Essay on The Rise in Female Gang Members
Many people recognize that gangs have been around for what seems like forever.
What they don t realize is that the numbers are increasing to amazing proportions,
there were 28,000 youth gangs with 780,200 members in the United States (in
2000) and 20% to 46% of those members are female (Evans). And what is even more
shocking is, in Chicago alone there are 16,000 to 20,000 female gangmembers
(Eghigian). These girls start out as ?groupies?, become members, and sometimes
even leaders of all girl gangs because of troubles in the home, a need for money, for
the social scene, or just because it is all they know.
Allison Abner, who wrote Gangsta girls, sat down and spoke with three girls who
have all been in gangs while, two still are. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Abner tells of Jonelle (nicknamed BabyJ), who is the oldest of three, who had a
gang member and incarcerated father and a mother addicted to crack. She needed
to be the support system to her family and turned to her father?s same gang to help
her sell drugs and to make her feel like she had a family who cared (Abner). This
story is not only the story of Jonelle, there are many other girls like her who have no
choice but to become gang members.
Many of these girls, as Abner tells, come from homes where they parents were
original gangsters (founding members), or O.G.?s. They grow up with a ?strong
gang presence?, and that gang turns into their own family (Eghigian). Usually, the
gang presence is found within the relationships between their parents, friends, and
boyfriends. These gangs make the girls feel at home because of the ties the
membership comes with. Once a member, they will most likely always be a
member because of ties ?that supersede blood ties? (Abner). But not all girls are
looking for a super strong bond with a community, some are just looking for a party,
the social scene that gang life comes with. They look for people to spend time with,
to skip school, gossip, listen to music, get high, and flirt with the male gang members
(Abner). Those that often join for the male gang member were usually sexually
abused, and now engage in sexual behavior with them. They earn reputations as ?toss
ups? by