Global-History

Jamiacan Gangsters are commonly called "Rude Boys"

The Bad Boyz of the Yakuza gang sporting their common gang tattoos

Janjaweed translates in Arabic to "a man with a gun on a horse"

Darfur, Sudan
In Darfur, Sudan, lives one of the most notorious gangs in the world: The Janjaweed. The Janjaweed first appeared in 1988 when Chad, France, and America defeated the Libyan army. The Libyan political party then moved into Darfur and were hosted in the country. The Libyan forces were later destroyed by Chad, but their weapons remained with Darfur. As a result, the Janjaweed gang was formed with these new weapons which gave them power and they were soon given instructions and tasks by the government. Then came the Sudan Liberation Movement which caused the Sudanese government which "controls" the Janjaweed to order a counter-insurgency initiative and began what we know as the "genocide in Sudan"


The History of the Janjaweed and problems in Sudan



Jamaica

The History of gangs in Jamaica can be traced back to its first youth sub-culture, the Rude Boy. Once Jamaica got its independence from Britain in the early sixties, the country became extremely overpopulated and many economic and social problems such as healthcare deficiency, unemployment, disease, and government corruption began."The response to these conditions was the start of a creation of a new subculture, unofficially called scufflers. Scuffling was just scrounging to get by, by any means necessary. This often meant involvement in the underground economy. Pimping and prostitution, begging and stealing became the unofficial economic activities in the shanty towns of West Kingston." "These rude boys defined their own personal style. These youths, boys from fourteen to twenty-five years, carried German ratchet knives and handguns. They came from all over West Kingston. With deteriorating living conditions, these rude boys were, above all, angry." One of the things that Jamaican Rude boy did were capture what they felt into music such as reggae or ska.

The life and story of a Rude boy is perfectly captured in Israel Vibrations: Rudeboy shufflin song and music Video (Notice that both singers have canes and crutches because they contracted the polio disease growing up poor in jamaica in the 1960's)

A part of the songs lyrics goes like this:
Inna the ghetto old fence vibrate.
Stiffnecked fools, you deny me.
Promote the worst and slacky-tidey.
Now the youth so viciously. / Got to face your reality.
A this a rudeboy shufflin.
Millions of youth more violently.
So how you think you a go hold back me?

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Japan
Japan is home to a very large and famous international gang called the Yakuza.
The Yakuza name originates from the worst possible score in a japanese card game. The game, similar to blackjack has a highest possible # of 19. Ya-Ku-Sa is the phonetic sounding of 8-9-3 which is the number 20 or zero points, a bust. This is meant to symbolize the mantra of the Yakuza, no worth to society, the misfits and rebels.

The History and origin of the Yakuza is somewhat debatable:

One version says they are the "descendents of the 17th-century kabuki-mono (crazy ones), outlandish samurai who reveled in outlandish clothing and hair styles, spoke in elaborate slang, and carried unusually long swords in their belts." These men who were once servants of the Shogun became unnecessary once peace came in the tokugawa era so they began to devote their lives to stealing, gambling, and mayhem.

The second version of the Yakuza history is one endorsed by current Yakuza members today. They claim to be "descendents of the machi-yokko (servants of the town) who protected their villages from the wayward hatamoto-yakko. The official yakuza history portrays the group's ancestors as underdog folk heroes who stood up for the poor and the defenseless, just as Robin Hood helped the peasants of medieval England."

traditional yakuza members fell under three general categories: tekiya (street peddlers), bakuto (gamblers), and gurentai (hoodlums). "Traditionally the tekiya, medieval Japan's version of snake-oil salesmen, worked the fairs and markets while the bakuto worked the towns and highways. The gurentai, by contrast, modeled themselves on American gangsters of the Al Capone era, using threats and extortion to achieve their ends. After World War II, in the governmental power void caused by the Occupation, the gurentai prospered, and their ranks swelled. They also brought organized crime in Japan to a new level of violence, replacing the traditional sword with modern firearms, even though guns were now officially outlawed in the country as a result of the surrender." They ultimately survived because of the power and force they used to prosper economically.

This video gives more insight into the interesting culture of the traditional Yakuza practices as well as recent culture. ">

Global-Current Situation

The rest of the world is struggling with gangs, just as much as we are in America. We took an in depth look into three other countries around the world, Japan, Darfur, and Jamaica.

Jamaica-
The current situation of gangs in Jamaica is not too bad as compared to the U.S. The most powerful and deadly gangs in Jamaica now are also moving their operations into the U.S. This could be partly because many Jamaican gangs do not do buisness in Jamaica rather they just manufacture and acquire drugs there then move their lucrative products to the U.S. for sale. In the recent past however the gang problem escalated so high that residents of Kingston were forced to evacuate.
A Boston Globe article estimates that gangs in Central America are responsible for "...shaving regional gross domestic product by some 25 percent, according to the Inter-American Development Bank." Another reason the gang problem was so bad in Jamaica is because in the early 1980's the two major political parties in Jamaica, the Jamaican Labor Party (JLP) and the Peoples National Party (PNP), were using street gangs to influence the elections. The most well known gangs in Jamaica today include, The Shower Posse, Clans Massive, The Black Roses, and The President's Click.

Japan-
The current situation of gangs in much like that of the gang problems in America. A growing number of youth are becoming members of gangs, and the old ways of "traditional" style of gangs is beginning to become outdated. One recent news article tells of the brutal beating of an innocent man by juveniles. Most youth gangsters in Japan are a part of a biker gang, the most popular being, The Dragon.
However, the most well know gang in Japan is the Japanese Mafia, aka the Yakuza. Unlike their younger counterparts in crime, the Yakuza prefer to commit organized crime, not the violent crimes like the biker gangs. "Yakuza frequently engage in a uniquely Japanese form of extortion, known as sōkaiya. In essence, this is a specialized form of protection racket. Instead of harassing small businesses, the yakuza harasses a stockholders' meeting of a larger corporation." "They also engage in simple blackmail, obtaining incriminating or embarrassing information about a company's practices or leaders. Once the yakuza gain a foothold in these companies, they will work for them to protect the company from having such internal scandals exposed to the public. Some companies still include payoffs as part of their annual budget." "Yakuza are heavily involved in sex-related industries, smuggling pornography from Europe and America into Japan. They also control large prostitution rings throughout the country...the yakuza can buy unwanted girls for as little as $5,000 and put them to work in the mizu shōbai, which means 'water trade' and refers to the night entertainment business, in yakuza-controlled bars, nightclubs and restaurants." These quotes show the main buisness operations of the Yakuza today. The police do not take action against the Yakuza because many feel that they are running semi-legitimate organizations.
The Asian gangs like all gangs in the world are expanding operations outside of their home countries. A National Geographic article explains how many Asian gangs are moving into Africa to drive the killing of elephants for their prized ivory tusks, very highly valued items in Asia.

Darfur-
The most current gang problems in Darfur have escalated to what many are calling genocide. The Darfur conflict started between what was a gang called the Janjaweed and other rebel groups such as, the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement. This gang war has escalated into a full blown racial war, with the Janjaweed composed of mainly Arab nomad tribes, and the rival factions being mainly non-Arab tribes. The war between these groups has become so bad that the UN, US, and UK, and many more, have all poured resources into Darfur to try and end the violence. Below are two depictions of the Janjaweed.



The gang problem in all these nations, as well as in the U.S. have taken a major toll in all areas of society, especially the economic situations of these countries. Money is being poured into law enforcement, gang prevention, gang education, and so much more to prevent gang activities. Below is what you can do to help.

Global-What Should Be Done

The picture at right is of a mayor who used an anti Yakuza platform to run but was killed by the Yakuza.



Japanese citizens are getting caught in the crossfire on a regular basis because of the gangs use of firearms. Citizens are getting mistaken for gang members and are being executed. It has happened on multiple occasions to people as old as 66, and people as young as 19.
Obviously the Japanese government needs to find a way to control the arms trade between the Yakuza and gangs outside of Japan, although it presents a very difficult task, it would severely limit a huge intimidation factor posed by gangs. In the United States gangs are beginning to recruit kids as young as nine years old therefore education of the younger public is extremely important. The situation in Japan is considerably more complicated because they are not looking at children for recruits. Japanese gangs also make a lot of money through the businesses they own; pachinko for example is a hugely popular game that is thought to be controlled by the Yakuza. If the Japanese government can cut off all income to gangs, than they would fall apart and the Japanese economy which is already extremely strong might see a slight boost.

Jamaica has been having a lot of trouble with gangs over the last few decades because of its weak government and high rates of corrupt officials both in the government and in the police force. Most major Jamaican gangs have moved their buisnesses to the United States. Although the main parts of their operations are still focused in Jamaica, they are selling their product in the United States. Having found a new market in the United States, Jamaican gangs are getting richer and richer and are being able to buy more and more firearms. Having more power means that people will be recruited easier because they will be enticed by the prospect of making money.
This presents a big problem for both the Jamaican Government and the U.S government. If the Jamaican government can't take back control of it's island than there is the possibility that eventually there will be a coup and the government will be over thrown. This also presents a problem for the United States government because Jamaicans will be exported drugs to the United States. Recently there was an incident that could be an example of what could be in the future for the U.S in which a Jamaican gang "Shower Posse" shot up a Miami night club killing five and injuring eighteen. It presents a problem for Children there as well who may be afraid to attend school because of all the gang shootings that are occurring, that in turn would have a negative affect on the economy.



Sudan has been ravaged for war by years, and there is a huge population of Sudanese refugees around Africa. Living in Egypt I saw them on a daily basis and most of them were young. The problem in Sudan has arisen because there are different factions all about equally powerful vying for power. The innocent are getting caught between the fights and are paying the price. Some estimates are as high as 5,000 to 10,000 deaths per month.
The government has absolutely no control over the gangs who are extremely powerful and have control over a large percentage of the government. The conflict is even spilling over into other countries. At a refugee day in Egypt a number of Sudanese refugees were killed by their own countrymen. It would take an incredible amount of money and time to eliminate the gangs in Sudan.

A Sudanese Refugee after being attacked.



The current Sudanese government has neither the money nor the resources to combat the problem. A foerign aid force such as N.A.T.O is needed to take back control of the government. There are a number of agencies that people can donate to in order to help the cause. At Punahou students and teachers alike can buy the "Save Darfur" shirts whose money is going to help the cause.

Global-What Can Be Done

A report from the Boston Globe describing Gang Violence and abuse in Darfur. These Darfur refugee women are among many who have described how they were attacked and raped in their villages by roving gangs of Sudanese men. (Linda Mason Photo)
The Situation in Darfur and What You can do to Help. (With Gangs)


Join Clubs at Punahou to help with the situation. The Impact club is a way individuals such as yourself, a lowely student at Punahou, can help the situation. They have meetings to find ways they can help the cause. Also, if your not into clubs but your are into having a lot of money to give others, you can visit this site. Savedarfur.org is a great organization that gives individuals a place to donate money! It also has a great program that lets you enter in your zip code, and finds a group near you to help with the situation in Darfur.


The Situation in Japan and What You can do to Help. (With Gangs)

The media outlet known as Japan Today relassed an article in 2007 about 2 shootings by the gangs in Japan. The writer, Richard Kimber is a journalist from the U.K. who can be reached at (Mobile/cell 080 6586 8148 (from UK 0081 80 6586 8148)) says that,

"Police statistics show that in 2006 they received 2,400 calls for help from local administrations who had been threatened or pressured by gangs over policy decisions — an increase of almost a third in the past six years."

Since the gangs in Japan have a public protest, it wont be long untill the people of Japan do their part to slow it down. Programs have not yet poped up throughout Japan, unlike the programs for Darfur, but it may come in time. For an individual to help prevent gang violence and domestic disturbances in Japan, the best thing to do might be to call local police authorities and help them with anything you know about gangs in your area.

The Situation in Jamaica and What You can do to Help. (With Gangs)

Gang violence in Jamaica is particularlry violent, and violence leads to murdering, and murdering leads to tears. The New York Times did a great article on Jamaican gangs in the ninties. This violence has not ceased since then, and the same problems are here today. The news paper describes the violence as being never ending, a real problem that has exists throughout Jamaica.

"'There won't be any peace at all until we get a big machine gun and wipe all of them out over there,' the man, Winston Peters, said in a thick patois as he peered through a bullet-pocked barricade across the patch of turf that separates his area of West Kingston from that of a rival gang."

What can individuals in America Do about this problem? unemployment is a huge problem in Jamaica. Invest your businises in Jamica and use their labor to create wealth and economic gain for their country.