Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Female Gangs on the Rise
The "Knockout Honies" and the "Most Wanted Honeyz" are two examples of a new phenomenon--"girl gangs"--that have cropped up in major cities across the United States in recent years. Some gangs have as many as 200 members, and fight rival gangs in traditional male-gang style with baseball bats, thrown bricks and knives. Washington Post story here. Sociological analysis of this phenomenon here. Listen to NPR story here. [Mark Godsey]
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/crimprof_blog/2004/12/national_trend_.html
Comments
what kind of criminal behavior do you need to categorize these girls as a gang? boosting cars? they're doing it. organizing and recruiting? they're doing it. attacking rivals and other competition? they're doing it.
how do i know? b/c i've arrested some of them for it. lets call a spade a spade.
Posted by: dc officer | Jan 5, 2005 9:05:49 PM
I believe we have a responsibility to take these issues seriously, regardless of whether it is a new phenomenon or an establish issue. A "gang" is described as "a formal or informal ongoing organization, association, or group that has as one of its primary activities the commission of criminal or delinquent acts, and that consists of three or more persons who have a common name or common identifying signs, colors, or symbols and have two or more members who, individually or collectively, engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal street gang activity." I believe we must address these issues in open and honest conversation. We need to increase awareness and gather intelligence by engaging people about this. The state of Florida is piloting an initiative to do this using the internet. Example demo at www.TalkAboutGangs.com.
Posted by: Conrad | Jun 28, 2007 12:11:15 PM
If they are not shooting, robbing and dealing drugs, I hardly think these people count as a gang. The WaPo article lists one incident a month (in D.C.!) including a prank phone call.
Posted by: Jack | Dec 29, 2004 5:11:04 PM