A street gang is a group or association of three or more persons who may have a common identifying sign, symbol or name, and who individually or collectively engage in, or have engaged in, criminal activity, or as a juvenile commits an act that if committed by an adult would be a criminal act.

Stanley "Tookie" Willams was the co-founder of the "Crypts". It all started off when he was 16 years old. Stanley founded the "Crypts" when a neighborhood street gang was causing disorder in the neighborhood. He did it to protect himself and his friends from danger. The gang spread fast and is now in forty-two states on America and in at least one other continent. Stanley was convicted of four murders, and then sent to prison.

"Stanley is determined to make amends for having been a co-founder of the Crypts. He intends to try in every way he can to guide those youngsters who have imitated him away from the road that led him to death row where he faces State execution. Don't join a gang, You won't find what you're looking for. All you will find is trouble, pain and sadness. I know. I did." (Stanley Williams, 1996, p.1)

As Stanley faces execution he tries to apologize for

In organized crime, the drug world, is a business that some, not all gangs work around. In most small communities the are small street gangs that run the drug trade. The street gangs are usually smaller, but most are connected to larger gangs, (i.e. the Bloods or the Crypts). Smaller street gangs are usually unorganized, compared to larger gangs. This usually involves run-ins with the police or territorial disputes with other street gangs. It is extremely difficult for street gangs to operate by themselves, without being aquatinted with larger gangs. When operating by themselves they will run into problems with freelance individuals and other gangs. This usually results in violence.

Gangs have a large affect on the community, not only do they bring violence and organized crime but they bring fear into people. People might have the fear of walking down the street or going into a part of the neighbor hood that they know is populated by gangs.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Tookie Willams, Justice Assistance, Bloods Crypts, Stanley Williams, Toronto Star, Arthur Richard, Gangs Gang, Bing Lionel, Bureau Justice, street gangs, gangs usually, larger gangs, drug world, Stanley Tookie, values behaviors threatening, rest life, gangs affect, 1996 p1, gangs brutal, hurtful evil misappropriated, people people, behaviors threatening intimidating, tookie willams, misappropriated values behaviors, evil misappropriated values,
Approximate Word count = 1070
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)