Chi Raq Research Paper

I was born on October 6th 1992 in Modesto California. I was raised in the West Side, which is predominately known for its poverty, gangs, and violence. The neighborhoods that I grew up in were heavily populated by minorities such as Cambodians, Mexicans, and African Americans. Within these minorities there were separate gangs that would all fight amongst each other. For example the Cambodians had the Asian Boyz and the West Side boys, Mexicans had the Norteños and Sureños and the African Americans had the Crips and Bloods. I never affiliated myself with any of these gangs but was often exposed to their lifestyles either through my oldest brother or by simply living on the wrong side of town. My oldest brother was gang affiliated and he

Chicago has the biggest gang problem in the country (Thomas & Bass, 2009). “There are more gang members per citizen in Chicago than anywhere else in the country” (Thomas, 2009, para 4). The average Chicago gang leader is 43, convicted of murder and lives in the suburbs. That leader on many occasions directs his gang from jail (Main, 2006) and 95 percent of inmates in the Cook County Jail are gang members (Thomas, 2009). Gangs are everywhere today just like they use to be. The high number of gangs causes violence and deaths to rise in Chicago.

Englewood wasn’t always the number one most violent neighborhood ; it became this way due to unemployment rates and gangs evolving throughout chicago . Which leads to the question of “ To what extent were gangs and unemployment rates responsible for the amount of violence in Englewood “ ? Within this historical investigation , research will be done on the amount of and the type of gangs that are associated within Englewood . Everyday someone dies and every second someone gets shot . It’s very essential to know where the conflict derived from and how ; hence , why this topic is so interesting , in most people’s opinion . Also , this is very important to research because most African Americans live in Englewood . It’s come to a point where everyday could be your last and everything you love can all be gone in the blink of an eye. Also , research will be done on the unemployment rate within the Englewood area .

Though the world has advanced in science, technology, and cultural advances through literature, music, and philosophy, some bad have lasted throughout the centuries. Violence and addiction are still present in today’s society. Whether in the area of what was labelled “Chi-raq”, where gang violence is reaching highs in homicides, or across the country, where unemployment and job insecurity have made suicides and drug abuse among white middle age men the highest it has ever been. Despite being what could be called modern problems, the Bible has many verses that could help or give spiritual advice to these people struggling in the world today.

I’ve lived in Chicago almost all my life. There’s a lot of neighborhoods in Chicago; Good and bad. Living on the south side of Chicago most of my life would make you think there’s nothing but violence in the city. Even though Its bad, I enjoy the neighborhood I live in now. The neighborhood I live in is Roseland, but I grew up in Englewood. Both neighborhoods are similar, but they have their differences.

Chicago has the highest gang population in the United States (www.huffingtonpost.com) and the highest amount of gun related murders to boot. As an effect of these crimes, many of the targets are not the rich and the powerful but instead are the weak and the poor. Those that cannot defend themselves to a great extent, they are seen as easy targets that will soon give up if it has taken too long to find the culprits. Since the underclass is the primary target for crime from the underclass it is like they are just undermining themselves in order to gain some type or upper hand on the next man that holds no real bearing. Even when taking “good moral” individuals some have turned to crime because they see no other way to make means for themselves or their loved ones. Some of these people have been laid off and have no other source of income, their back is against a wall and they want out. They want so badly to have money again so that they survive and not live on the streets like they see others, so they commit crimes for others that will pay. It is because of this desperation that violent crimes still thrive and until people realize this then violent crime will still keep the underclass suppressed. (www.clombia.edu)

A notable place of rapid crime is the “Death Alley”. Located near South Vermont Avenue between Manchester Avenue and Imperial Highway. Nicole Santa Cruz and Ken Schwencke from the Los Angeles Times wrote an article “South Vermont Avenue: L.A. county’s ‘death alley’” is home to “churches, liquor stores, mortuaries one of the highest rate of homicide in L.A. County” (Santa Cruz and Schwencke). Not only have sixty people been killed, but the kills can be traced back to gun violence or gangs. Additionally in the last seven years, “100 people-nearly all of them male-have been killed in the 1.8 square miles” (Santa Cruz and Schwencke). After all, the data collected Westmont has the highest rate of killing overall. Not to mention in the documentary “PTSD and Gang Violence In South Central L.A’s “Death Alley” by Dell talks about the continuance of a war in a war zone. In the first place the “South Vermont Ave Westmont area has been going through a tragic turf war between the Hoovers, Raymond Crips, Eight-Trey, Gansta Crips, Rollin 100’s Crips and many more “ (Dell). There is a very slim chance for peace anytime soon. Thanks to the “fourth shooting and numerous retaliation killing going on daily in Death Alley” (Dell). The youth who have been raised in the area have grown and have relatives in gangs, often seek revenge against their rivals. The Westmont kids grow up with an endless cycle of violence. A life that can lead to death and more grief. In the long run violence against violence never solves anything that is why Westmont must stop for it is causing problems to the

I am a good fit for Phi Delta Chi because I am outgoing and I am always open to new ideas. Everyone comes from different backgrounds with different ways of seeing things and I am someone who is open to listening without making any judgements. I am also someone who wants to learn as much as possible so that I can give back to the community. Joining PDC will give me an opportunity to learn more about the chapter so that each year, I can educate others on what we do and how they can benefit from joining.

There are hundreds of gangs all over Chicago. These gangs are reckless and try to show their superiority by shooting rival gang members. When committing such acts, these gang members fail to realize that they aren’t the only ones who live in this city. There are

¨Gang members have been responsible for 61 percent of all homicides [in Chicago] in 2011, up from 58.7 percent in 2010¨ (Hidden America). These are some of the few disturbing statistics about gang violence in Chicago; however, as many people do not know, gangs have not always been about drugs and violence. In the early 19th century, gangs are not what people perceive them to be today. Gangs in the 19th century were volunteers with the fire department back in the Antebellum Period, which is the period before the civil war and after the War of 1812. As time went on and as the professional firemen forced the volunteers to break up, they started spreading apart. Then by the late 19th century, gangs started developing on the south side. This is

The neighborhood is a couple of blocks in a rural area or urban area. Saying this, this is not to be said about the African- American community because they tend to have much more hostility in neighborhoods. The hostility stemming from people without any guidance, willingness to die in the name of respect for their property or the supposed right to be able to take from others because of their status in the neighborhood. As stated, by Edward S. Shihadeh and Darrell J. Steffensmeier, “unusually high level of violent crime in black communities… Homicide is the leading cause of death among urban black males… Although blacks represent only 12% of the population” (729). When in all actuality many within the African- American community do not own property and have developed spite for each other for no apparent reason. Due to tension within the neighborhood it is commonplace for neighbors to contact law enforcement without having tried to solve the problem with their respective neighbor. This can be especially damaging to a neighbor within the African- American community because of the sometimes very awkward interactions between police and suspected suspects in the community. Where in some extreme cases, there are shots fired by the officers at the suspected suspects and they end up dead. This issue has been present in America for decades if not centuries. The

The correlation between gangs and drugs has always been an issue for the United States government. Major cities often overlooked the problem of youth gang violence, thinking it was only a 1960’s trend. Sixty years later, gangs and drugs continue to be a problem, but in an increasing number within urban, suburban and rural areas in the United States. People may characterize this problem with words such as violence, increase drug activity, and delinquencies, but not many seem to see the bigger picture. Lack of interaction, collaboration, and strategies from law enforcement, youth centers, businesses, churches, and political icons are increasing gang violence and drug related offenses in major cities. In such cities as Chicago, minority groups are the most vulnerable to joining a gang, which then leads to an involvement with drugs; they are faced with barriers – lack of family support, poverty, segregation, unemployment, etc. An incident that happened in Chicago history is the closing of the Cabrini-Green Project, where people involved with gangs had to find a new home, scattering gang-members throughout the city, and eventually leading to their spread and growth.

chances for a good education and happy life. Gangs are now a haven for rats.

The Social Work Dictionary defines a social problem as “a condition among people leading to behaviors that violate some people’s values and norms and cause emotional or economic suffering”. The above definition accurately describes the social problem that gangs are, and their impact on a community. People who live in gang infested neighborhoods live daily with fears of losing their lives and the lives of loved ones. That fear, along with the fear that their family members will join the gang, or that they will be physically harmed in some way by the gang. They may exhibit many emotional, psychological and physical problems that people who don’t live in gang infested neighborhoods do not. Since before the 1940’s law enforcement and others have attempted to put a stop to gangs. These solutions usually hampered gang activity but didn’t eradicate it. Gangs evolve their practices over time to adjust to law enforcement tactics. Today gangs are involved in sex trafficking rather than drug dealing. Sex trafficking is easier to hide, more profitable and has less legal ramifications.

The sociological analysis of gang membership explores the different types of effects that arise due to criminal involvement. Because of the social conflicts that are associated with gang membership, this paper will explore the different theories of social learning and both personal and control issues that relate to the recent surge in crime across Chicago. As we open the doors of a crime ridden society, the truth begins to unfold. It isn’t just the thought of helping, it is the action that remains the barrier between living a life of crime or a life that carries hope.