Editing Gang (section)

==Motives==

Most modern research on gangs has focused on the thesis of [[class struggle]] following the work of [[Walter B. Miller]] and Irving Spergel. In this body of work [[Chicago Gaylords|The Gaylords]] are cited as the prime example of an American gang that is neither black nor Hispanic. Some researchers have focused on ethnic factors. [[Frederic Thrasher]], who was a pioneer of gang research, identified "demoralization" as a standard characteristic of gangs. [[John Hagedorn]] has argued that this is one of three concepts that shed light on patterns of organization in oppressed racial, religious and ethnic groups (the other two are [[Manuel Castells]]' theory of "resistance identity" and [[Derrick Bell]]'s work on the permanence of racism).<ref>{{harvnb|Hagedorn|2008|p=55}}</ref>

Usually, gangs have gained the most control in poorer, urban communities and [[developing countries]] in response to unemployment and other services.<ref>{{harvnb|Hagedorn|2008|p=7}}</ref> Social disorganization, and the disintegration of societal institutions such as family, school, and the public safety net, enable groups of peers to form gangs.<ref>{{harvnb|Hagedorn|2008|p=6}}</ref>  According to surveys conducted internationally by the [[World Bank]] for their [[The World Development Report 2011|World Development Report 2011]], by far the most common reason people suggest as a motive for joining gangs is unemployment.<ref>[http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWDRS/Resources/WDR2011_Full_Text.pdf 2011 World Development Report]  See Figure F2.2 on page 35</ref>

Ethnic solidarity is a common factor in gangs. Black and Hispanic gangs formed during the 1960s in the USA often adapted nationalist rhetoric.<ref>{{harvnb|Hagedorn|2008|p=16}}</ref> Both majority and minority races in society have established gangs in the name of identity: the [[Igbo people|Igbo]] gang [[Bakassi Boys]] in [[Nigeria]] defend the majority Igbo group violently and through terror, and in the United States, whites who feel threatened by minorities have formed their own gangs, such as the [[Ku Klux Klan]]. Responding to an increasing black and Hispanic migration, a white gang formed called [[Chicago Gaylords]].<ref>{{harvnb|Hagedorn|2008|pp=53–54}}</ref> Some gang members are motivated by religion, as is the case with the [[Muslim Patrol]] and the [[Epstein-Wolmark gang]].<ref>Shaer, Matthew (September 2, 2014) [https://www.gq.com/story/epstein-orthodox-hit-squad "Epstein Orthodox Hit Squad"], ''GQ''. Retrieved February 19, 2019.</ref>