Gang Deconstruction

I. Introduction
A gang is a group of friends or family with identifiable leadership and internal
organization, identifying with or claiming control over territory in a community, and
engaging either individually or collectively in illegal or violent behavior. Some criminal
gang members "jumped in" (by going through the process of initiation) or have to prove
their loyalty and right to belong to a group by committing certain acts, usually a theft or
[act of] violence. A member of a gang may be called a gangster or a thug.
Definition
The word "gang" derives from the past participle of Old English gan, meaning "to go". It
is cognate with Old Norse gangster, meaning "journey." It typically means a group of
people, and may have neutral, positive or negative connotations depending on usage.
Page 17 of 110