Kelela+Oral

Gangs and how can we stop them?
Guns, knives, drugs, alcohol, swearing, street violence, tagging, stealing, damaging things and even murder. These are the things that gangs are involved with. But gangs have been around for along time, around the 1950's were when the first gangs started to form, and they became increasingly involved in making money. In the 1990's a new style of youth gangs emerged based on modern American street gangs and influenced by hip-hop culture. These gangs spread in mainly Polynesian and Maori areas, and started to get up to heaps of mischief and criminal activities. New Zealand police have classified their gangs into three groups. They are: ethnic gangs, motorcycle gangs, and youth gangs. Real growth has been seen in the youth gangs, especially in the North Island.

Today youth gangs are becoming more common as each day passes, and their appeal to young people is growing and growing. Many children are at risk for joining or being influenced by gangs. Gangs are dealing drugs and trying to sell them on the streets, and some of the people they're trying to sell to are children. But even worse, they're tricking children into taking and buying drugs and before you know it, they're soon addicted. Gang members get badly hurt or killed during gang fights and criminal acts, and are often putting many other innocent people living around the area in danger. Also threats and violent beatings are used to force youths to join. Parents and guardians living in New Zealand, plus around the world, are facing a major challenge, which is to keep their children away and out of gangs.

Why do people want to join gangs? Gang activity to children may offer a feeling of being apart of a "family" type of figure that is missing in their homes. Or gang activity could maybe seem attractive to kids who are bored, lack interests and direction or who don't feel good about their selves, also it may offer kids a powerful group identity and a kind of recognition they can't get at home. The media has glamorized gangs in music, movies and video games, and this adds to the excitement associated with them.

There have been gang members from gangs like black power that come out of jail and want to start a new good life, but not enough do. These manufactured hip hop stars rap about how tough life is and how it is normal to settle disputes with violence. Rather than joining gangs, young people should become familiar with and raise their voices against the forces which are in control of low income communities, not only in New Zealand but around the world, such as poverty, the rule of multinational corporations and poor government policies.

If youth become active in making decisions on important issues which affect their lives and their communities then they will lose the senses of hopelessness and boredom which are driving some to commit senseless acts of brutal violence. I don’t think there are much good in gangs, but if they just think of a solution for whatever their problem is then maybe they can get rid of their gang life, and lead a good healthy one.