In the modern community of the US, there is a massive number of youth gangs involved, each with different aims, styles, and location areas. Furthermore, it seems evident that their actions in society are paramount, and many teenagers opt for joining such groups without fully realizing the possible consequences. Members of the mentioned groups tend to damage cities’ properties and considerably increase crime rates in lower-income areas. Thus, it is vital to control their activity and prevent youth from joining such organized crime gangs at any cost.
To begin with, the most dangerous criminal gang in the US seems to be the American Mafia, or as it is called Italian-American Mafia. The group’s name originated from the continent it is based on — America, and eventually evolved from the part of the Sicilian Mafia into an independent one. During the early 20th century, the Mafia emerged in Italian neighbors of the USA like New Orleans, Chicago, and New York’s Brooklyn and East Harlem. Additionally, Mafia includes different crime families, each independently operating in their areas, though controlled by the commission of the most vital families bosses (DellaPosta, 2017). This powerful gang is widely respected, and despite other crime groups’ activity, the American Mafia continues to dominate organized crime for more than a century.
Furthermore, the American Mafia operates in a hierarchal structure that includes numerous families with their members, who must only be of Italian-American origin. However, their associates might have any background since they are not considered family members. The initiation ceremony in the gang is complicated and even involves an involuntary murder commitment that the leadership of a family should approve (Smith, 2020). Moreover, the members are not allowed to have mustaches and sexual or romantic bonds with people of their gender. As for the American Mafia’s formal style, it is easily recognized around the world. Every significant event always requires the appropriate clothes: three-piece suits, knits, blazers, and tuxedos. Their style is always elegant and not overdramatic; members of the Mafia prefer dark pieces, sometimes with ornaments or minimal prints.
The crimes and murders of the gang are usually carried out by the members of the Mafia, though sometimes they opt for recruiting an outsider for a one-time job. However, the associates are typically eliminated by the group since they might impose some danger to their reputation (Smith, 2020). The American Mafia’s main activity is to complete tasks for their clients, usually involving murders, and protect them afterward (Smith, 2020). The members value their reputation the most and tend to do anything in their powers to get their job done quickly and correctly without any damaging consequences. Due to its exceptional reputation, the American Mafia is considered the most powerful criminal gang in the US community of all times.
However, it is vital to protect modern youth from the influence of such criminal gangs since it tends to be damaging and dangerous. In other words, it is necessary to educate teenagers on the existence of these groups and the reasons why they should not worship or respect these gangs and especially aspire to be like them. For instance, high schools and higher educational establishments might discuss the issue at the lessons of criminology. The teachers are to provide students with clear examples of how the criminal gangs negatively influence the safety of the US community and impose considerable danger to the American community’s wellbeing.
Furthermore, the history of the following bands should be thoroughly researched by the youth to prevent their possible business involvement in criminal gangs, like the Mafia. As previously stated, the associates of the American Mafia are typically eliminated to get rid of loose ends on the way to the members exceptional reputations (Smith, 2020). Besides, teachers should clearly explain to the youth that such groups’ illusionary perks are not worth the constant danger they might be put in.
Another critical point is to reduce the youth involved with the gangs considerably. Teenagers need to avert the lower-income areas of the cities, where the groups’ activity is usually the most obvious. Consequently, the possibility of the opposing criminal gangs’ influence on the adolescents might be decreased due to the lack of opportunities to join them. Furthermore, it is significant for youth to analyze the possibly dangerous people before encountering them, so there would be no chances of getting involved in the bands businesses.
To sum up, gangs’ activity is high in the modern US community, though it could be stopped from developing by preventing the youth from getting involved in their businesses. Additionally, teenagers should be educated on the danger that these bands tend to impose not only on their members but also on the community’s safety overall. Furthermore, youth should be more careful in the lower-income areas, where most criminal gangs usually operate. However, without teenagers fully realizing the danger of the bands themselves and taking responsibility for their life in their hands, it is impossible to decrease their involvement in the gangs’ businesses.
References
DellaPosta, D. (2017). Network closure and integration in the mid-20th century American mafia. Social Networks, 51, 148-157.
Smith, C. M. (2020). Mafia Organizations: The Visible Hand of Criminal Enterprise.