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Itzayana Hermosillo
Professor Anne Walker
Writing 10
03 April 2013
Gang Growth in America
The United States experienced gang growth during the 1970’s due to crimes and
discriminatory events committed to minorities after World War II. The rise in gang population
was most noticeable in the city of Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City. This essay will
investigate the events and reasons of why these cities experienced an increase in gang
population. The sources used to present the facts will include articles from “History of Street
Gangs in the United States” by James Howell and John P. Moore, and “North American
Transnational Youth Gangs: Breaking the Chain of Violence” by Stephen Johnson and David
Muhlhausen. The United States gang population growth in the 1970s is a historical framework
for Randal Kleiser’s Grease which was released in 1978.
The film Grease was an adaptation of a 1971 musical with the same name. This classic
movie is about a couple and their troubles in a 1950’s high school. We are first introduced to
Danny Zuko, a greaser and the leader of the T-Birds gang and his love interest Sandy, a member
of the Pink Ladies. After some internal fighting and misunderstandings, Danny and Sandy get
together but not before the rival of the T-Birds, the Scorpions challenge them to a deadly car
race. Overall, the movie Grease exposes the audience to the youth’s role in the growth of gangs
whether fictional or not. Whether it is an after school activity for teens or a place to fit in because
of society’s attitude, gang affiliation among young people grew immensely in the 1970s
especially in big cities like Los Angeles.
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Firstly, while the United States recovered from post-World War II an invisible war was
brewing in the streets of Los Angeles. Mexicans that migrated to the United States in search of a
better future were responsible for the rapid growth of the newly formed gangs like the Latin
Kings. African Americans were also responsible for the creation of a couple of gangs such as the
Crips and Bloods. Latin Americans migrated to the United States and established the Mara
Salvatrucha in Los Angeles. The problem with the creation of all of these gangs is the rivalries
between them. Innocent bystanders got hurt and the crime in the city grew. A rivalry to this date
is the one between the Crips and the Bloods. According to Howell and Moore, “The Bloods
became particularly strong in the black communities in the South Central Los Angeles…By
1972, there were 18 Crips and Bloods gangs in Los Angeles, and these were the largest of the
more than 500 active gangs in the city” (12). There is no doubt that membership in these
particular gangs increased. Gangs bring violence and death but to an insider gangs bring
protection and the resemblance of a family bond. These are a few of the qualities that made
gangs attractive to the young population.
During the 1970’s, most of the younger generation felt out of place, especially the
children of immigrants. These adolescents felt like outsiders. Gangs gave the youth an escape
from a life of isolation and loneliness. According to Johnson and Muhlhausen, “Gangs offer
stability, identity, status, and protection for children who have no parents or most spend most of
their time on the streets” (40). Some of these factors were what influenced the decisions of many
minors to join these gangs. Street gangs offered the younger generation a place to fit in, a chance
at an identity and a haven from society’s discriminative actions. Minority communities suffered
several years of mistreatments by the police that it eventually led to an outburst of violence
between the oppressor and the oppressed also known as the Watts Riot of 1965.
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The Watts Riot of 1965 begun when racist white policemen arrested an African American
in a violent manner. Members of the community were infuriated and decided that the oppressive
attitude had to stop. The community attacked these policemen and continued for five days.
According to the South Central History website, “The McCone Commission…found that people
rioted because of unemployment, bad schools and education, and prior instances of police
brutality” (Watt Riot). After the 1965 Watts Riot ended, the remaining white people moved away
for fear of retaliation from the local gangs. The Watts Riot could have been prevented if the
treatment towards minorities would have been better. Local gangs would not have intervened and
the casualty rate would have been none. Los Angeles was not the only city with a high gang rate;
Chicago also had to deal with gang wars and race riots that rivaled those of the Los Angeles area.
The rise in gang membership in the city of Chicago began when a high demand for public
housing projects increased. When public housing was offered, the city of Chicago became a
place of interest for African American families looking to move away from the South. Families
would live in these communities for a low price depending on the family’s income. As more
Blacks filled the streets of Chicago, an increase in Black youth crimes grew. These activities
eventually led to the formation of cliques and what later would be referred to as “street gangs.”
Public housing projects became the homes of many gang members. It was in these housing
projects that drug distribution and other activities were carried out. According to Howell and
Moore, “Gang wars erupted and Chicago’s largely black gang problem ‘exploded’ in the 1960s,
a period of increased gang ‘expansion and turbulence’ in Chicago with the formation of so-called
‘super gangs’ with 1000 members or more” (7). Not only did these public housing projects
offered refuge to its gang members, they also served as “high-rise forts” in times of war. The city
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of Chicago was sometimes referred to as a walking battle zone compared to the streets of New
York City. New York City believed gangs were nonexistent.
Lastly, the city of New York believed youth gangs had disappeared from the streets but
there were some people that believed otherwise. New York City experienced mass migrations of
African Americans and Latino immigrants in the 1970’s. Many of them moved into houses near
all White neighborhoods which generated interracial conflicts. African Americans were forced to
create black brotherhoods after they faced resistance from white male groups. According to Gale
Cengage, “The influx of Puerto Rican and African America gangs into white neighborhoods
sometimes led to violent conflicts between the newcomers and white gangs.” Rivalries between
Whites and minorities stemmed from ambition. Gangs in New York City wanted to control the
most land. With the need to own more property, came the need for new members. As stated by
the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, “In some neighborhoods where much of the
street activity was controlled by powerful street gangs, it was almost a necessity for youth to
come under the protective umbrella of a local gang in order to survive”(Howell). It wasn’t until
the Hoe Avenue Peace Meeting that gangs in New York drew a true from the violence and terror
that dominated the streets. The Hoe Avenues Peace Meeting brought peace for a few years but it
did not stop the gang growth in New York City.
In conclusion, gang affiliation among the youth in the United States increased during the
1970’ period. The rise of members in gangs located in the city of Los Angeles, Chicago and New
York City had an impact on minorities, families and even the economy. The movie Grease
painted the membership of gangs as a cool thing to do but in reality gangs were violent and were
initiated as a form of protection against discrimination from white gangs.
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Works Cited
Collins, H.C. "New York Street Gangs of the 70's: A Decade Of Violence." Law and Order Journal (1980):
22-26, 30-32.
Egendorf, Laura K. "Gangs: Opposing Viewpoints." 2000. ENotes.com. 4 April 2013
<http://www.enotes.com/gangs-article/>.
Howell, John and John P Moore. "History of Street Gangs in the United States." National Gang Center
Bulletin May 2010.
Johnson, Stephen and David B Muhlhausen. "North American Transnational Youth Gangs: Breaking The
Chain of Violence." Academic Search Complete (2005).
Watt Riot. 22 March 2012. 4 April 2013 <http://www.southcentralhistory.com/watts-riots.php>.