Gangs

[Londoner]

Hello Evryone,

I thought i would start a thread on gangs.

As it has been mentioned in the papers/on the news alot recently, i wondered if anyone else has thoughts on the gangs that are running riot on our streets!

I live in London and recently there was a gang fight where i live, it happened at 4pm in the evening (as local children were coming home from school) The fight was between two rival gangs, two people got stabbed and one person was seriously ill in hospital, there were 19 arrests, two have been charged with attempted murder and 17 have been charged with aggravated assult!! All the members of the gang were under 20yrs old. The gangs did not even stop fighting when the police arrived, which is why there were some many arrests!!

So my question is, has anyone else seen, been involved in, has an thoughts on GANGS that are currently running around causing mayhem?????

[Abi]

I'm a Londoner as well, so they're always around. Luckily, my area isn't too bad, unlike North London and areas like that. They're there, but they've not got really really violent, unlike a lot of them.

They're mainly teenagers who are between 14 and 18, with a few people who are older. But as i said, up to now, its not been too out of control where i am. They are more of a "threat" than people who actually do much.

Mind you, when i say that, i refer to murders. We've not got too much gun crime here. We have a LOT of gang theifs though. Cars get broken into and joy riden all the time by big groups.

[Londoner]

Oh thank god you replied to that Abi,

I was starting to think that i must be the only person in London that is aware of all the gang crimes, i from south east london and recently we have had a few problems with gangs, although like you it is not really gun crime, more of boys fighting with each other (using bats, knifes etc) , i think that one of the worst things about the whole incident that happended recently is that it did not even get a mention on the news (although it was a very big thing)
Maybe it is because no one was actually killed!! what a sad world we live in.

[Abi]

Yeah, if you watch London Tonight at 6.30, then its always about people getting killed because of knifes and guns. People only ever get told about the incidents, if someone is killed, even if its nearly as bad. It is pretty sad.

[Londoner]

It does make you wonder what we are kind of world, that we are bringing our children up in.

The other thing that i noticed is that the gangs that i am talking about have even got a mention on wikipidia (spelling is prob wrong)

God talk about making it cool, for other young kids who will no doubt look up to these kind of gangs

[Chloe O'brien]

The reason that there are gangs of youths hanging around in any town is because there is nothing to for them to do. When I was in my teams we had youth clubs and community centres where we could go and it was run by volunteers mainly parents, or we would sit in each others houses listening to music. Now society has changed all that now many parents are working and can no longer give the time to do volunteer work or some won't because they are not getting paid for it, also most parents don't want a load of teenagers hanging around their house so they are left to hang around and get into trouble. If there were more places for them it would not stop the gangs altogether but it would reduce them as you would only have the ones that want to cause trouble hanging around the streets.

[pookie1968uk]

i sometimes think that saying they have nothing to do excuses their behaviour. even if you have nothing to do people can still be civilised. there is never an excuse for violence. some of the blame also has to lie with the parents who dont know what their kids are up to or where they are

[Londoner]

I have to agree with you pookie, when i was a child there was nothing much for me to do, so i hung around on the streets but that did not mean that i got in to any trouble, i was brought up and told from a very young age that if i did get into any trouble or was disrespectful to my elders, then i was going to get it!! SO i didn't misbehave.

I think that parents do have a responsability to make sure that there child is behaving in an accecptable manner and not getting in to any trouble.

[pookie1968uk]

yes, when i wasnt at school i was always out with my mates but i never got into trouble so why does boredom have to equal trouble these days? what does it say about the kids today?

[Abigail]

yes, when i wasnt at school i was always out with my mates but i never got into trouble so why does boredom have to equal trouble these days? what does it say about the kids today?

I think, as somebody else mentioned, that (some) parents don't have time for their kids (work etc) and maybe by 'acting up' and hanging on street corners with weapons may make some teenagers think "if I do something wrong then I'll get some attention from my parents."

What strikes me is the fact that most gangs reside in cities like London, Leeds, Manchester etc where there are plenty of things for teenagers to do. Why don't places in the countryside such as Devon, Cornwall etc have such a big problem with gangs? Surely the "there isn't anything to do" line is more fitting in these places than in cities.