Street robberies and you

[ellisonz]

57. Biker gangs are street gangs?

Not in sociological terms. I would agree they sometimes engage in similar behaviors, but there are important differences. Biker gangs and organized crime groups would chafe at being described as street gangs. Want to try again?

Part 5:
Kinds and Names of Gangs

Kinds of Gangs

The world of gangs is very complex. I didn't expect to find that. When someone mentioned the word gang to me before I did my research, it conjured up images of a group of young men standing on a street corner at night selling drugs.

In reality, there are many kinds of gangs in the United States and elsewhere. They may be categorized in several ways: by their degree of organization (from loosely organized street gangs to highly organized crime units such as the Mexican Mafia and Sicilian Mafia); location (i.e., street gangs, prison gangs); nation (i.e., Bloods and Crips, Gangster Disciples, People, Folk, and Mexican Mafia); mode of transportation (i.e., car clubs, biker gangs); or longevity (i.e., generational); to name a few.

Another way in which to categorize gangs is by the ethnicity of their members and may include Latino gangs, Asian gangs, and gangs composed of people from countries such as Somalia, Russia, Kosovo, Jamaica, China, Japan, Laos, Cambodia, Korea, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Ghana, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Viet Nam, and nearly as many more as there are nationalities on the planet. There are even gangs or near-gangs in other countries which would be best classified by their religion or faith.

According to Jerome Skolnick, a distinction could also be made between neighborhood-based gangs and entrepreneurial gangs. Neighborhood-based gangs are a more traditional type of street gang and are turf oriented. Protecting the 'hood (neighborhood) is a primary goal, as is socializing. Entrepreneurial gangs are oriented toward the commission of criminal acts for profit. Skolnick believes some neighborhood gangs are developing into entrepreneurial gangs. (Skolnick, 1995)

More: http://people.missouristate.edu/MichaelCarlie/what_I_learned_about/GANGS/kinds_of_gangs.htm