Anyone have experience with them back then? I think they were around in inner cities before, but by the early-mid 90s they got more widespread to where most suburban kids would've had some firsthand experience with gangmembers, whether it was having some as friends or just going to school with them.

Personally I was in later elementary school in 1991-'94 and lived in a suburban but metropolitan area. None of the kids in my school obviously were in gangs then, but there were some tougher ones where I think that might've influenced them a little bit, and I'm not talking about liking hip hop or other stereotypes. I guess I'm more talking about attitude, and I remember kids cussed alot back then too.

Just based on talking with people that might've been in gangs when they were younger but stopped (or what I've seen on tv shows, etc) I get the impression kids usually join because they want to fit in, have more friends and belong to something... they've all got that in common, but some just take it further and more seriously than others. I think only a small percentage actually do more serious criminal stuff (beyond stuff like vandalism or fights), but I could be talking out of my *ss on that. ;)

Even though it was never my thing at all, I find the gang culture fascinating for a couple reasons. Part of it is just the reason people do it in the first place (it's understandable but not excusable), and because of the influence it had on the 90s and up to now. It was definitely one of the more cutting edge, gritty aspects of the decade - every time I think of how innocent and how much better they are, when I see stuff like this I start reconsidering.

I think the last time suburbia and teenagers could've been totally oblivious to gangs was maybe 1988. I wonder if that's when the "innocent times" really started ending. It definitely is something that makes that time more like today than the past.

Gangs in the 90s didn't really differ from gangs of any era, apart from the look.  Getting the sh*t kicked out of you by a group of guys stays the same no matter what era ;D

This could just be what I've noticed, but gang activity increased where I live, in this decade.  I was coming home on the bus one day, and near the top of the mall, somebody spray-painted some mean stuff all over.  It's since been painted over(poorly), but it still kinda worries me.  Security's pretty bad there; I guess they just didn't want to spend too much money since it's not doing so well.

I was in high school in 96-99 in a "affluent type" suburb.  There were no real gangs, but me and my friends dressed in a way that we may have been called "gang-bangers" by some.  We always wore our hats backwards, baggy and low pants, etc. but we were not in gangs.  There were some "pretend gangs" though, but we never thought of ourselves as that.  We never did anything bad.  The worst we did was smoke cigarettes and drive fast but we were really very nice, polite, respectful teens.

Anyone have experience with them back then? I think they were around in inner cities before, but by the early-mid 90s they got more widespread to where most suburban kids would've had some firsthand experience with gangmembers, whether it was having some as friends or just going to school with them.

I have firsthand experience with the Norteños.  I was never actually IN a gang, but I had a lot of friends and relatives who were, and still are, affiliated with them.  I would also "claim" Northern status on occasion.

Just based on talking with people that might've been in gangs when they were younger but stopped (or what I've seen on tv shows, etc) I get the impression kids usually join because they want to fit in, have more friends and belong to something... they've all got that in common, but some just take it further and more seriously than others. I think only a small percentage actually do more serious criminal stuff (beyond stuff like vandalism or fights), but I could be talking out of my *ss on that. ;)

The people I knew joined gangs because they were poor and the gangs offered a great way to make money (drugs and other shizz).  It was also a matter of who you grew up with and how affiliated families were with gangs.  I can't really explain it well, but if you grew up like I did, then you would know what I was talking about.

Even though it was never my thing at all, I find the gang culture fascinating for a couple reasons. Part of it is just the reason people do it in the first place (it's understandable but not excusable), and because of the influence it had on the 90s and up to now. It was definitely one of the more cutting edge, gritty aspects of the decade - every time I think of how innocent and how much better they are, when I see stuff like this I start reconsidering.

It is not fascinating when your friend gets stabbed 17 times.  It is not fascinating when your cousin gets shot at.  It is not fascinating when your uncle is locked up at San Quentin for the millionth time and jokingly refers to the prison as his "vacation home".  It is not fascinating when a friend dies.  Looking back to when I was around this culture a lot (my teenage years), I find that I was a lot stupider back then to think of how cool it was to say that I had family members and friends in gangs, that I claimed red, the number 14, and lived in Norte.  I find it ridiculous now that I dressed like a chola, spouted "Brown Pride" all over (although I am proud to be Mexican, I'm equally proud to be American, Greek, and German), and got high all the time with my friends.

When I go back home and see the little gangbangers and my old friends or family who still claim, I laugh to myself, although it's not really a laughing matter anymore.  My hometown and the city next to it (Salinas) are getting worse with violence every year.  It really sucks.

I think the last time suburbia and teenagers could've been totally oblivious to gangs was maybe 1988. I wonder if that's when the "innocent times" really started ending. It definitely is something that makes that time more like today than the past.


Suburbia is always oblivious until the trouble slaps them soundly on the ass and says, "I'm here, bitches!  What'cha gonna do?"

Suburbia is always oblivious until the trouble slaps them soundly on the ass and says, "I'm here, bitches!  What'cha gonna do?"


Same thing we've always done.  Move somewhere else.

Back in the day, I lived in an apartment that started to get interesting pen-scratches in its elevator.  And that was all I needed to see.  Nobody had given me any trouble - as a civilian who kept to his own business, I wasn't making trouble, and trouble's relatively easy to avoid when you're an adult:  "Don't start none?  Won't be none."  After a few weeks of packing, one day I was there, and the next day I wasn't.

The landlord and I solved our problems with a pen, a handshake, and a shrug.  I paid ~$1000 to hire some guys to move some stuff a few blocks away, he paid ~$1000 to shampoo a rug, list a place for rent, and in lost rental income until the new tenant moved in.

The depressing thing is that the street-level crime that prompted the move typically pays less than minimum wage.  Dollar amounts that my landlord and I could amicably shrug off as the cost of doing business, would have represented weeks, if not months, worth of work, to some kid who didn't have the luxury of just walking away.