Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You conflated gangs with illegal immigrants. Pretty much all street dealers are part of some gang.
False.... A crew of thugs is not a gang. Furthermore, a huge percent of those who sell drugs on the low end don't even have a crew. I'm grew up in this element. Lastly, you many people are practically forced to join a gang in jail but on the outside that affiliation vanishes.
Wrong. This is the official definition used by LE and applies to all statistics about gang crime. It includes what you call a crew of thugs.
"(1) an association of three or more individuals; (2) whose members collectively
identify themselves by adopting a group identity, which they use to create an
atmosphere of fear or intimidation frequently by employing one or more of the
following: a common name, slogan, identifying sign, symbol, tattoo or other physical
marking, style or color of clothing, hairstyle, hand sign or graffiti; (3) the association’s
purpose, in part, is to engage in criminal activity and the association uses violence
or intimidation to further its criminal objectives; (4) its members engage in criminal
activity, or acts of juvenile delinquency that if committed by an adult would be
crimes; (5) with the intent to enhance or preserve the association’s power, reputation, or
economic resources; (6) the association may also possess some of the following
characteristics: (a) the members employ rules for joining and operating within the
association; (b) the members meet on a recurring basis; (c) the association provides
physical protection of its members from other criminals and gangs; (d) the association
seeks to exercise control over a particular location or region, or it may simply defend
its perceived interests against rivals; or (e) the association has an identifiable
structure; (7) this definition is not intended to include traditional organized crime groups,
such as La Cosa Nostra, groups that fall within the Department’s definition of
“international organized crime,” drug trafficking organizations or terrorist organizations."