Hierarchical Arrangement of Street Gangs

4.e

One must remember that, when dealing with street gangs, not every gang is organized and has one boss. Some of the organizations have thousands of members and have constitutions that reflect the codebooks and carry out criminal activities throughout the world.

While there are street gangs, who have control over a block or two with a minimal number of members. While dealing with multiple gangs, it is very important to consider the magnitude of the gang.

This article deals with older, multi-generational, and longtime established criminals. The explanation and information regarding the organizational hierarchy apply only to these and no other street gangs operating around the world.

Usually, there is only one highest position. The role of leader is usually taken by an incarcerated person. The rules and tasks most of the time are assigned from the penitentiary. The orders and commands on new alliances, rivalries, and activities are formed from within the prison walls. The frequent changes in operations vary from one location to the other and are also based on the current conditions in any given place or location.

Gang members see jail as a kind of policy insurance. They know that the eventuality of their lives is in prison because of the activities in which they engage. If they implement the orders that come out of the prison when they are on the streets, the moment when they would be imprisoned they would be taken care of during their jail sentences.

Under the boss, normally, there is a whole committee of leaders which represents both non-incarcerated and incarcerated members. The committee proves to be a great help for the leader because it is the body that sends commands within and outside the jail to each particular faction of the gang. It is made up of the members the leader trusts the most.

The individual factions come next to these. They are all different criminal organizations but can usually be summoned together for a cumulative common cause. The identification of the factions is based on the street corner at which they are based or the quarter's nickname.

There may even be sub-groups within selected groups. The Disciples, Stones, and the Vice Lords are the most apparent of all. They are separated from the generic names that are listed in the groups. Many individual factions will form a part of the original faction, and the sub-groups will thus exist.

Underlying is an example; the Disciples are further divided into the following factions or sub-groups; Gangster Disciples, Black Disciples, Black Gangster Disciples, Maniac Latin Disciples, Black Gangsters, Maniac Latin Disciples, YLO Latin Disciples, Spanish Gangster Disciples, and Satan Disciples. For each of the various factions, there are numerous sites designated according to their exact location, and therefore the sub-groups are currently in the overall scheme of things. In order to clarify this point, I will categorize the affiliation with the help of a four-way division.

If the person is a member of the Disciples street gang,

• He/ She would be categorized under the Folks nation instantly.
• The next heading would be that of generic designation of the Disciples.
• The subgroup would have to be categorized, and for instance, I would say it, Spanish Gangster Disciples.
• As the last step, the sub-group would be denoted by its exact geographical location. We would categorize the person as a member belonging to the location, 88^th in Houston Streets. The streets would be known as the danger zone.

Normally, every sub-faction has multiple key positions. A few are Warlord, enforcer, historian, and bail bondmen. In the region around the central corner of the sub-faction, the warlord is in charge of the ongoing alliances and rivalries. For disciplinary measures within the particular sub-faction, the enforcers are responsible. Historians take care that gang activities are recorded and evolved. It may also be responsible for updating the structure of the gang. When members are incarcerated, the bail-bondman has a particular part of the gang's money to be used for bail.

These positions are usually referred to as runners, lookouts, and soldiers. For each group or sub-group, there are ranks and files. These positions are the main part of the given gang. They are members that operate the distribution of narcotics, disperse the narcotics in buildings and carry out the daily operations of the gang. 

In various parts of the country, gangs act differently. Their environment and culture influence them as they develop their own code of conduct, style, and structure. And when migrating nationally or internationally, some of the original structure is maintained. In order to be an effective gang, the structure needs to be designed like "smart bombs," which means a tactical design to demolish the structure and hierarchy of specific targets.

The gangs developed a vivid corporate structure following the structure of an Egyptian pyramid in the states of New York and Chicago. Beneath are the street soldiers, which are led by a hierarchy of leadership and, finally, a president or a king. The King of the Folk's Nation, for example, is Larry Hoover. Sometimes the written constitutions and statutes are also present for the gangs which use this kind of structure.

The Model from Mexico

The street gangs of Los Angeles developed on the 'Hispanic' Model. The street gangs are much more democratic here, with each member being able to vote equally. Subgroups or cliques are present within this structure, and all of them have independent de facto leaders with aura. The LA street gang is an alliance of cliques that work as a unit, hierarchical in nature like terrorist cells of Al-Qaeda.

Within this model, if you incarcerate a leader or destroy a cell or clique, someone else would simply fill the gulf of power. Because there are few command and control lines, the hierarchy is hardly damaged. Every cell appears to act independently, yet the group supports its common objectives.

If you ask any L.A. gang member who is the leader, his reply would be that "I'm!" Southern California's structural pyramid is like an Aztec pyramid. It has a wide foundation of soldiers, and the new inductees form big semi-autonomous stones, ultimately narrowing while going towards the top. This reduction happens not because of the position appointments but rather due to the desertion, death, and prison.

O.G.s and Veteranos

At the peak of the gang pyramids in L.A., the senior gang members operate. They do not have the power to control the gang, but an informal and honorary title is given to them. In Hispanic street gang terminology, they are called "Veteranos" or veterans, and in Afro-American gangs, they are called "Original Gangsters."

They act as senior officers of law enforcement. Even if the salary, grade, and title of lieutenants and sergeants are not given to them, they tend to conduct the shifts in the early mornings). This is mainly because of their experience and not because of the official hierarchy. You might be foolish to disregard his or her advice when a senior officer says, "You ought to make this notification" or "write this report." But the officer would probably not order you such a thing. The same applies to O.G.s and Veterans.

Target the Left Arm

Notwithstanding all the differences, structural similarities are present and can be exploited between the West Coast, East Coast, and Midwest gangs. There are two "arms" in every gang.

The right arm is the best known. It's the militant and combatant arm. It consists of the gang members and the structural hierarchy of any type. This is the weapon usually targeted at programs to prevent and suppress gangs. But, even if the members and structure of this militant right-hand arm are successfully imprisoned and destroyed, new gang members will keep replacing them.

The left arm of gangs also exists; it is the street gang's cash arm. The left arm is a source of money for the gang to continue its armed wars. Whether it is via drugs, extortion, identity theft, murders, or Gangsta Rap, it is controlled by the left arm. This financial arm should be aimed at dismantling the gang effectively. The left-arm must be tracked and completely cut to the source of income. When this happens, the gang is becomes weakened, and the right arm is effectively targeted.

The gang members in Los Angeles have learned to target the Gangsta Rapper from the rival parties because not only does this damage the reputation of the opposing gang and kills the enemy; it also destroys the gang's capacity to finance the warfare.

The Narcotics detectives should work in alliance with the gangs as the "left-right combination” is highly important. However, good intelligence is the most crucial element in combating gang violence. In current law enforcement agencies, the criminal intelligence based in localities is neglected. This often causes damage to budget cuts. Ask yourself what general would dismantle his intelligence unit during an ongoing war?

The explanation of these organizations' structures would help in pointing out, targeting, prosecuting, and eventually combating the members of these criminal organizations.