General Macro-Level Theories and Modern-Day Applications

Street gangs are an amalgam of racism, of urban underclass poverty, of minority and youth culture, of fatalism in the face of rampant deprivation, of political insensitivity, and the gross ignorance of inner-city America on the part of most of us who don’t have to survive there. (p. 234)
Klein, M.W. (1995). The American Street Gang. New York, NY: Oxford University Press

Please answer the questions outlined below:

• When exploring macro level approaches to gangs, community and environmental factors play a crucial role in explaining why gangs thrive in areas.What environmental factors do you think contribute to the formation and growth of gangs in the city neighborhoods?
• Respond to at least one of your classmates. Why is it important to understand these factors?