person, gang or junkie, it too is an automatic death sentence. Gangs are always strapped (armed) and ready for anything that might go wrong. Their number one priority is to preserve the drugs well being and to alleviate their quantity of drug to make a profit. If a person interferes with this process they are interfering with their business. That means they have to suffer the consequences that will follow from it. While a gang is in the process of selling drugs they must be ... ...ve no means of moving on to a better and much cleaner one. I wonder why that is? I believe that gangs affect human development. People are affected by their irresponsible actions. The ordinary people who want to live life to the fullest have a hard time doing so because gangs interrupt that cycle by their attitude and by their violent actions. People are scared of them and don't want to come into contact because they fear for their lives. They won't even pass through their neighborhood because they don't want any trouble. Businesses suffer because of gangs. They lose business and customers and as a result the business may have to close down. The neighborhood the gangs live in are worth nothing on the markets because they are all run down and in a neighborhood that is considered a bad section of town. There is no prosperity in selling the neighborhood because there is no one interested in buying it. The reason is because the fact that it is gang territory and that it is run down. Gangs affect many people and their lives and will continue to do so because I believe that they will always exist and they will never come to an end because people are sucked into this lifestyle every day.