“Gangs influence youth negatively and lead them into lives of crime” - The American Dream The Los Angeles based "Crip" gang began in the mid 1960’s, and the "Bloods," another organized street gang, was formed in response to the formation of the Crips. "...the Bloods and Crips are probably the most widely recognized gangs in America due to the media exposure received in the 1980's” (Crips and Bloods History). There are over 1.4 million gangs members involved in 34,000 different gangs in the United States. “The number of gang members in the U.S. has increased by 40 percent since 2009” (The American Dream). Most gang members join so they feel a part of a family, and also for the protection their own family and themselves. Others have joined gangs because they are raised in this environment and most of their families are also involved in gangs. Gangbanging is like a game, its goal is to haunt your enemies and to counterattack what they do, and also to “. . . make them feel how you feel” (Crips and Bloods: Made in America). For the black in the Ghetto the goal is to survive. In the South Central community it is really hard for the youth to make it out because of gangs and the background they have grown up around. They see that their family has to survive and the only way they can survive is by selling drugs and hustling on the streets. The youth sees that and that’s all they know. So they practice what they are shown. Gangs have many effects on society. “Gang violence and gang wars typically suck up a city or town’s police resources because of a larger number of people involved, and the lack of witness cooperation and types of crimes connected to gangs” (The Impact of Gangs) ,by not having witness that are willing to testify during a trial, justice is not being served correctly. Gangs can also affect us because they can down the property value of neighborhoods by violence and vandalism involved with gang life. G