Why Do Gangs Increase Gang Violence?

Twenty year-old Manitoba native David Michael Vincett was gunned down at around three in the morning on September 25th, 2011 during a gang related shooting. According to the Winnipeg police, Vincett didn’t have any gang affiliation to their knowledge, but the shooter who will remain nameless due to the Youth Criminal Justice Act was supposedly tied to the Indian Posse. The Indian Posse is one of the largest street gangs in Canada, reportedly claiming over 12,000 members. It was stated in the report that the suspect and David Vincett spoke about respective gang affiliations before the shooting happened. This raised the question whether the victim was actually associated with a gang or not. When the young offender was fourteen, he was arrested, …show more content…
Professor Nicholas Bala says “We have 14-,15-, -16-year olds receive life sentences, [but] we have a tendency to see the younger they are the less we should be holding [them] accountable as an adult” (National Post, 21 Jan 2013). Mr. Bala is a law professor at Queen’s University and an expert in youth criminal justice. He raises a good point regarding this case sharing that people need to see gang related violence has a spiralling effect with revenge being a central theme gang violence. It is suspected by the police that the Vincett shooting is connected to another murder that happened to a young teen named Clark Stevenson. Stevenson was online bragging about his affiliation with a local street gang, most likely the Indian Posse. If Mr. Vincett claimed membership to a rival gang when speaking with the accused, police say, the shooting could be a retaliation for Mr. Stevenson’s death. “Crown seeks adult sentence for 14-year-old charged with first-degree murder in alleged gang-related shooting” (Morrison Kristopher 2013). Gang revenge does not always involve murder. Rape, beat- downs and other acts of violence are used by gang members which can easily escalate to