Street gangs in the U.S. arose with Italian immigrants related to the Sicilian Mafia and others. These street gangs in New York City stole and killed to get what they wanted. One of the most famous street gang members was Al Capone, who later moved to Chicago in 1919 to help keep the other gangsters in order. Street gangs of this type were quite popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
Later, other immigrants and poor youth followed the trend set by this earlier generation. Hispanics, Asians and African Americans began banding together to form gangs in the 1950s and 1960s. By the 1970s and 1980s, there were national gang alliances, with gangs moving out of Los Angeles and New York City, and spreading across the country, with affiliates in many towns, as well as drug routes to finance gang activities. Teen violence between opposing bands, as well as senseless violence, flourished.
Gang activity has decreased in the 2000s, but there are still concerns, and there are still gangs that are formed so that some can take what they want, acquire power and dominate, and others can feel as though they belong and are protected.
Gang violence statistics
While it is true that gang violence has been decreasing, it still exists. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the