Gang Violence

Apocalypse United States Senate Judiciary Committee Topic: Gang Violence Director: Ethan Bull Assistant Director: Polly Minden e MUNC 2020 | 1 © 2020 Highland Park Model United Nations/Congress(HPMUNC) This document was created solely for the use of Central Jersey Model United Nations and Congress (CJMUNC) 2020 and eMUNC I. Other uses are not permitted without explicit permission from HPMUNC. Please contact us at [email protected]. e MUNC 2020 | 2 INDEX POLICY DILEMMA ……………………………………….3-4 CHRONOLOGY……………………………………………. 4-8 ACTORS AND INTERESTS……………………………..9-11 POSSIBLE CAUSES………………………………………...12-13 PROJECTIONS AND IMPLICATIONS...…………..13-14 COMMITTEE GOALS……………….…………………….15 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS…………………………….16 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………17-19 e MUNC 2020 | 3 Policy Dilemma According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), there are an approximate “ 33,000 violent street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs criminally active in the U.S. today” 1. Although there is no universally accepted definition, federal law defines a “criminal street gang” as “an ongoing association of five or more persons that has as one of its primary purposes the commission of criminal offenses [...] its members have engaged in a continuing series of such offenses within the past five years” 2. A majority of states have legislation that defines the term “gang”, all of which include criminal/illegal activity or behavior. 3 Though these definitions provide guidelines for the classification of gangs, the gang dynamic remains largely misunderstood. This is a result of myths, media exaggerations, and propagated misconceptions that distort the reality of these organizations. By analyzing the emergence of gangs throughout American history, their evolution, and the catalysts of gang growth, we can assess the accuracy of such myths and improve our understanding of gangs and their impact on present society. According to the National Gang Intelligence Center’s (NGIC) 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment (NGTA), “ Gangs are responsible for an average of 48 percent of violent crime in most jurisdictions and up to 90 percent in several others” 4. Most gang-related violence occurs in major cities and suburban areas, with the most significant threat posed by local gangs and drug crews. Because street gangs are involved in violent criminal activities, including assault, drug and weapons trafficking, firearms offenses, and homicide, gang violence has become widespread around the country. The influence of gangs can “disrupt the socializing power of schools, 1 “Gangs.” FBI , FBI, 3 May 2016, www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/gangs. 2 “1 14. Criminal Street Gangs.” The United States Department of Justice , 22 Jan. 2020, www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-114-criminal-street-gangs. 3 “BRIEF REVIEW OF FEDERAL AND STATE DEFINITIONS OF THE TERMS ‘GANG,’ ‘GANG CRIME,’ AND ‘GANG MEMBER.’” National Gang Center , National Gang Center, Dec. 2016, www.nationalgangcenter.gov/content/documents/definitions.pdf. 4 “201 1 National Gang Threat Assessment.” FBI , FBI, 25 June 2010, www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/2011-national-gang-threat-assessment. e MUNC 2020 | 4 families, and communities”5 all of which encourage responsible citizenship. Gangs induce fear in their local communities, which can cause social destruction and ultimately reduce the quality of life of the residents. The committee should be prepared to assess gang violence across America, with a focus on the cause and effects of the violence. We will discuss how best to implement holistic responses that aim to prevent, intervene, and suppress the problem. Chronology 1950-1960s: The Latin Kings were founded in Chicago in 1954 to protect Puerto Rican immigrants from racial violence and discrimination. They were highly organized with several levels of leadership, from the local level to the national level. In the 1960s, the 18th Street gang was founded by undocumented Mexican immigrants and Mexican youths near 18th Street and Union Avenue in the Rampart area of Los Angeles. The cliques are semiautonomous and do not answer to a central authority. The Sureños (meaning southerners) were founded in 1967 as a group of Mexican American street gangs. The name was derived from an incident in the California prison system, in which a Northern Californian Hispanic inmate was killed by a member of the California Mexican Mafia (La Eme). The Sureños associate with La Eme, though there exists no national structure or hierarchy, with most Sureños gangs operating independently under the leadership of a “shot-caller”. The incident also led to the formation of La Nuestra Familia (NF) as a reaction to the killing and abusive rule of La Eme. The Norteño (meaning northerner) gang associates with the NF and is so well organized that they have a written constitution designating California’s Pelican Bay Prison as the residence of their leadership. In 1969, the notorious Crips street gang was established in Los Angeles. Academics believe that the gang was inspired by the belief that the Black Panther Party failed to achieve its goal of the immediate end to police brutality and murder of African Americans. 6 5 Mora, Victor. “Police Response to Juvenile Gangs and Gang Violence.” , 31 Mar. 2020, oxfordre.com/criminology/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264079.001.0001/acrefore-97801902 64079-e-79. 6 Howell, James C., and Elizabeth A. Griffiths. Gangs in America's Communities . Third ed., SAGE, 2016. e MUNC 2020 | 5 1970s: The original Bloods, a term now used to identify both the West Coast Bloods and the United Blood Nation (UBN), were formed in 1972 to provide protection from the East Coast Crips street gang in Los Angeles. In 1978, the Folk Nation and the People Nation were established, both as alliances between Chicago street gangs as a result of Mayor Daley’s “war on drugs” in 1969 which moved gang leadership into prisons. Folk gangs include La Raza, Spanish Cobras, Spanish Gangsters, Latin Eagles, Two Sixers, International Posse, Simon City Royals, Black Gangsters, and factions of Disciples. People Nation gangs include Latin Kings, Vice Lords, Spanish Lords, El Rukns, Bishops, Gaylords, Latin Courts, and Kents. 7 1980: Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) was founded in response to the persecution of Salvadoran immigrants by other Hispanic gangs. Though its presence has been reported in 42 states and the District of Columbia, the MS-13 threat is largest in the Los Angeles area and northeastern region of the United States. MS-13 is transnational, and cliques exist in several countries, including El Savador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. The organization of the cliques varies; some are highly organized, while most have little formal structure. 8 7 Howell, James C., and Elizabeth A. Griffiths. Gangs in America's Communities . Third ed., SAGE, 2016. 8 Howell, James C., and Elizabeth A. Griffiths. Gangs in America's Communities . Third ed., SAGE, 2016. e MUNC 2020 | 6 Image of an MS-13 gang member and his identifying tattoos for ‘membership’. 1980-1990s: Several jurisdictions noted a dramatic increase of gang-related issues in the 1980s and 1990s, which suggests rapid emergence of gangs during this time period. A possible explanation for the sudden increase in gang activity relates to the influx of immigrants during the 1960s. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 removed the ability to limit immigration on the basis of national origin. 9 By the late 1980s, much of the “new second generation”, born to post-1965 immigrants, reached adolescence. Generally, gang joining begins amongst the second-generation youth. Additional influences on gang activity in the 1980s include economic segregation, governmental policies, an exodus of affluent city residents to suburban areas, shifts in gang relationships, migration (the extent of which is debated by those studying gang migration), gang subculture and media attention, and the growth of the drug trade. 10 9 “Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.” US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives, 3 Oct. 1965, history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/. 10 Howell, James C., and Elizabeth A. Griffiths. Gangs in America's Communities . Third ed., SAGE, 2016. e MUNC 2020 | 7 2014-2016: From 2014 to 2015, America experienced a 12.1% increase of homicides, and from 2015-2016, there were 17,250 homicides, an increase of 8.6% from the previous year. Over the two years, that averages an increased 21-22% of homicides in America.1 1 Former executive of the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), Darrel Stephens, said that many departments within major cities cited “ gang violence and retaliation, violence associated with drugs, the overwhelming number of guns in many U.S. cities, and even problems related to conflicts originating on social media” as the main causes of increased crime over the two-year period 12. Chicago in particular accounted for a large percentage of the violence, and experienced its deadliest years in over two decades. Just in 2016, 765 homicides occured in the city, and the victims and perpetrators were disproportionately young, African-American males. 13 However, experts of a study published by the University of Chicago suggest that the characteristics of the violent crime in Chicago remain largely unchanged from previous years, as a majority of the incidents involved guns and likely resulted from an altercation of some sort. 14 The wave of violence during these years sparked a discussion about the balance between national, state, and local policy. June 20th, 2018: Members of the East Coast Trinitarios street gang chased and hacked to death 15-year-old Lesandro Guzman-Feliz after mistaking him for a rival gang member. Lesandro attempted to hide in a nearby bodega, but the group found him, dragged him outside, and proceeded to attack him with machetes and knives. Crime levels in New York City were at all-time lows, but the brutal attack on Lesandro awakened awareness of the work to be done, 11 The Marshall Project.

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