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[LSNN] "Hunger is the biggest killer out there."


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Former gang member says: "Hunger is the biggest killer out there." 

 

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BY VALERIA ANDREEVA

 

 

Los Santos, SA - Gang violence is something that Los Santos is fairly familiar with. It’s not a recent and sudden problem that we only now just face, but a reoccurring one. It has been a part of urban life for years, offering an aggressive definition and identity to those seeking a place to belong in the chaos of large metropolitan areas.

 

Gang violence is a deeply rooted problem that’s vastly spread across the many impoverished communities that reside in Los Santos. This problem not only significantly affects and concerns the youth involved, but has adverse effects tainting the community: abnormal levels of substance abuse, active and primarily organized crimes, gun battles, and psychological abuse. With gang violence come side effects, such as gender-based violence.

 

I studied the crime scene of Los Santos, dwelled into the past records and spoke to people who’ve been in the city for long enough to provide me with adequate feedback and valuable insight.

 

In my investigation, I explore the intricate connection between the struggle for superiority amidst gangs, the marginalized young people in them, the gender-based violence, and the ideology behind the gangs. 

 

With the absence of opportunities, and sometimes the lack of motivation from young people, many turn to the crime scene: a path that many are willing to walk, often lured in by the false promises of easy wealth and the subordination of others. With the lack of socio-economic opportunities, cultural and recreational facilities, jobs, other economic opportunities and networking, people turn to gang life. Gangs rely of violence to dominate and reign over other gangs that are seen as potential rivals, all in order to maintain their positions as “superior” men in these loose communities.

 

Let’s dwell into the origin of gangs. Historically, gangs formed in the local urban residential areas, who are notoriously known for underdevelopment, abnormally high levels of poverty, and minimum law presence - or complete lack, thereof. The city is the field, and every region in it is a garden - both taken care of by the city’s government and law. The social communities that form in the areas are the seeds that are planted - some gardens bloom peacefully whilst being taken care of very carefully, whilst others get infested by thorns, or poison ivy - namely, gangs.

 

My investigation highlights that high levels of violence are the only method of proving a member’s “worth” and “masculinity” - the last one being a trait that’s a separate topic. The link that I highlight is that the young boys who have yet to mature, in the face of marginalisation and complete social exclusion, firmly believe that the only alternative to prove themselves in their community as “real” men is through violence. Indulging in illegal pursuit is also the easiest and most convenient method to gain wealth - not always successful.

 

After my broad search for people involved or no longer involved in gangs, I came across a man who was willing to share his story with me after a long process of convincing him. A man that is now retired and wishes to forget the grim past that follows him. Under complete anonymity, I’ll share our conversation. I’ll be referring to myself as VA, and using the initials AN for the other. 

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VA: So, when did you come to Los Santos? Or were you born here?

AN: Born in the state. Came to Los Santos years ago. Joined my second gang here.

VA: What’s the motive behind joining a gang? Were you forced, was it spontaneous or was it a last resort?

AN: Last resort. Either that or hoping to grab food from the dumpsters before the trucks throw ‘em away. Life forced me. Been part of a few gangs here. Can’t tell you names or anything.

VA: So, what’s it like to be in a gang? What are the pros and cons, delicately put? If there are any, that is.

AN: Hah. You become a man and your skin gets thick. You get money, most of the time. Hunger is the biggest killer out there, lady. You don’t have many options to battle it when you live on the streets. Bad thing is, you never make it out of that life, or rarely make it out alive. You know too much.

VA: What were your gangs like? Did they have any women in them? 

AN: Naw. Most of ‘em didn’t. Ain't nobody want extra baggage to carry around, and women ain’t built for that life. All gangs do the same shit. Robberies, contrabands, selling drugs and shi’, gang wars. You know the drill. You know, women were used as revenge when it came to gang wars. You’d shoot or kidnap someone’s gal’ to get their attention and to get some power over ‘em.”

VA: So, women weren’t in the gangs you were in, but they were used as weapons and caught in the crossfire?

AN: Could say, yeah. If weapons and guns don’t turn the tide in a gang’s favor in a war, having a woman who sleeps with a member of the enemy gang sure did. Been there, done it. Otherwise, women ain’t good for anything else in gangs but ransoms. Imagine this. You’s a gang member. How do we get your attention and hurt you? We break you by touchin’ your girl, daughter, wife, whatever.

VA: So how does a gang member prove himself? 

AN: By showing you is a real man. By dominating others and showing them you ain’t a joke. You feel like a real man when your gang’s powerful and known in all the hoods of the city. Really hard for a young man to do it.

VA: So it’s about power and hierarchy. Displaying these so-called powers on the streets to intimidate others and be the “alpha”.

AN: Somethin’ like that. And controlling hoods and areas of the city. There’s territories. Sellin’ drugs and trespassing in ours meant war. All you think about is the end goal and all the money, power, and control. Can’t be weak and chicken out once you’re in it either. You’s just gonna get shot and dumped somewhere where you’ll never get found. Gangs members are hitmen. 

VA: What about insights? How do you learn what the other gangs are up to?

AN: You don’t. Sometimes, when you’re lucky, your gang’s prostitutes get you some info they learn.

VA: So gangs have pimps and own prostitutes? 

AN: Yeah. Women are mostly weapons that cause some wars.

VA: Let’s look into the broader picture of the crime scene. The mafia. 

AN: I ain’t looking at any of that. 

VA: Were the crimes you and your gang committed organized? 

AN: Always. Never sloppy n’ messy. Except for the people that got robbed. Never planned, just made sure the moment’s right, nobody ever snitched when they got caught by the pigs either. 

VA: Pigs?

AN: Cops, lady. 

VA: Do you feel like they monitored the areas where gangs were usually about? The hoods.

AN: They did, yeah. Just not good at it.

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The conversation concludes here. The speaker did not wish to indulge further, nor to share other exclusive information with me - although, this is enough as it is and only highlights my investigation. The conducted interview introduces similar, if not even more broad elaborations on how violent and grim of a picture gangs truly are. Poverty is a harsh teacher that forces the human mind to work in questionable ways and adapt to chaos.

 

Femininity and weakness are eliminated from gangs at first notice - women are but mere tools and weapons they use, although more valuable than they’d like to admit. Gender-based violence is another highlight. Women cannot be involved in gangs due to the weakness they’re stereotyped with, but they’re in the midst of two clashing storms. It leads me to a previous article of mine - a woman’s beauty causes and solves wars. Yet, they’re seen as weak and incapable. 

 

During my conversations with other people that I’ve contacted to contribute to my research, even the anonymous speaker identified the norms of being masculine, powerful, and violent as the defining factors of being “on the top” and the key to survival on the streets. Gangs are all about power and hierarchy, a whole separate lifestyle - one, that teaches the members how to assert their manhood. In the end, we call it toxic masculinity. 

 

After the interview, I spoke to various young people I encountered on the streets of Los Santos - all unemployed. They ranged from 20 to 27 years old. I asked them how they felt about the unemployment and how they felt about the urban places in the city and what are the motives behind joining gangs, from their perspectives. Their answers varied, but in the end, they all concluded the same - poverty and hunger are the leading motives, especially powerful ones when accompanied by the lack of motivation for self-improvement. The thought of easy money tempts everyone, but some cannot resist the devil’s temptation and are willing to go far and beyond for it.

 

Gangs “emasculate” men and only then, they callous their skin, whilst constructing and helping them practice that masculinity by promoting violence and usage of drug substances. The impact from it reflects on Los Santos on a daily basis. Robberies, violent shootouts, and drug contrabands occur every day.

 

Their activities are even depicted on FaceBrowser, by an association called Hood Tapez - on their platform, they deliver news from the “hood”. Recently, they published video footage of several men consuming substances, but the highlight of the video is that a homeless man is made to participate. The moral of this video proves a highlighted point - poverty allows the mind to operate in unorthodox ways. The men in the video have already been “emasculated” by the hood. They’ve adapted to the chaotic lifestyle. They’ve toughened up. The video depicts them indulging in forbidden substances as they are making another person participat - which on its own, is atrocious. 

"Downtown #MMB members make a homeless man smoke a perc 30! Thoughts? Let us know in the comments!"

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Can anything be done about them? Likely not. The gangs are a matrix - and if a matrix is to be destroyed, its core must be removed. And in this case, the core is poverty.

 

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Edited by starcaller
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Username: AmericanPatroits99 

Comment:  Why join a gang. We desperately need workers and many business opened are suffering from a work force shortage. They should join the employment of many companies. You work You eat, that is the motto. The reason is many thinks the hood is a way of life and join drug cartels or gangs because they belong there. That drug epidemic is horrible but resources are thin for that. Many dont because it is hard to travel all the way to a hospital or Pillbox hospital. This is a culture that is hard to break. The best is to encourage the youth over there to work. Because there is a lot of opportunities for anyone to get rich. 

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