A census conducted in 2016 showed that the capital city of Tennessee, Nashville, overtook Memphis as the largest city in population, with an estimated 660,338 people (McKenzie, 2017). Nashville, including urban, suburban, and rural areas covers 526 square miles.
Within Nashville, gangs are most populous in areas that are low income in the North, East and West sides of the city (“Nashville Hoods/Nashville Gangs”, n.d.). The areas of Bordeaux, Salem Town, Sam Levy Homes, Inglewood, Edgehill, and Vine Hill are some of the most notorious for gang presence. According to the U.S. Department of Justice website, most gangs in these areas are identified Bloods, Crips, Gangster Disciples, Mara Salvatrucha or Vicelords (“Tennessee Drug Threat Assessment,” 2002). These gangs are mostly focused on drug and Human Trafficking (“Tennessee Drug Threat Assessment,” 2002). Furthermore, there is a large populous of the Kurdish Pride gang in South Nashville neighborhoods (Greenburg, 2013).…show more content… Violent crime statistics, are centered in the areas mentioned previously as being gang infested. Many youth in gangs come from broken homes and have been in and out of the juvenile system. When compared to similar cities around the nation, Nashville had the highest percentage rates of juvenile homicides, most of them attributed to gang violence (Crime in Tennessee, 2016). If action is not taken immediately, we will continue to see the rates of juveniles involved in gangs and homicides stemming from gangs, rise. New and effective methods must be developed to deter at-risk juveniles from a life of
