Street gangs often arise when many different, poor, immigrant communities are thrown together in a densely populated area such as New York or LA. The graffiti which sometimes appears overnight is almost certainly the work of "taggers" - young gang members leaving their mark on a piece of territory.

Today gangs are larger, highly sophisticated, more violent, younger and have greater access to sophisticated weaponry. Children of all races, as young as seven or eight, are being lured into gangs to commit crimes once associated with much older youths.

Many sociologists explain the increasing gang phenomenon by pointing to the breakdown of the family and the rise in single-parent families. They suggest that the gang with its rules and hierarchical structure replaces the family. It becomes a substitute for the family. The children and teenagers who are attracted to gangs have low levels of educational skills, limited safe areas in which to play and minimal access to well-paid jobs.

Most people like to join social groups or clubs which have a common goal and unifying symbols. In street gangs these symbols and goals become horribly distorted. They reveal the desperate need for attention, respect and companionship which many young people from disadvantaged groups are lacking.

The police categorise street gangs into four main groups: Black, Hispanic, Asian and Retreatist (white). Each group has its own identity, symbols and colours. Two main groups exist within the Black gangs: the Bloods and the Crips. They feud within their own hood but now permeate society outside as well. Crips identify with the colour blue and refer to each other as Cuzz. Bloods identify themselves with the colour red and refer to each other as Blood. Much of their activity is associated with drug dealing.

Hispanic gangs are very territorial. There are two main groups which have existed for at least 60 years and therefore have traditions and codes of conduct that have been passed down form one generation to the next. The Nortenos come from northern California. Their colour is red and their symbols are the letter N and the Roman numeral fourteen, representing the 14^th letter of the alphabet. Surenos come from Southern California or Mexico. Their colour is royal blue. Their symbols are the letter M (partly for the prison gang Mexican Mafia which originated in the south of California) and the Roman numeral 13.

The Asian gangs are not interested in territory or gang identifiers. They operate more as crime syndicates involved in extortion, drug sages, auto theft, armed robbery and murder. Although gang members may be involved in violent crimes outside of school, they man be very polite and respectful of authority within the school.

Retreatist gangs or hate groups are predominantly white and are no Nazi in their philosophy or ideology. They feel that minorities are taking over their country and that they are defending white culture. They demonstrate violence towards Blacks, Jews and other minorities.

In addition to the colours of their clothing, gang members differentiate themselves in other ways. Many have tattoos or sometimes particular hairstyles can be indicators of gang membership, for example shaved heads or cropped hair. Some Latino gang members have shaved sides to their hair bur wear the back in a tail. Beepers and certain types of hats and sunglasses may also be signs. There is also a complex language of hand signs which some gang members use.

There are two opposing ideas about how to deal with gangs. One is the "get tough" approach which would arrest, prosecute and imprison all gang members to remove the problem from the streets. This method is also called the "zero tolerance approach", giving members quick and hard punishment. This would require the construction of many more prisons to house the growing number of offenders.

The second is to treat gang members like human beings and try to help them to "mature out" of their gang activities into acceptable roles within the community. Helping gang members by providing alternative activities to gang membership may be successful. This strategy will require the construction of more and better schools, training programs and new business enterprises.

Facts: There are at least 25,000 gangs in America. Adult members recruit young children to commit their crimes, because young children receive a lighter sentence than adults if caught.

Why do kids join gangs: Some kids are poor and have been brought up in households where violence, drugs, alcohol abuse and neglect are common. They have no jobs and therefore no chance of escaping from poverty. Some have never had adult support or role models to give them advice and help them see what is right and what is wrong. Some kids simply like the idea of making easy cash. They also want an opportunity to show their anger at their situation. They skip school and listen to their peers on the streets, where they are given a set of gang rules or codes as a way to live. Every new member has to pass an initiation test, for example being beaten up or anything like that. Many gang members pay for their membership with their lives.

What happens to kids who join a gang: In order to prove loyalty to a gang, new members must pass an initiation test which can involve committing a violent crime. Gang members create a society of their own by wearing certain clothes of one or two colours and wearing jewellery and guns. They may also get tattoos. They will often use graffiti and tagging to mark the gang's local area or hood. Gang members usually use gang slang or hand signals to communicate. Most gangs lice by sets of rules such as: Don't snitch, get respect, get money and carry a gun.

How do you know if someone is in a gang? It is important to remember that the decision to join a gang is usually not made overnight. So it is important for parents to watch for signs of involvement in gangs: bad performance at school, absences form school and the home and large, unexplained amounts of money as well as all other signs of gang membership. Most of the time those kids at risk have no one to watch out for them. They have lots of spare time on their hands.

Alternatives: Clubs are being set up to fill the gaps in the lives of the teens. The Boys and Girls Club for example educates and supports its members and provides activities and positive alternatives to gangs (homework help, promoting of sports-related careers, trainings to become referees or coaches, inter-club competitions.). The clubs are open every day, after school, and at weekends. They are run by full-time professional staff who provide the teens with positive role models. Creativity is encouraged, skills are built and fitness promoted. Famous supporters of this scheme are for example Michael Jordan and Denzel Washington.