Teens in Gangs | Teen Ink

Teens in Gangs

March 20, 2013
By GabyR. BRONZE, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
GabyR. BRONZE, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

I once knew a girl who got caught up in gangs and drugs. Many times she was either passed out in my room, or running/hiding from someone. She was always with me because I took care of her and protected her. She practically lived with me. This wasn’t exactly her choice. She joined the gang for her family’s protection. Although there might be things that sound good in a gang, there’s always a consequence for your actions. Even if you think they are good things, they turn out to not be worth it anyway. Gangs and drugs are real popular in youth but it needs to come to an end.

Gangs need to end before tragedy strikes. The only way to get out of a gang is usually death. In a gang you get into fights with other gangs. Once you’ve killed a gang member, which sometimes is one of the initiations of a gang, expect an encounter for revenge from them later on. Also if you have to use drugs in the gang they can kill you by giving you cancer or a heart disease. These are just some of the many ways a gang can lead to your death.

Forming part of a gang might just get you in jail for a good amount of your life or sometimes even for the rest of your life. Once you’re in a gang you can’t get out. You might think that after falling in jail you’re out of it but the truth is that “when gang members go to prison, they don't necessarily relinquish their gang membership. Street gangs continue to exist (and fight other gangs) inside prison walls” (Grabianowski). The gang life follows you everywhere you go.

Gangs can make you loose a lot of your money. You might have to pay others debts depending on the gang you’re a part of. Many people buy weapons but can’t really afford them. When the seller of the weapon hunts the buyer for the money, sometimes you have to pay the seller to protect your member or you’ll be the one in danger. This can lose most or even all of your money leaving you totally poor or even homeless.

No matter how hard it is to let go of gangs, it must happen. Gangs are something real serious. That’s why now my friend fixed up her life after she got someone mad and they killed her cousin. She now has good grades in school. Also she’s a lot happier now because she has a chance to relax. Life is a whole lot easier.

Works Cited Page
Grabianowski,Ed. “Gang Life.” People.howstuffworks.com. Unknown. March 8, 2013 http://people.howstuffworks.com/street-gang2.htm



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