At one time I was interested in the sociology and psychology of gang members, so I did a little research and quickly lost interest when I realized by reading THEIR OWN ACCOUNTS from those who had gotten out, were locked up for life , or currently active in gangs, that this lifestyle is basically a choice. While I realize that their various excuses for initially joining do have some merit, those reasons are not anything which can't be overcome by common sense, average intelligence, some guts, and a small amount of personal initiative. The following are the most common excuses that I remember that gang members used, and some basic common sense on how they could GET THE FUCK OUT, IF they really wanted to get out, like so many claim that they do.
1)They make $$$$$$ so they can support their welfare famblees and some of them who are middle men drug traffickers or sellers make THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS a DAY.
Instead of continuing to dwell in the dangerous ghettos under constant fear of their extended famblee getting killed, with security bars on their doors and windows, expensive security systems, etc......Why not take some of that MASSIVE income and FUCKING MOVE their famblees to the suburbs or to a neighboring city? Even if THEY choose to stay "in the hood", their famblees could be safe. It would be cheaper to support their famblees outside of gang territory as they wouldn't have to pay off gangsters for "protection" or spend so much money on security measures.
2)They claim that they join gangs for their and their famblee's safety.
AGAIN, why don't they take some of that drug money and MOVE? Do they not understand that there are literally MILLIONS of safer places where they could move? A single wide trailer on 5 acres in a rural area would be safe and better in comparison to a 2 bedroom dump in the ghetto, and they have PLENTY of money to do it too. The very act of living in the ghetto, when they CLEARLY can afford to move out, puts their famblee in the MOST danger. They could always stay and send the famblee money, much like illegal Mexicans do.
3) They claim that once you are in a gang that you can never get out.
This is absolutely NOT TRUE. Unspoken "gang law" is that if a member moves away to another area in an effort to "get out", and they are on "good terms" when they leave, so to speak, then the only reason any gangster ever comes after them is if they join a rival gang in another area. Why don't they stop buying gold chains, the expensive gangster clothes, the pin wheel silver rims, the boom boxes and amps so big they fill up entire trunks, etc.....and use that money to MOVE????
4)It' just their culture and it's expected of them.
SO WHAT? Pre civil war slavery was a "culture" too, as was the Ward and June Cleaver lifestlyes, Puritanical culture, hippie "culture", etc.......but people managed to break away from THOSE cultures and often at the risking of their own lives, so why is being a ghetto ganster so different? People in my monkey sphere "expected" me to get married and raise a famblee, but I broke away from that and I know of NO culture more difficult to NOT follow than that lifescript.
5)When you first get jumped into a gang and kill someone as an initiation, "It's nothing personal, it's just business".
I have seen and heard that excuse quite often and it sickens and angers me more than ANY of the other excuses put together. As far as I am concerned, the second they take that first life in order to join the ranks of some ridiculously sick fraternity of sorts, then they have made a conscious choice of which path their lives would take. It's at this point when they can still back out, choose not to participate, explore other options, etc.......Other than being shunned by local gangsters and losing their respect (LIKE WHO GIVES A FUCK if they don't have a criminal's blessing???) they will be left alone. There are big brother programs and volunteers at every YMCA, rec and community center "in the hood", scholarship programs, as well as plenty of churches willing to help them and to assist them to GET OUT of the ghetto, gangs etc.........BTW, NOTHING could be more "personal" than taking someone's life at random, "just business" MY ASS.