San Pedro, Los Angeles, California

Gangs in the United States have evolved from malignant neighborhood groups into lucrative businesses and brutal vigilantes. Harvard University Professor Roland Fryer concludes the Crack Epidemic fundamentally transformed gangs because the booming drug trade incentivized larger and more sophisticated gangs (9). Similarly, the rapidly increasing opioid market in rural and suburban America explains the development of gangs in those areas (Whalen). Unfortunately, addiction and drug sales often bring…

It is not only social factors or political factors that lead gang violence. Personal factors play an important part in gangs choosing violence and it is the most frequent cause of violence by gang members. Especially when it comes to seek revenge for perceived slights or previous disputes gangs use their utmost power and resources (Buchanan, 2014). A member can be attacked for belonging to a rival gang, living in the same neighborhood of a different gang, or to settle an old score between gang…

Trash is a novel written by Andy mulligan following three boys in a non-specified country trying to expose the truths about the murder of José Angelico and the corrupt government. It is heavily applied that it is set in Mexico or somewhere in Latin America but the author will not specify because he doesn’t want to make it about that specific country. The boys are trash sorters in a dumpsite in Bahala one day they discover a bag containing money a wallet a key and a picture the boys then go try…

West Side Story by Irving Shulman is a realistic fiction story that gives the reader an insight into what life was like during the 1950’s in Manhattan. During that time teenage gangs ruled the streets; but none were as dominant or well know as the Sharks and the Jets. The Sharks were made up of the Puerto Rican population and the Jets were made up of the Americans. So naturally tension would rise. This tension would rise to a breaking point in the 50’s when these gangs would declare war on each…

“Police force must be exercised proportionately” (Kleinig, p.91). The Use of Force continuum has been a part of the law enforcement career for many years. This was implemented to allow officers to escalate and de-escalate situations depending on force necessary for case-by-case situations. Officers are allowed to use discretion, partake in different trainings and exercises, as well as go through an extensive, intense classroom and physical academy before deploying any type of force. The more…

The effect that media has on viewers is a topic of great debate and concern in communities all over the world. There has been much research and endless debate surrounding the impact violence in media has had on the viewing public, especially when considering films. This research has produced countless theories and approaches in the attempt to explain what exactly happens to viewers when they watch these violent programs. While there are many debates and approaches surrounding the effects of…

Detour Detour is a 1945 film noir directed by Edgar G. Ulmer starring Tom Neal and Ann Savage. The film starts off by a piano player Al Roberts drinking coffee at a diner while hitchhiking east from California and song plays on the jukebox which reminds him of his former life in New York City. In the flashback, we learn that Al was bitter about his talent going to waste in a cheap nightclub and so was his girlfriend, so she decided to seek fame in Hollywood, leaving him behind. Later, he decides…

Mara Salvatrucha, also known as (MS-13) is an unfamiliar gang but to many people, but known all too well by the (FBI) Federal Bureau Investigation and other law enforcement agencies. MS-13 is a globalized, organized, but dangerous gang whose membership is continually growing. MS-13 first originated in the 1980’s, but eventually had spread out as far as Central America. The gang is said to have major connections in the countries of El Salvador and Central America excluding Costa Rica and Panama.…

from each other, but apparently this has changed over time. Law enforcement recently reported that gang members from across the US have joined forces, especially on the east coast. It was also reported that direction has come from El Salvador and California, so leaders are now no longer local to the gang. MS-13 recently became known in the east coast gang culture. Instead of operating independently from each other MS-13 is beginning to come together as they recognize power in numbers and…

In the city of Atlanta, there is a young man named Sean`who has settled there his entire life and adapted to the dangerous drug based lifestyle that has been in his city long before he was ever born. His parent's who were so involved in the drug trade that engulfed and surrounded them were sadly never there for sean which forced his older brother Steven, A gang banger that helped run a trap house where drugs and guns are sold, to raise Sean and bring him in to what was basically the family curse…