Do you think there are the easiest gangs to join and get out of?
It is widely known that gangs are pretty dangerous and that you shouldn’t ‘play’ with them. However, some people, especially in young age, tend to be a part of them or they are just drawn into it, because of their family members or friends. Gangs are a form of gatherings with the internal hierarchical organization and leader on the top, who claim the right on one territory, usually neighborhood or a city. The gangs are often engaged in violent activities. There are many types of gangs, such as prison gangs, motorcycle gangs, ethnic-based gangs, to name few. Today in the USA and Puerto Rico there is estimated to be around 33,000 violent street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs with around 1.4 million members, according to the FBI.
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So, how one can get in and get out of a gang? Gang membership is generally maintained by gangs as a lifetime commitment and signed by tattoo identification. Many gangs, including foreign and transnational gangs, hold that the only way to leave the gang is through death. This is sometimes informally called the “morgue rule.” However, according to research from the National Gang Center, there are few “pulls” that make gang members try as hard to get out. Those are families, job responsibilities, the significant other, and if they move from the area or gang falls apart. On the other hand, pushes to get in a gang are: grew out of the gang, criminal justice system, police harassment or pressure, personal or vicarious victimization, to name a few.
One of the most dangerous gangs is definitely Bloods. How to become a member of the Bloods, you may wonder? If you want to get into Bloods, there are several opinions like “getting tagged for a felony” or “getting tagged by the cops slinging the dope that you stole” among many others initiation processes. On the other hand, I would definitely be more happy to be the part of it, than to get jumped in Bloods. For those of you who are not familiar with the term “getting jumped,” it means get attacked by the gang. Another gang that is also among the most dangerous ones is Crips. They are African-American gang in Los Angeles. There is even a YouTube video of how to join the Crips online! But, if you are wondering can you leave the Crips, apparently you could quit the gang “just by moving a few hoods over.” In any case, be careful. Moreover, gang members have different ways of communicating such as signals or even a special language. For example, Cape Town gangster language is known as “the language of the Numbers Gang,” which is a mix of Afrikaans, English, Xhosa and Zulu languages. The Numbers Gang is a prison gang in South Africa, and since South Africa has more than eleven official languages, the mentioned gang’s language is a necessity for prisoners in order to understand each other. Shootings, stabbings and drug clashes are happening almost every day in this country as a result of Cape Town gangsters fights.
While it is a lot easier to find out information about the most dangerous and biggest gangs in America, our task was quite hard, especially as we share the opinion that there is no easy way out, even if we investigated the topic thoroughly. So, we put Google through its paces, and as it is a very sensitive topic, there are no reputable reports about it or any accessible parameters which we can define what makes it easy to get in or out of a gang. Therefore, we searched for the stories of ex-gang members who managed to get out. According to their stories, we made the list of gangs that are (in that sense), easy to get in and after some time, out. Have in mind that each story is highly personal, which further means that we cannot generalize the level of difficulty of entering and exiting a gang, which is why there is no particular ranking order. However, these stories can be motivational and highly useful for people who are thinking there is no way out. So it is dedicated precisely to them. Let’s begin with our list of easiest gangs to join and get out of.
8. Prison gangs
Prison gangs can give a hard time to the newcomers. However, if you have “your man” in prison, who is a part of a gang, you can easily become a member. On the other hand, once you are out of prison, you are not in a gang anymore unless you choose to act differently and create one in the ‘outside world.’
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7. Gangster Disciples
We are continuing our list of easiest gangs to join and get out of with this gang that is based in Chicago, Illinois. According to our source, ex-member got into a gang through selling drugs while he was a teenager looking for a place to belong. Once he decided it is time to get out of it, he moved to San Antonio. For him, it was more difficult to regain trust from his family members and community, than to exit the Gangster Disciples.
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6. South Seattle gangs
According to the Seattle Times, teenagers are most often targets of this gang which ranks 6th on our list of easiest gangs to join and get out of. It is quite easy to get in as they offer money, respect, and protection in the neighborhood, which is why at the same time harder to get out of it. However, showing that you are fearless can really help. There are a lot of other gangs in Seattle such as South End, Central District, Bloody Screamers and many more.
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5. Mongrels gang
On the fifth place on the list of easiest gangs to join and get out of Cape Town’s Mongrels gang. A guy from the story came in the gang with the help of his brother, but the getting out was a bit harder. He had help from his mother, and he got a bursary to study film academy, while he also had to move. This gang also have so-called “prospect” who is a person who loyal to the gang but isn’t a ‘patched member,’ which makes it easier to get out.
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4. MS-13
Even though this gang is one of the most dangerous gangs, we wanted to show you that there are success stories of getting out of it. “Speedy” from the story joined the gang when he was only 16. The gang members beat him up in the park, and he endured, what evidently made him a good candidate. The gang knew he was an orphan, so they started “protecting” him and supporting financially. After some time, he decided he wants to quit gangsterism, and he moved to another place. This gang is international, but it originates from Los Angeles, California.
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3. Latin Kings
This guy’s story is incredible because he easily got in the Latin gang while he was a teenager, and some would say pretty easy got out of it, as well. Once he announced it, his gang members just said: “Do what you have to do, man,” which means that he was respected. However, his own personal getting out was more difficult. Latin Kings is the oldest and largest Latino street gang worldwide. It originates from Chicago, Illinois.
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2. Florencia 13
Getting out of this gang number two on our list of easiest gangs to join and get out of, some ex-members describe as getting the tattoo of – slow and painful. On the other side, to get in, it is quite easy – one has to rob or beat somebody. Getting out, in this case, was with the help of the Homeboy Institution, which helps ex-members to stay out. Florencia 13 is composed mostly of Hispanic-Americans and it is based in Los Angeles, California.
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1. Manitoba Warriors
On the top of our list of the easiest gangs to join and get out of is the Manitoba Warriors. The story of one of the ex-member is that he easily joined the gang while serving in the Stony Mountain Institution. He got out after few times ending up in prison. He says getting out of a gang starts with removing of his tattoos. Manitoba Warriors is an Aboriginal criminal organization based in Winnipeg, Canada.
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