Running head: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO GANGS
Differences between Two Gangs
Student Name
Institution
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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO GANGS
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Abstract
The US has several gangs since its independence. The gangs are diversified, from the local
street gangs, the prison gangs to the national organized gangs. By 2011, an estimated
population of 1 million were part of criminal gangs on the national front. This represents
about 0.01% of the total US population; from the latest census. Many of these gangs have
their roots in urban centres. Major cities like New York and California have the largest share
for street gangs, with some of them migrating to other centres like Philadelphia and Florida.
Most of these gangs are ethnic-based, for example, there are gangs specifically for AfricanAmericans, and there are those for the Asian folk. However, they do still admit people from
other races in a bid to boost their popularity. The strength of such gangs lies in their numbers.
The street gangs have a basic leadership structure, with the leader of the gang mostly chosen
based on his/her physical strength over fellow members. Fights are organized randomly and
the winner during such ascends the leadership structure. There is a female wing for most of
these gangs, though its leadership structure is mostly dependent on the male wing. The
girlfriend of the gang leader automatically becomes the leader of the female wing. The street
gangs are involved in several activities, both legal and illegal. Some gangs are solely
involved in drug and human trafficking, while others are involved in extortion and kidnap for
survival. There are two gangs considered in this case, the Pirus and the Rascals gang. Both
gangs are based in California, though they have a national membership. The differences
between these gangs are analyzed in the following sections.
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Differences between Two US Criminal Gangs
There are many motivating factors for people to join criminal gangs. A major reason
for most people being to accrue the material benefits thereof. Organized criminal gangs rob
people of their material possessions. The gangs can sell off these prized possessions to
shylocks and other local vendors to acquire food and pay for their shelter. Others join these
gangs to get access to luxury goods and services. Also, others join these gangs to seek
protection from rival gangs. In most urban streets, local gangs have their area of
‘jurisdiction.’ Members from other rival gangs are not allowed to benefit in whatever way
from the area of another criminal gang. Each gang has its leader who knows the members of
their respective gang (Paul, 2009). Common identification features for gangs include the
body markings and vocal responses. The gang can have each of its members tattooed as a
sign of allegiance to the gang leader. Also, they can have a designated question which they
ask their members. Alleged members are expected to respond in a particular way to these
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questions. Failure to do so warrants acts of violence against such individuals as they are
perceived as members of rival gangs (Peterson, 2009). Other reasons for joining such gangs
are the creation of identity or family, peer pressure and the social status associated with such
gangs. Previous studies have linked risk factors such as family instability and lack of
employment opportunities as motivators for joining criminal gangs (Niebuhr, 2010).
The Pirus Gang
The Pirus Gang, also called the Pirus Street Family, is a criminal gang based in Los Angeles.
The gang was established in 1969 and has existed up to date. Since then, the gang has
expanded into cities such as Santa Barbara, San Diego and Fresno (Foner, 2014). The gang
has formed several alliances, with its famous alliance being referred to as the Blood Alliance,
based in Los Angeles.
Leadership Structure and Organizational Structure
Its main identification color is red. The gang has an organized leadership structure since its
inception. It has the ring leader, who is chosen from the alliance. Most of its leaders have
originated from California, though it has a national outlook in its leadership style. Each state,
mostly cities, have its ring leader. The ring leader presents the concerns of the members to the
top leadership. Decisions are not made democratically, as the main ring leader can decide for
the gang whatsoever. All other members have to abide by these decisions to continue to
enjoy the associated benefits of the gang. The main criminal activities include murder,
extortion and robbery. The members of this gang are drawn from across the different races in
the US. The majority of the members are of the African American origin, followed by the
Latinos and other indigenous tribes in these cities (Elliott, 2013). Also, others join these
gangs to seek protection from rival gangs. In most urban streets, local gangs have their area
of ‘jurisdiction’. Members from other rival gangs are not allowed to benefit in whatever way
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from the area of another criminal gang (Paul, 2010). Each gang has its leader who knows the
members of their respective gang. Common identification features for gangs include the body
markings and vocal responses (Ellison, 2013). The gang can have each of its members
tattooed as a sign of allegiance to the gang leader. Also, they can have a designated question
which they ask their members. Alleged members are expected to respond in a particular way
to these questions. Failure to do so warrants acts of violence against such individuals as they
are perceived as members of rival gangs.
Tiny Rascals Gang
The Tiny Rascals Gang also called the TRG or the Rascals, is a street gang based in
California. This gang is ethnically based and is composed majorly of the Cambodians in
California. The gang was formed in the 1980s as part of the efforts by the Cambodians at the
time to protect themselves from other gangs which had sprouted at the time (Levin, 2014). As
such as, the gang has a uniform language, which they use to identify its members.
Leadership Structure and Organizational Structure
Since its inception, the gang has developed, both in size and network as the number of
Cambodians have increased since then. The gang has spread into areas such as Santa Ana and
Long Beach. Their main identity is their color and the language. The gang is led by the main
leader, usually a Cambodian. The leader is chosen from the elite class of the gang. There is an
all-female branch which is led by a female Cambodian, mostly chosen by the female elite. To
be recognized in the elite team of the gang, one must have committed a notable crime
coupled with several wins against other gang members. The wins comes from the fights
between these gang members. The fights are organized as a method of recruiting new
members and changing positions within the league. Once in the elite team, one contributes to
the decision-making process on issues related to the gang. The gang is mostly involved in
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drug trafficking, illegal trade, with little instances of murder and violence. Most Cambodians
join these gangs to seek protection from rival gangs. In most urban streets, local gangs have
their area of ‘jurisdiction.’ Members from other rival gangs are not allowed to benefit in
whatever way from the area of another criminal gang. Each gang has its leader who knows
the members of their respective gang (Morgan, 2015). Common identification features for
gangs include the body markings and vocal responses. The gang can have each of its
members tattooed as a sign of allegiance to the gang leader. Also, they can have a designated
question which they ask their members. Alleged members are expected to respond in a
particular way to these questions. Failure to do so warrants acts of violence against such
individuals as they are perceived as members of rival gangs.
Differences between two gangs in Organizational and Leadership Structure
Most differences between the two gangs, The Pirus, and the Rascals arise in its
organizational and leadership structure and their main economic focus. The Pirus Gang draws
its most members from the African American people while the Rascals draws its members
from the Cambodians. The two gangs started in California, but have a different economic
focus. The Rascals’ gang is mostly involved in drug trafficking, illegal trade, with little
instances of murder and violence. Most Cambodians join these gangs to seek protection from
rival gangs. In most urban streets, local gangs have their area of ‘jurisdiction.’ On the other
hand, the main criminal activities of the Pirus gang include murder, extortion, and robbery.
The members of this gang are drawn from across the different races in the US. The majority
of the members are of the African American origin, followed by the Latinos and other
indigenous tribes in these cities.
In the organizational structure, the Pirus gang has a more central leader, with most
powers as compared to that of the Rascals gang. In the Pirus gang, most of its leaders have
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originated from California, though it has a national outlook in its leadership style. Each state,
mostly cities, have its ring leader. The ring leader presents the concerns of the members to the
top leadership. Decisions are not made democratically, as the main ring leader can decide for
the gang whatsoever. All other members have to abide by these decisions to continue to
enjoy the associated benefits of the gang. On the other hand, in the Rascals gang, the leader is
chosen from the elite class of the gang. Also, the Tiny Rascals gang has several allies across
the country, which include gangs like Ghost Shadows, Menace of Destruction and Wah Ching
(Eric, 2010). On the other hand, the Pirus gang has allies such as Black P, Stones, and People
Nation (Morgan, 2015). From these set of allies, it can be clearly noted that the Pirus gang is
more aligned towards the Blacks while the Rascals gang is more aligned to a diversified
population-majorly the Cambodians and those of Asian origin.
How Law Enforcement Officials are impacting the Gang
Law enforcers have implemented policies to reduce the number of these gangs. Most
of these gangs have their roots on factors like drug abuse, unemployment and racial
discrimination. As such, the law enforcers have drafted policies to help reduce drug abuse
within its borders. The drug trafficking from neighboring countries like Mexico is highly
monitored and border checks conducted after every mile. With reduced drug abuse, the
membership to these gangs will reduce as the members will have less reason to join or seek
protection from such gangs. . Other reasons for joining such gangs are the creation of identity
or family, peer pressure and the social status associated with such gangs. Previous studies
have linked risk factors such as family instability and lack of employment opportunities as
motivators for joining criminal gangs. If law enforcers focus on these reasons, the Pirus and
the Rascals gang will die off with time.
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References
Elliott, R (2013). Immigrants in American History: Arrival, Adaptation & Integration. Print.
Foner, Eric (2014). Give Me Liberty. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. Pdf.
Ellison, H. (2013). Web of the City.
Eric, H. (2010). Murder in New York City. Hernan Press.
Levin, Jack E, Mark R. Levin, and Abraham Lincoln (2014). Malice Toward None: Abraham
Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address . New York: Threshold Editions. Internet
resource.
Morgan, S. (2015). City Crime Rankings 2015.
Niebuhr, Reinhold (2010). The Irony of American History. 2010. Print.
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Paul, J (2009). History of the American People. Print.
Paul, K. (2010). Smart on Crime.
Peterson, Lindsay (2009). "Equal Pay Crusader says She'll Always Be 'Second-class
Citizen'." Tampa Tribune