Madison Frederics
Crips and Bloods: Made in America Analysis
July 25, 2010
A gang is a group of youth who engage in delinquent behavior; gang delinquency is
different from group delinquency because gang delinquency involves long-lived institutions that
have a distinct structure and organization. Gangs often include identifiable leadership, division of
labor, rules, rituals, and possessions (Siegel and Welsh pg 292). Gangs do not follow an equation
or a specific formula rather they vary by activity, makeup, location, leadership style, ECT.
Contemporary gangs are formed from different ethnic and racial backgrounds as well as both
genders. Today the number of female gang members and female gangs is rapidly increasing
according to some jurisdictions. However on a national level less than 10% of gang members are
female; smaller cities and rural counties reported higher percentage of female gang membership
compared to urban areas (Siegel and Welsh pg 300). The ethnic distribution of gangs
corresponds to the geographic location. In Philadelphia and Detroit the overwhelming majority
of gang members are African-American and then in New York and Los Angeles Latino gangs
are predominant. The racial and ethnic composition of gangs is an extension of the
characteristics of the larger community (Siegel and Welsh pg 304). According to the national
youth gang survey, African-American and Hispanic youth are predominant documented gang
members. About half of all gang members are Latino, one third of members are African-
American, and about 10% are Caucasian. A recent report by the Justice policy Institute found
evidence that white people make up a greater percentage of gang membership than what is
generally believed (Siegel and Welsh pg 304). A recent survey of almost 6000 youths found that
about 25% of youths who claim to be in a gang reported they were white (Siegel and Welsh pg
309). The question remains why young people join gangs.
In the 1950s Herbert Block and Arthur Neiderhoffer developed the anthropological view
to why youths join gangs. They suggested that gangs appeal to the adolescents’ longing for the
tribal processes that sustain their ancestors. Block and Neiderhoffer believe that the gang
processes are similar to those of the puberty rituals of some tribal cultures. Also they believe that
gang rituals help the child bridge the gap between childhood and adult. Recent data collected by
the gang prevention and intervention survey found that gaining is passed on as a rite of passage
from one generation to the next; two thirds of gang members reported having members in the
gang whose parents are also active members (Siegel and Welsh pg 312). I believe that this theory
was apparent in the documentary Crips and Bloods: Made in America. A lot of the members who
were interviewed reported that they were raised by their mothers and that they were longing for
male guidance, the gang much like a tribe provided the male influence they were looking for. In
the documentary almost every individual had a given name was also given a gang name, which
according to the anthropological view is suggestive of totemic awareness.
Sociologists have created a social disorganization view to explain why youths join gangs.
Sociologists view the distractive sociocultural forces in poor inner-city areas as the major cause
of gang formation. Gangs give youths of the lower class the means of attaining status. Malcolm
Klein conducted research in the late 1960s and 70s, also found typical gang members came from
dysfunctional and destitute families and lacked adequate role models (Siegel and Welsh pg 313).
The social disorganization view believes that gangs are a naturalist wants to lower class life and
a status generating medium for boys whose aspirations cannot be realized by legitimate means
(Siegel and Welsh pg 313). This view was also made apparent in the documentary, Crips and
Bloods: Made in America. Over and over again and then being interviewed reported that they did
not have any other option but to join the gang. There were no resources available for them to get
a job or make ends meet any other way; they felt as though they were forced into joining gang.
Numerous men also reported that they did not have a father figure, that they were either raised by
a mother, or a grandmother, or even a great-grandmother who often had to work two or three
jobs. For the individuals trapped in the gang life of LA they felt as though there was no hope and
the only way to obtain success would be to join a gang.
The psychological view holds that gangs serve as an ally for disturbed use who suffers a
multitude of personal problems and deficits (Siegel and Welsh pg 313). Basically, the
psychological view believes that gangs are filled with disturbed use who may be suffering from
social problems or even mental health problems. Gang expert Lewis Yablonsky sound there is
research that filing gangs recruit a more sociopathic youths living in poverty stricken community
to become members. Yablonsky defines a sincere path that you have someone who has not been
trained to have human feelings for compassion or responsibility for another (Siegel and Welsh pg
314). Sadly, this was all too true for the members of the Crips and Bloods seen in the video. Over
and over they reported that they had to be strong and not show compassion or feelings, that to
survive they were trained to not have feelings. Many of the men interviewed, in my opinion,
were broken men. They were suffering from lack of stability and the gang life offered them a
stable opportunity.
The documentary, Crips and Bloods: Made in America, highlighted a life I knew almost
nothing about and I am shocked to see that this is happening within society. These individuals
feel as though there is no other option but to join a gang in order to survive and that should not
be a problem facing our society. In the video you reported that children living in the LA gang
area had higher levels of posttraumatic stress disorder then those children living in Baghdad. I
am disappointed with our society in leading these individuals down path of failure. It is a
personal choice to join a gang but it is also a public duty to support individuals who did not have
equal opportunities. This documentary opened my eyes and I am thankful for that.