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Law and Order

Gangs in America

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Pre unit quiz

Why do people join gangs What was the RICO act What is prohibition What is organized crime Explain “blood in blood out” What is racketeering What is embezzlement What is money laundering

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History of Street Gangs in America

Northeast Region (Mainly New York) First period of Gang Growth (1783-

1850’s) First gang-like groups emerged

immediately after the American revolution ended (1783) Made up of white European immigrants

The first real gang (forty thieves) formed in 1826 in the back room of Rosanna Peers’s greengrocery in New York Five points district

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Northeast Region ( New York)

Gangs also developed in Philadelphia and Boston but not to the extent of New York

Three developments that contributed to gang development ▪ Social disorganization in slum areas▪ The establishment of greengrocery stores ▪ The involvement of politicians in street gangs

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Northeast Region (New York)

Second period of Growth (1860-1920’s) The government center for New York

(Tammany Hall) grew more and more corrupt

The influx of millions of immigrants created deplorable conditions in the slums

gang membership skyrocketed Police either could not fight the gangs or

were so corrupt they turned a blind eye

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Northeast Region (New York)

By 1913 gang membership was at its highest point in history

In 1916 a war on gangs was declared and the police arrested more than 200 gang leaders

China town was established in New York city and Chinese gangs controlled the opium, gambling and political power

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Northeast Region (New York)

Third period of growth (1930-1980) gang activity shifted from Downtown to

Harlem and the Bronx Immigrant groups started to come from

Latin America (Hispanics mostly from Puerto Rico) and from the southern states (African Americans)

Black Gangs appeared in 1950’s During the 1980’s new Asian and Non-

Puerto Rican Latino immigrants populated gangs

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Midwest Region (Chicago)

Just after the civil war Chicago became a magnet for eastern European immigrants

There was a great need for labor and ghettos started to arise

They made up the early gangs (just like New York)

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Mid-west region (Chicago)

First period Many of the first gangs came from the

volunteer fire departments after the an official fire department was

established they emerged from the saloons

Similar to New York the politicians became involved

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Mid-west region (Chicago)

Second period This period started in the 1930’s The immigrant population changed to

Mexicans and African Americans from the south

They fought with the white gangs Between 1940 and 1960 three major

street gangs emerged: Devils Disciples, P-Stones, and the Vice Lords

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Mid-west region (Chicago)

Second period In 1960 the Latin Kings were formed Around this time 51 high rise housing

projects had been developed for low income people, these became breeding grounds for gangs

Black gangs fought with each other based on turf

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Mid-west region (Chicago)

Modern day gangs From 1980 to 1990’s four gangs

dominated: Black Gangster Disciple Nation, the Latin Disciples, the Latin Kings and the Vice Lords

By 2006 Chicago had destroyed the high rises and gangs started to spread out of the city

Drugs and guns financed the gangs

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Gangs in the West (Los Angeles)

1930’s to the 1940’s Latino gangs dominated They formed around barrios (neighborhoods)

As new immigrants came north from Mexico they increased the size of the barrios

These gang members never fully acculturated to the United States

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Gangs in the West (Los Angeles)

1940-1964 another 4 million Mexicans settled in the United States, most settling in Los Angeles

Two major events proved pivotal in the forming of Los Angeles gangs The Sleepy Lagoon murder and the Zoot

Suit riots of the 1940’s

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Gangs in the west (Los Angeles)

Black gangs formed with the migration of African Americans from the south to the north

Social dysfunction led to the creation of gangs (as in New York and Chicago)

Wars broke out between the Latino and black gangs fighting over territory

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Gangs in America

Violent crime Gang violence ▪ There are more than 24,000 gangs in the

United States▪ There are over 760,000 members ▪ Department of Justice survey, 20 percent of

students aged 12 through 18 had contact with street gangs

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Gang Violence

More than a quarter (28%) of students in urban schools reported a street gang presence

They fund their operations by selling guns, drugs and human trafficking

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Gang Violence

Why do people join gangs They want to feel accepted They are looking for power They are afraid Peer pressure

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Organized Crime

Organized Crime: involves the criminal activities of a group of people whose purpose is economic gain

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Organized Crime

The roots of organized crime can be found in the political machines that operated in New York (Tammany Hall) and Chicago

Gangs tended to organized by ethnicity

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Prohibition

The National Women's Temperance Movement and the Anti-Saloon League gathered support to pass prohibition into law

The 18th amendment to the constitution was passed in 1919

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Prohibition

The Volstead act gave power to the Internal Revenue to enforce the law

Fines: possession $1000 and 1 year in prison If you sold alcohol $2000 and 1 ½ years

a permit was issued for the possession of alcohol for religious reasons and a prescription for medical reasons

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Prohibition

Bootlegging: (smuggling illegal alcohol into the United States) created great wealth for gangsters

Criminals filled this void and organized around the sale of alcohol

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Organized Crime

Violence became a way of life as the early gangs ruled the streets

With the 21st amendment to the constitution prohibition was repealed

They returned to prostitution and gambling

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RICO

Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) Enacted October 1970 to put the mafia

out of business Under RICO any member of an

enterprise that has committed two of the 35 crimes within a 10 year period can be charged with racketeering

If found guilty they face a fine of $25,000 and 20 years for each charge

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RICO

They would also forfeit all money gained from those illegal acts this includes any made by the business

The act also allows any one who had been hurt by the criminal actives to sue in civil court for triple the damages suffered

When indicted on RICO charges all assets are frozen

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RICO

Famous cases Hells Angels Gambino Crime family Latin Kings Winter Hill Gang (Whitey Bolger) Genovese crime family (first case where

a mafia don was convicted under RICO)