The recidivism statistic for gang youth is startling: two-thirds will be rearrested and another third will return to prison within a few years of release. For example, gangs can provide protection from gang and/or rival gang violence surrounding them, it can provide a sense of family for people lacking a strong home environment, it can seem like the only way to attain a certain status in the world, and sometimes they’re forced to join under the threat of violence. There are a number of reasons people join gangs and almost all of them are directly related to the kind of world represented by those statistics. In East LA, over half of the population doesn’t have a high school diploma. LA County has the highest rate of poverty in the entire not-so-Golden State, accounting for 34% of the state’s poor population.
A study in 2014 showed 40% of Californians were poor or near poor.
It’s easy to think maybe all this sunshine and kale juice just breeds “bad” people, but when you look at the socio-economics of the city, the reason becomes much clearer. Estimates suggest there are 450 active gangs in the city with a combined membership of 45,000 people. Los Angeles didn’t earn the name “Gang Capital” of the US for nothing. Greg Boyle started Homeboy Industries and since 1988, he and his organization have helped thousands of former gang members start a new life away from and outside of the violence. One priest in Los Angeles realized these men and women didn’t need “tough on crime,” they needed hope and opportunity. In reality, joining a gang is often a sign that the person has been badly failed by society. It’s dangerously easy to dehumanize gang members.
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