Gang Membership

Figure 1: Mayor Doug

Gangs and the Youth

Hey kids! I'm Doug, your community's Mayor, and as your Mayor it is my job to make sure you kids have a bright future. To succeed in doing my job, I need stop kids like you from joining gangs, or organized groups of criminals. How you may ask? Well let me begin.

So first we have to figure out why kids like you grow up joining gangs. A big reason kids join gangs is out of boredom. Now I know how kids are, you love getting into mischief when you're bored, and that's exactly why some kids join these gangs. When a child grows up in an urban neighborhood that's full of gangs and nothing else, the child is bound to grow up joining these gangs. Urban neighborhoods and communities tend to not have much to do in them considering they do not have a lot of money for other forms of entertainment, so children will see these gangs as all they can do for fun. Obviously this is a big problem and it won't get better over time. When a child grows into an adult and is still a gang member, his or her's child will likely become part of that same gang. It is all a large cycle which is why it is my duty to make it stop.

Figure 2: Jail Cell

Here's why gangs are bad for you kids. Joining a gang itself requires you to steal, be beaten up by the rest of the gang, or stuff that's even worse. Everyday you have to commit some sort of illegal task like selling drugs or committing more theft. Gang members never have bright futures and may even end up in jail or dead. Ex-gang members even struggle with making relationships and being financially stable in the future. No one wants to have a sad and difficult life in their future, so trust me kids, the gang life is not for you and it shouldn't be the choice for anyone. 

Figure 3: Playground

So what's my plan on how to stop this? Well, I'm simply going to give you kids something to do (1). I am going to have construction for multiple entertainment centers begin and I will have your schools create more clubs and teams so you children never get bored! Soon you'll be able to go to the movie theaters, recreational centers, restaurants, playgrounds, and more! With all these new things to do, you kids will never get bored, and hopefully never turn to mischief and gangs. That's all from Mayor Doug right now, I hope to see you kids having tremendous fun in the short future and always remember, stay away from gangs!


References
Figure 1. [Untitled image of Cartoon Mayor] [digital image] (2018). Retrieved from https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/cartoon-mayor-royalty-free-illustration/165958991

Figure 2. Sutherland, R. [Untitled image of Jail Cell] [digital image] (2014). Retrieved from https://www.spectator.co.uk/2014/02/what-i-learned-in-a-qatari-jail-cell/

(1) Grabianowski, E. (2006, September 26). How Street Gangs Work. Retrieved from https://people.howstuffworks.com/street-gang2.htm

Figure 3. A gift to the community: New SAU playground opens up [digital image]. (2017). Retrieved from https://web.saumag.edu/news/2017/gift-community-new-sau-playground-opens-friday-noon/