Community Response to a Community Problem Essay Example for Free

Community Response to a Community Problem Essay The youth gang problem in Southern California has reached epidemic proportions, and it calls for immediate action. However, any meaningful response on a social concern must be made with an understanding of the root causes of such an issue. Here we identify possible key causes of gang involvement and draw out implications for possible solutions to the problems involved. The key solutions require going beyond the individual, towards taking community action. Solving Californias gang problem, as in any â€Å"issue† or social problem, would not be easy. As a social problem, it must be studied systematically and would invariably require a social response. This social response means the involvement of many if not all community members, not just those directly concerned with the issue. It also means tapping significant community resources. At a practical level, community response is key as some possible solutions would entail a lot of resources, such as increasing self-esteem among youth at risk, stressing the importance of education, and providing training services. Gangs, Youth, Class and Violence: Reasons to Act Los Angeles County in particular has been called the gang capital of the world. Gang activity in the place accounts for a significant amount of violent crimes with approximately 6617 gang-related crimes committed in 2006 (House of Representatives, 1993). Gang members were believed responsible for 19 percent of the robberies, and 10 percent to 12 percent of the total felonious assaults in the southeast division of Los Angeles (Joint Committee on Organized Crime and Gang Violence). Today, in the City of Los Angeles alone there are more than 250 active gangs with over 26,000 members, while in the entire LA County there are around 950 gangs with more than 100,000 individuals (www. lapdonline. org). The most unfortunate aspect of this development perhaps is that more and more young people are involving themselves in gangs and are being exposed to or are themselves causing a lot of violence. Juvenile offenders are the nations fastest growing crime problem. While adult violent crime rates have remained fairly steady over the past decade, juvenile offenses have soared. It appears that the catalyst for this violence is the presence of gangs in low-income, urban areas. A study by the Office of the Attorney General of the State of California reveals that in 2006 approximately 5,168 arrests were made per 100,000 juveniles (age 10-17) compared to 5,283 arrests per 100,000 adults. (http://ag. ca. gov) In low-income, urban areas of Southern California, much of the increase in youth violence can be traced to gangs, usually in confrontations between rival gang members. As one expert witness has testified, â€Å"Drive-by shootings, turf wars, and homicides are mostly tied to gangs† (http://www. lapdonline. org).