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Oakland Gangs

Presented by Cailey Rossman

for West 3490 Sec 001

Introduction

California is one of the original states for high prevalence of gang violence

Introduction

Focus on Oakland since it has high levels of gang activity, but is often overlooked due to L.A. being one of the top two most violent cities

REsearch question

What are the factors that allowed gang activity to become and remain so frequent in Oakland?

REsearch question

Literature

Summary of the key research used

Literature

A Comprehensive Guide to Oakland's Complex Gang History

A Comprehensive Guide to Oakland's Complex Gang History

  • Jordan Tennenbaum
  • History of gang development
  • Began in the 80s
  • Housing projects and deindustralization
  • Shortage of police officers
  • Increase in crime
  • Hostility between police and minorities
  • Negative portrayal by media has prevented the area from improving and allowed gang activity to flourish

Black on the Block

Black on the Block

  • Mary Pattillo
  • Discusses economy and politics in Oakland
  • Policies allow minorities to face more poverty
  • Allows for marginality which creates the environment that is condusive for gangs to develop

Understanding the relationship between hyper-violence and educational disparity: Listening to t...

Understanding the relationship between hyper-violence and educational disparity: Listening to the voices of Latina youth from Oakland

  • Yanira Madrigal-Garcia
  • Grew up in Oakland, conducted a study on Latina youth
  • Tremendous violene in schools and neighborhoods, tension bewteen races
  • Teens develop a code of conduct, which varies for males and females

Ceasefire turns up heat on Oakland gangs

Ceasefire turns up heat on Oakland gangs

  • Article from East Bay Times
  • Oakland Police Department spoke to leaders of the two most violent gangs and warned them to end the shootings
  • Shootings stopped for a few weeks and then chaos resumed
  • Four shootings within 6 hours

Oakland gang suspects caught in massive sweep

Oakland gang suspects caught in massive sweep

  • Article from The Mercury News by Harry Harris
  • After shooting warnings were not headed, OPD joined with probation departments, correctional facilities, and other organizations to determine punishments
  • A large sweep occured resulting in at least 18 arrests

‘The biggest gang in Oakland’: re-thinking police legitimacy

‘The biggest gang in Oakland’: re-thinking police legitimacy

  • William Armaline
  • Study on police brutality in Oakland
  • Interviewed minorities, some were involved in gangs
  • Every participant believed police to be a threat to safety and freedom
  • Reports of shootings due to lack of identification checks and choosing not to involve police due to fear of deportation

Methods

Used a variety of sources to find information on Gangs in Oakland

  • United States Census Bureu
  • Online newspapers in Oakland
  • Articles from the UCCS database Sociologica Abstracts

Methods

Findings

Key findings that explain gang development in Oakland and relate to class readings

Findings

United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

Howell and Griifiths and Tennenbaum

Howell and Griifiths and Tennenbaum

  • Howell and Griffith list risk factors relating to family life, personal life, school, ect.
  • Exposure to firearms and negelct doubles the likelihood of gang membership
  • Tennenbaum's study found that at least 50% of participants witnessed violence at school or in their homes, leading to either PTSD or joining a gang
  • Large number of gang members in Oakland confirms the link

Vigil and Pattillo

Vigil and Pattillo

  • Vigil's marginality theory discusses how people live in slums, the only thing they can afford, where crime tends to be rampant
  • Both Vigil and Pattillo discuss the effects of poverty on children
  • Lack of parental supervision and resources leads to joining gangs

Stewart and Madrigal

Stewart and Madrigal

  • Stewart's street code is a system of maintaing respect through violence
  • Madrigal discusses the code of conduct she expereinced in Oakland
  • Males are violent towards other races and females learned to always be on guard
  • Youth avoid wearing certain colors and going out at night

Flores and Oakland newspapers

Flores and Oakland newspapers

  • Flores uses charts to show increases in incarceration and murder rates after police crackdowns on gangs
  • The East Bay Times and Mercury News showed that gangs in Oakland didn't take warnings seriously and violence continued after Operation Ceasefire was implemented

Sanchez and Armaline

Sanchez and Armaline

  • In My Bloody Life, characters turned to gang members instead of police to resolve problems in their community
  • Armaline's particpants feared police officers due to their racist tendencies and the possiblity of deportation
  • Both sources demonstrate the way police violence increases the anger of citizens and allows for gang violence
  • Both sources also suggest that intense police policies on gang activity does more harm than good

Policy Implications

Policy Implications

  • Based on the research I conclude that heavy arrest centered policies are not the best answer.
  • Correctional policies, such as treatment programs seen in God's Gangs offer a better chance of recovery for gang members in addition to a safer environment for citizens of Oakland
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