ABOUT GANGS
While societies and families have their own culture and subcultures, so do gangs. That culture may be fueled by the gang's motivating factors, such as maintaining the integrity of their race, ethnicity, illegal activities or turf. Each is usually unique in its own rite. This culture maintains the gang as a legitimate entity in the eyes of its members. The culture manifests itself in the form of Attire, Speech, Symbolism, Graffiti, Rituals and Customs. This gang culture is extremely important for the group (gang) to preserve.
The Gang's attire will follow a uniformity of color, insignias, types of clothing and items which represents that gang. Symbolism, in the form of tattoos, branding, scars or burns, is further reinforcement of that gang's membership. Symbols are sometimes rooted in religion. Their patterns of speech, through colloquisms, additions or omissions of certain letters, and gang-specific phrases become habitual and mandatory behavior. Graffiti becomes their way of marking their turf and displaying their gang's name, member's monikers and symbols. The rituals and routines of the gang become entrenched in their lifestyles. Hand signs and symbolism represent the gang's ideology and beliefs. Ritualistic meetings and prayers are filled with gang rhetoric. Customs, such as specific greetings, involving symbolic overt gestures can include hugs, handshakes and sayings.
It is obvious that the gang's culture becomes the replacement lifestyle, society, or family for the gang member. Many gangs today are using titles in their names, such as Nation and Family to overtly replace normal society and a real family. It is important to understand a gang's culture and their comparison to society's culture in order to adequately deal with the gang and it's members.