Gangs and Youth Corruption in AmericaThere are groups that have been creating problems for our society since the creation of America and have begun to focus on America's youth. These are not fictitious groups and they have a specific name: gangs and they must be stopped. Gangs are a growing negative trend spreading across the nation corrupting youth and decreasing the chances of younger generations achieving their goals in life. Involving young people in criminal activities such as murder and drug trafficking. Gangs have existed for centuries and the first mention of gangs is the rebellious children in the Bible mentioned in Second Kings (Cohn). From the late 1800s and into the 1960s gang activities included fighting and other thrill-seeking activities for youth. In the 1960s the number of minority gangs increased dramatically leading to more gang conflicts, and due to easy access to guns, crime rates skyrocketed (Cohn). Organized gangs control their neighborhoods through violence and intimidation; Gangs are not just limited to one type of criminal gang deteriorate neighborhood in several ways, including drug distribution, assault, armed robbery, shootings, car theft, identity theft, extortion, weapons trafficking and murder (Parks). The “National Gang Threat Assessment” report states that according to law enforcement agencies across the United States, gangs commit up to 80% of crimes in communities” (Parks). This demonstrates the role gangs have in the community; Gangs ruin communities and make it unsafe to live and raise a family in any area where they are found. Gangs pose a danger to a community that would otherwise not be present, and because of their method of intimidation... middle of paper... local school teachers, law enforcement and other community members must take a stand against gangs so that they are able to abolish gangs from those neighborhoods. Gangs are an obstacle for young people to achieve their future goals in life. Gangs attract young people who are usually looking for something in life such as family, love or acceptance. Both parents and young people should be well informed about the drawbacks of gangs. Educated youth will realize that joining a gang will lead to corruption and a life of unfulfilled goals. With a concerted community effort alongside law enforcement, gang influence will be eradicated from local neighborhoods, reducing the likelihood of youth joining gangs. This anti-gang work will lead to the maturation of uncorrupted youth who will have the opportunity and be able to achieve their future goals..