Street Gang - Research Proposal Example

The Bloods: An Analysis Purpose/Rationale This research paper will trace the street gang known as the Bloods from their genesis in the early 1970s in Compton California to their subsequent spread to New York City (Kocieniewski B1). No other gang has reached the notoriety and garnered the media's attention to the extent that the Bloods have (Kocieniewski B1). Analyzing the reasons why the Bloods came into existence can aid communities and law enforcement to stem the tide of future gang formation.

Understanding the motivation for the spread of their criminal activities and violence to New York City can give researchers the information necessary to reduce the spread of gang activity across the country.Experts have indicated that gangs have been using a strategy of moving from the larger U.S. cities to more rural and smaller urban areas (Thompkins 59,60). By understanding the motivation that originated the migration to New York City, these smaller communities can find the commonalties and recognize the phenomena in their cities.

Laws and policies can be forged that will impede the spread of gang activity into these areas that are currently ill equipped to deal with this issue. The rising numbers of young people who report membership in a gang or who are impacted by the presence of a gang makes this issue both timely and of vital importance. By studying gang activity in the past, it will help to more fully predict their future movements and actions.ScopeThis paper is not meant to be a history of gang violence or a specific chronology of the events that have impacted the Bloods.

It is also not meant to be a platform for the political or social judgment of the gang's activities. It will investigate key events which have resulted in the spread of gang violenceThe paper will use existing research as well as anecdotal evidence to form its conclusions. Much has been written about the increase of gang violence and various law enforcement agencies, both local and national, have extensive information available. This paper will draw on this existing information to reveal the underlying current that drives today's gang activities.

It will rely on individual accounts from gang members and former members to uncover individual motivations for gang membership. The research will center on a limited number of issues associated with the Bloods. It will analyze the formation of the Bloods to determine if it could have been possible to stop their formation at that point. It will also evaluate their subsequent movement and research the ways that local authorities have dealt with the problem. It will determine which, if any enforcement policies have been effective and which have not.

This paper will also look at the pragmatic reasons that gangs, and particularly the Bloods, exist. It will study the political and social factors that continue to motivate the gang. It will look at the economic and social status framework that gangs flourish in. It will additionally look at the reasons why young people are attracted to gang membership and the mechanisms that gangs use to maintain their membership and preserve an orderly organization. Works CitedKocieniewski, David . "Youth Gangs From West Coast Become Entrenched in New York.

" New York Times 28 Aug. 1997: B1. ProQuest. 20 Apr. 2007.Thompkins, Douglas E. "School Violence: Gangs and a Culture of Fear." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 567 (2000): 54-71. JSTOR. 20 Apr. 2007.