The Rise Of Female Gangs In The US

In the past, criminal gangs were mostly a thing of the Boys, and girls were not that common in the practice as they were termed as being inferior. This was the time when masculinity ruled the streets, and even if a lady committed a crime, she wouldn’t be suspected as much as a boy would. Historically, female gangs have been in existence, but they were mostly hidden in male gangs, and they had special roles to play, such as hoarding drugs, carrying weapons, and being used as ‘sex objects’ (MILLER). With them camouflaging, they felt inferior, and their roles were not making a statement; this was attributed to their small numbers in most gangs; they mostly made up 10% of the gang members.

This trend of ladies being protected by being in the male gangs has changed nowadays, and they are proving to be dangerous; they can be involved in violence like their male groups, but the magnitude of their acts never surpasses those of the male gangs (Delaney). This came into the limelight during the shooting of Tayshana Murphy at Morningside Heights in September 2011. Upon investigation, it was revealed that she was involved in a rivalry with a member of a gang she was in, and thus, she was shot; this also includes the teen Raven Walker, who was arrested for stabbing to death a young boy in June 2010 when a gang fight broke up on the Gunther Avenue (Hamilton).

According to reports from different media houses and the Department of Justice, the rise of female gangs has been worrying and something that needs to be addressed at all costs currently; there are more than ten female gangs in the US, and most of these ladies they come from the hoods where violence and gun fighting is a normal thing like sipping a Sprite drink on the sandy beaches. This is because of the attraction to flashy lifestyles and getting quick money all at a go; this also comes up as part of protecting themselves and making it an official identity among themselves. This also constitutes social instability in their backgrounds; the lack of supporting structure made them find where they could be loved and appreciated (Carrasco). In situations where a female was Jobless and hard hit with life, selling drugs and transporting weapons became one of their profitable avenues to make ends meet. Some of these notorious female gangs include Brooklyn, 2 Gurl Gunnas, Billion Dolla Beauties, Hood Barbies, the Harlem Hiltons, and Gun Clappin Divas, as police reports indicate. These female gangs have thrown out their reserved character and adopted a violent one, which they also use to act as ambush baits for other male gangs who have affiliations with them, and according to the trends being witnessed nowadays by the youth counselors, it has become almost impossible for teens to refuse to join the female gangs. The baits laid by the female crews have led to even good girls joining them just for fun and identifying with the hood, and funny enough, these kids perform well in school. The most common weapon that each of them has is a clutter knife, which they can hide in their pockets or bags without being noticed.

The rise in the numbers of female gangs has attracted the attention of different stakeholders of society to investigate and get the root cause of the, and a report that was released by the US Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention showed that the participation gaps in gangs between gangs had been closed down as males from high crime risk areas/hoods had 8.8% with the female’s 7.8% (Howell). These gangs exhibit a different behavior on class and factors of involvement, this is because in most times it’s taken black ladies and Latinos are the ones who get recruited in gangs, but that isn’t a factor as most of them were found to come from urban areas that experience poverty and high unemployment. Therefore, most researchers say that race cannot be blamed but the background setting of the families and their social life level (class).

With the increasing trend of girls joining female gangs, it is undoubtedly that the issue needs serious assessment. According to the National Gang Assessment Report released in 2008, most teens cited family and protection as an issue to joining gangs. The mentioning of the family brings into light the failures of close monitoring by the parents or kids being harassed at home and then later joining gangs. This is because the Females find themselves in an abusive family under deteriorating conditions, making them feel lonely and aggressive. By joining the gangs, they find family and identity. This sister gangs go ahead as much as protecting their own at all circumstances, this is a trait which shows that their establishment depends on the formation of a male gang around their hood for they copy most of their operation techniques and maneuvers which make them untraceable in times of crime.

Apart from the above-acclaimed issues for ladies forming gangs, the issue of popular culture has also been very poignant in their formation and membership. This happens because the media presented it as being good. Most of them found it to be attractive to be in the gang as they would be dressing as tomboys and throwing crazy-wild parties. The gangs start slowly with the idea of being friends to go out for runs and running social trips as per their wishes, and it grows out to be a full organization for crime and fulfilling their economic gains.

According to one study (Irving A. Spergel), these gangs can be stopped, and the ladies can be saved for the better of their future, like those who still perform well and have not been hooked on drugs and substance abuse. This includes the use of Community Organization and creating social opportunities such as Jobs and family-friendly grounds for heart-heart talks. In the past, suppressing the females and checking them to counseling services were the most used strategies, but these ones were not effective as these females still went back to their old behaviors immediately when their parole period was over; but this cannot be the case if the Government through the non-governmental organizations can help and mobilize community Organizations for a better cause which will impact the society well. This is because if the ladies are not saved from their behaviors, most of them, like 84% in gangs, will end up having kids and no responsible spouses as their engagements were random. Hence, to save a community and create a good image, investing in police and suppression will only escalate the problems. Social support and jobs are very vital in fighting these wars of rising female street gangs, which expose ladies to many dangers like sexual abuse, unwanted pregnancies, death, and substance abuse.

References

Carrasco, Valaree. “Female Gang Participation: Causes and Solutions.” 2 June 1999. Stanford.Edu. Electronic. 23 April 2018.

Delaney, Tim. AMERICAN STREET GANGS. W. Ross MacDonald School Resource Services Library, 2016. DOCUMENT.

Hamilton, Brad. “Rise of the Girl Gangs.” 4 December 2011. NEW YORK POST. ELECTRONIC. 22 APRIL 2018.

Howell, James C. “Gang Prevention.” An Overview of Research and Programs. 2010. PDF.

Irving A. Spergel, Ronald L Chance and G. David Curry. “National Youth Gang Suppression and Intervention Program.” Irving A. Spergel, Ronald L Chance and G. David Curry. National Youth Gang Suppression and Intervention Program. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1991. 308. PDF.

MILLER, JODY. ONE OF THE GUYS: GIRLS, GANGS AND GENDER. Douglas & McIntyre, 2006. E-BOOK.