No More Gangs

The History Channel’s series, Gangland, closely examines gang culture and lifestyle from a very up close and personal view. The show chronicles gangs from cities across the country and gives viewers an inside look at gang culture. The show gives the history of whichever gang is the episode’s focal point that has been provided by current and former gang members, law enforcement, and community activists and news archives. The show uses gang terminology, and even defines it for viewers to gain the ultimate understanding of what is being said by the subjects of the documentary. The result of the efforts of this show’s producers offers an understanding of how these gangs started and why they are thriving in the communities of America. We will examine an episode called, Vendetta of Blood, based on the Lincoln Park Bloods of Southeast San Diego, a very brutal and violent gang known to terrorize their own community and at times, their own members.

Gang problems have long plagued many communities across the United States. In San Diego, gangs sprouted up in, what used to be, a quiet, middle-class working neighborhood known as Southeast San Diego. Southeast, in those days was considered to be a black neighborhood with strong family ties. Little to no opportunity in those days led many people into such deviant behaviors as drug dealing. With the growth of drugs in the community, so too grew other deviant behaviors such as robbery, rape and murder. These deviant behaviors led to many young men being introduced into the penal system, where they furthered their criminal re-socialization. This re-socialization included a new sense of family that was later introduced into our communities once these guys began to be released from prison. Gang culture, beliefs and lifestyle became the new way of life for young folk in the community. As this new social norm began to grow, more violence was cultivated, leading our communities into a spiraling tailspin that may never...