jordanb1

Alright, so we all know the gang stereotype, right? It includes tattoos, baggy clothes, and tank tops. Well, more and more of the gangs in Central America are shying away from this look due to crackdowns by the government and local vigilante groups. A vigilante group is a group of people who take the law into their own hands. The Mara 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs have been known as very violent gangs in the past, beheaded rivals and painting their symbols all over the place. There are around 100,000 Maras in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, as well as around 30,00 in the U.S. Lately, this gang has decided to fight the recent crackdowns by recruiting high school and college students, and telling them not to "ink" their faces. According to Little Crazy, "These days we can't even go out on the street, where the police look at us and we're dead." The police can obviously tell gang members by their numerous tattoos. It looks like gangs will alway find a way, whether it be in baggy pants or blazers. That's all for now. Here's a link to the article. Later!!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/12/16/gang.makeovers.ap/index.html