> An additional concern is the varying methods by which homicides are classified as “gang-related.” The most commonly used is the “member-based” approach, in which a homicide is classified as gang-related if the victim was and/or the perpetrator is a gang member.
[] https://nationalgangcenter.ojp.gov/about/faq#faq-5-how-are-g...
Also, tons of people (850k - 1.4m) are classified as gang members. The criteria for being a gang member is very broad and includes friend groups who've been arrested:
- The group has three or more members, generally aged 12–24.
- Members share an identity, typically linked to a name, and often other symbols.
- Members view themselves as a gang, and they are recognized by others as a gang.
- The group has some permanence and a degree of organization.
- The group is involved in an elevated level of criminal activity.
[] https://nationalgangcenter.ojp.gov/about/faq#faq-1-what-is-a...
[] 850k https://nationalgangcenter.ojp.gov/about/faq#faq-4-how-exten...
[] 1.4 million (page 9) https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/stats-services-publicati...
If you calculate out the statistics, there're tons of people classified as gang members
{ latino: ~50%, black: ~30%, white non-latino: ~15% }
{ latino: 450k-700k, black: 250-400k, white non-latino: 125-200k }
(I don't know how they classify black latino vs white latino)
[] https://nationalgangcenter.ojp.gov/about/faq#faq-11-what-is-...
You can compare these numbers to the total population of males (90% of gang members are male) in the 14-24 age range (I excluded the 10-14 population even though it's included in the 12-24 age range). Classifying 10% of the population as being in a gang basically makes the label useless since you can then call almost anything "gang-related".
{ latino: 5m, black: 3m, white non-latino: 15m }
{ latino: ~10%, black: ~10%, white non-latino: 1% }
[] https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?tid=ACSDT1Y2011.B01001I
[] https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?tid=ACSDT1Y2019.B01001B
[] https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?tid=ACSDT1Y2019.B01001A
While higher for whites, for African American victims, The close rate was near 20%, something most Americans may associate with Guatemala or Mexico - https://www.npr.org/local/309/2019/10/09/768552458/chicago-s...
Based on arrest histories of gang members and failures to prosecute even closed cases, one should assume that there are a large number of serial killers operating in Chicago, many of who started as minors.
While most middle and upper class Americans dismiss this as just gang members killing each other, so it’s no big deal, this clearly would not be tolerated in a largely white suburban setting, gang associated or otherwise.