Youth Street Gangs - Research Paper Example

?The Almighty Latin King and Queen Youth street gangs, which are largely organized around racial, and gender configurations, have been most popular and widespread in the United States of America for the last one century. Significantly, these gangs show a responsible attitude towards the various problems of the society and they are organized mainly on the basis of class and race. It is also fundamental to realize that the chief reason behind the ever-increasing popularity of street gangs is that they help youths in developing their social skills, fulfilling their emotional needs, and offer goals, direction, and structure to their lives. One of the oldest, largest and most organized street gangs in the United States of America has been the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (ALKQN) which is a Hispanic street gang, dating back to the 1940s in Chicago, Illinois. A reflective exploration of the history of this street gang confirms that ALKQN was originated for the same ideologies for which other street gangs were established, i.e. to protect their rights and to fight injustice, but it soon turned out to be one of the most violent street gangs in the nation. The history of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation offers a convincing case of analysis on the gang phenomenon in the nation, because on the one had this gang is one of the most notorious and criminally pursued gangs in the U.S. and, on the other, it claims to be a social movement working on certain essential social values. As Brotherton and Barrios (2004) argue, “when one of the most notorious and most criminally pursued gangs in the United States, the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation of New York City, declares that it is a social movement acting on behalf of the dispossessed, renouncing violence, refusing to be associated with the underground economy, and making school attendance a criterion of membership, it is time to take a closer look at the gang phenomenon.” (Brotherton and Barrios, 2004, p. xv). Therefore, this paper makes a profound analysis of the street gang ALKQN, focusing on its history, way of working, major ideologies, criticisms, etc. A detailed examination of the history of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation confirms that this street gang was introduced by Gino Gustavo Colon in Chicago, Illinois, during the 1940s. As their manifesto indicates, ALKQN was formed initially in the Illinois prison system to protect the Latino inmates, Puerto Ricans and Mexicans first arriving in the United States. It is important to recognize that this gang has become one of the most powerful and populated Latino urban gangs in the nation having nearly fifty thousand members in the Chicago area alone. However, it has also become one of the most notorious and criminally pursued gangs in the United States. “Started in the 1940s, the Latin Kings began as many other gangs did – to protect each other, to fight injustice, and to better themselves and their communities. However, over time, they became one of Chicago’s most violent street gangs.” (Kinnear, 2009, p. 189). Therefore, it is significant to realize that the history of the ALKQN has had a mixed impact on the nation’s social scenario and it has become one of the well-organized entities influencing the youth culture of the nation. One may also take note of the fact that the exact date or reason for the inauguration of this gang is unknown, although several factors may have contributed to its origin. One major argument, as their manifesto maintains, is that the ALKQN was introduced as a prisoner self-help group for Latino inmates in the Illinois prison system. According to the community leaders in Chicago, “it began as a street group called the Latin Angels during the 1950s and later became the Latin Kings during the 1960s. Another explanation for the group’s origin is … that prior to 1965 there was little evidence of the Latin Kings…” (Kontos and Brotherton, 2008, p. 3). Thus, it becomes obvious that the exact year of, or reason for, the origin of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation is difficult to track down. One of the essential factors contributing to the popularity of the ALKQN is the way of its working and it has become the most popular street gang because of its well-organized system. Significantly, this street gang is governed by a constitution and the behavior of the members of the ALKQN is governed by 10 commandments of the gang. “The top-level leaders are known as Inca; the second-level leadership, or warrior level, is referred to as the Supreme Cacique; and the third level of command is the Royal Crown.” (Kinnear, 2009, p. 189). Thus, it becomes evident that the ALKQN is a well-organized youth street gang and it gives some clue to how it has become the largest and most powerful street gang in the United States. It is important to relate here that the ALKQN has spread its influence over the forty states of the nation and several European and Latin American nations. Although the group has been criticized for being notorious for violence and drug trafficking, the Latin Kings have set up numerous chapters which engage in community service so as to uplift their community. As Moreno and Brunnemer (2010) argue, “the organization is different from other urban gangs in that it has generated a Latin King Manifesto or Constitution, which is a philosophical tract that charts the three principal phases of consciousness a Latin King member is said to pass through.” (Moreno and Brunnemer, 2010, p. 82). In its first phase, which is the Primitive Stage, every member of the group is asked to engage in gang-banging and the culture of violence and in the next phase, i.e. the Conservative/Mummy Stage, he/she recognizes the institutionalization of racism and moves away from urban gang culture. Significantly, the final phase of the system is called “the New King Stage, which uses tenets of Christianity, Confucianism, and Marxism and entails members seeking greater unity between warring factions and the championing of the poor and oppressed.” (Moreno and Brunnemer, 2010, p. 83). A sociological analysis of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation offers a convincing evidence for the link between criminal and political deviance. A detailed review of the academic literature on the topic of street gangs suggests that most of these gangs characteristically take in the tendency to have a culture of deviance in order to give explanation for various types of anomalous and anti-social acts, although they really do not possess any cultural elements. In spite of this reality, several gangs create their own cultures, assimilating themselves with folklore, ideologies, and symbolic systems in the society. “The gang ‘Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation’ falls under this category.” (Kontos, 2003, p. 133). Significantly, it is through the written ideologies, constitution, lessons, and manifesto that the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation has created its own culture and this group has come up with a large volume of literature under the title the Latin King Bible. It is also notable that the organizational structure of the gang in general is hierarchical in nature and it comprises of the Inca, Cacique, Treasurer, Enforcer, and Spiritual Adviser. There may be fluctuations in the ideology of the group from one region to another and the weekly meetings of this group may be regarded as another distinctive characteristic of the system. “U.S. law enforcement almost without exception considers the group one of the most ‘dangerous’ in the nation and labels it a criminal organization… In contrast, from a social scientific standpoint, the group may be understood as a sub-cultural formation developed among lower-class youth and adults under quite specific social, economic, and cultural conditions of marginality.” (Kontos and Brotherton, 2008, p. 6). Therefore, it is pertinent to realize that the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation is not all about violence, drug trafficking, and other criminal activities, because it is a crucial movement for social justice and the uplifting of the backward sections of the society. Most fundamentally, the role of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation as a social movement and the postmodern perspectives of social justice underline the crucial role of gangs like the ALKQN. In the discourse of gangs as pathology, it should be realized that the gangs have a pertinent position as a social movements grown out of the structural marginalizing situations. According to Garot, “the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation is about educating young people and building community.” (Garot, 2010, p. 180). The intersection of critical ethnography, research evidences, and postmodern perspectives have contributed to a transformed way of understanding the role of the gangs in social setting and it is best exemplified the new way of analyzing the significance of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation. Such collaborated attempts have given a new direction to the entire definitions and contexts of gangs. “Critically, gangs are defined as social movements in response to changing social, political, and economic forces. The ethnographic evidence forced the research lens to widen. The normative concepts of delinquency, crime, and violence are upended… Instead, marginalization, resistance, and empowerment framed the analysis.” (Thyer, 2009, p. 444). Therefore, it is essential to comprehend that the contemporary studies, guided by critical ethnography, have shifted their focus in their analysis of gangs such as the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation. This transformed way of understanding the role of the gang has central relevance in a profound analysis of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation. References Brotherton, David and Barrios, Luis. (2004). The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation: Street Politics and the Transformation of a New York City Gang. New York: Columbia University Press. p. xv. Garot, Robert. (2010). Who You Claim: Performing Gang Identity in School and on the Streets. New York: New York University Press. p. 180. Kinnear, Karen L. (2009). Gangs: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. p. 189. Kontos, Louis and Brotherton, David. (2008). Encyclopedia of Gangs. Westport: ABC-CLIO. p. 3. Kontos, Louis. (2003). “Between Criminal and Political Deviance: A Sociological Analysis of the New York Chapter of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation.” The Post-Subcultures Reader. David Muggleton and Rupert Weinzierl. (Ed). New York: Berg Publishers. p. 133. Moreno, Michael P. and Brunnemer, Kristin C. (2010). Term Paper Resource Guide to Latino History. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. p. 82. Thyer, Bruce. (2009). The Handbook of Social Work Research Methods. London: SAGE Publications Inc. p. 444. Read More