#c help

all of this is written under the assumption that you’re making up fictional gangs. do not use gangs like crips, bloods, LK, etc for your gangs. the destruction and damage they’ve done is real. make new ones up.

WHAT ARE GANGS & WHO ARE IN THEM?

although i doubt this will effect who people use - it could be relevant to know this. 

AGE: the majority of gang members are above the age of eighteen. this varies slightly. the bigger the city - the more likely they are an adult. when it comes to smaller cities and rural areas - minors tend to be in gangs a little it more.

GENDER: most gang members are male. it is honestly unrealistic to have a female gang leader. i’m sure they’ve existed, but the VAST majority of gang members are male. this honestly hasn’t changed much since 1998. only 10% of members are female. again - this goes up slightly in smaller cities and rural areas. 

RACE: the most recent figures provided by law enforcement are 46 percent hispanic/latino gang members, 35 percent african-Aamerican/black gang members, more than 11 percent white gang members, and 7 percent other race/ethnicity of gang members. while hispanic/latino and african american rates have stayed (around) the same - increase of white and other races have (mostly) increased since  2011.

SO WHAT DO GANGS DO?

it depends on the gang. smaller gangs in smaller areas tend not to do major crimes.  people keep treating street gangs like they are organized criminal gangs - they are not. you’re giving them too much credit. sure - sometimes, some gangs, etc - but KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. gangs are not ultra powerful terrorist groups with unlimited resources. a lot of the time they’re people built on poverty and intimidation. even street and prison gangs are much different.

but to actually answer the question - it depends. some gangs deal drugs and guns. some gangs are simply there and fighting their rivals. gang members aren’t always doing “gang things” when violence breaks out. your best bet with “what should the gangs on my rp do?” - probably deal guns or drugs.

gangs probably aren’t nearly as intricate, thought out, or detailed as you’re making them.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AFFILIATED VS MEMBER?

this one can be kinda iffy cause some people use affiliated in place of member. but for the sake of realistic roleplays - i’ll try to keep them separate. there are some people who are ‘involved’, ‘have known affiliation’, etc as gang members. 

this could be being the sibling/cousin/gf of a gang member. this could be hanging out with gang members occasionally. this could even be running errands  for them, but you’ve never been initiated in and have no plans to be. you still can kind of get in trouble. you can get mostly accomplice charges, or even caught along with them. they could assume you’re a member.

so your rp could even have people that aren’t technically members.

GANG RIVALRIES, WHAT HAPPENS & HOW THEY START?

this is probably the most important roleplay wise. cause 99% of gang rps i’ve seen have the same plot: they were the same gang, but split. gang rivals are mostly because of one thing - land and space. some rivals have been going on so long that it happened for years and years before your character was even born. there could have even been an accidental killing between gangs that were formerly fine, but now aren’t.

what gang rivals are really like is hard to say. violence doesn’t always break out in a “lets meet in the parking lot” way. a lot of gang members could be at a damn local picnic, and violence could break out.

its very hard for people to go through different gang territories. if they have to - they should keep it low key to avoid issues.

HOW DO YOU PLAY A GANG MEMBER?

some of this stuff in this section in particular may come off as offensive. remember - i do not know every gang member or know people who know every gang member. take some of this with a grain of salt.

the majority of gang members live in poverty ridden areas.

a lot of people want to play the “nice” gang member, but try to find ridic ways that a nice person could be in a gang. it really isn’t that complicated  - however. if you live in an areas that is very, very gang ridden. a lot of the times (particularly with young males) there will be a giant pressure to join the gang. even to the point of forced entry.

i personally know someone whose brother was shot because he continued to refuse to join a street gang of his area.

(for the record there is a character in the movie ‘city of god’ that is amazing inspo for this!)

as far as young gang members - say their older brother/sister/uncle/etc was in the gang. that is the most realistic way because if a 13 year old approaches gang members who are 20+ with no connections- they’re gonna be laughed out the door.

to a point gang members are normal people. however - a lot of them are very uneducated. a lot of them are VERY strict about respect, and get very upset if you’re not showing respect. however - a lot of the time it is ridiculous rules of ‘respect’. like you looked them in the eyes (aggression), or not acknowledging them (disrespectful). 

there are wonderful, nice gang members who are decent people who are stuck in a bad situation. that is possible. it does happen, but don’t make every gang member this innocent sweet baby who did nothing wrong.

but however - it is important to know that people don’t join gangs because their lives are wonderful.

but again like i said at the start -i do not know all of them. i would say your best bet to realistisoc gang members is aggressive, strict about respect, and reckless. 

WHAT ABOUT WOMEN IN GANGS?

in all honesty - women have always been in gangs, but lately they’ve had more involvement in activities than they have before. however - women are rarely treated equally in gangs. where as males may join gangs out of social obligation - women have reported that they join more to fill a void for socialization, a “replacement family”, or physical protection in violence ridden areas. although girls may participate in violent activities, some researchers have found that much of the violence they claim to participate in is exaggerated in order to bolster their reputations. So  -iit depends. Females are being more participating in gangs, but guys are still considered more valuable in gangs.

WHAT ABOUT GIRL GANGS?

One survey found that 2% of all gangs in the US contain only female members. If I’m being honest - I hate this trend of ‘omg girl gangs!’ Girls in gangs and female gangs are not cute. They’re not girls in cute cheerleader skirts who pop their gum and bat their eyelashes while wearing red lipstick. They’re violent. Shut the fuck up about your ‘aesthetic’. Its not cute with guys - its not cute with girls, either. They’re not “oh my god cute girls wearing patchwork on leather jackets!”. They’re girls often raised with little education in poverty with lives full of sexual and physical abuse who turned towards gangs for some type of acceptance. Like I said - fuck your aesthetic. Its disgusting how much tumblr and the rpc has romanced female/girl gangs.

Literally the tag ‘girl gang aesthetic’ is gross as fuck. Its full of people thinking girl gangs are just females in leather jackets with omg floral guns!!! Girl gangs are not feminist fucking icons.

But I’ll continue assuming that you’re going to drop the disgusting aesthetic and do a genuine girl gang.

HOW DO YOU PLAY A GANG LEADER?

often living with a false air of supremacy  

there is always someone wanting to take your place - so a little bit of paranoia

often harsh 

some resentment and jealousy from gang members who want that place

but often feeling very respected which can go to your head

i’d suggest having your gang leader not be 18-21. i guess it probably has happened, but assuming we’re talking about ‘big’ gangs - maybe 24+ would be best.  stop trying to play gang leaders as these people who care about everyone's opinions and are so nice and sweet. yes, some are more considerate than others. but just like a ‘boss’ in any situation - it can’t always be nice.

WHAT ARE GANG MEMBERS GENERALLY LIKE?

obviously generally a diverse-personality group. everyone is different.

if i had to make generalizations a lot have an earning to be accepted.

some are on the extreme side as far as being violent and sociopaths.

others are just there out of social obligation or feeling like they could get hurt if they’re not (or had parents in gangs and got sucked in)

some are smart, but most aren’t well educated. there are those ‘special’ cases where they’re geniuses.

HOW TO ROLEPLAY OUT A YOUNG GANG MEMBER?

want to realistically play a character who was gang involved very, very young? its possible! it is definitely a touch-y subject. but in my opinion it is fine to roleplay out as a history if you do it in a tasteful way. people roleplay murder in their characters past - and nobody blinks an eye. so this is fine imo.

have them have some connection. they’re not going to randomly bring in some child. (they might, but you know). they know someone. their parents, cousins, brother, etc. that will be the easiest route.

keep in mind with young characters in gangs - their characters have nothing to compare it to. gang culture is likely all they know. so the activity that is happening is not any type of culture shock.

WHAT ARE RANKS IN GANGS?

eh this one is really debatable. some gangs have very structured roles, and others not so much. i’d say a fair route to go is: gang leader, his second in command, seniors (older people who have been in the gang longer), juniors (people who have been in for a while, but not a super long time), and it would likely go down from age/involvement/and time in the gang.

some gangs have a blood in blood out mentality. this causes some ex gang members to leave and not go home. i found this quote which could also help:

Several of the gang members I interviewed left their gangs through a process of growing older, getting married, and/or finding legitimate employment. "Aging out" of a gang, getting a job, and "fading away", have been suggested by other researchers as reasons why gang members may leave their gang.

WHAT IS INITIATION? WHAT SHOULD MY RPS INITIATION BE?

there are a lot of stereotypical ones. these could involve: getting jumped in, fucked in (with women), pull off a robbery, etc. 

HOW DOES LEAVING A GANG HAPPEN?

this really depends on the status of the gang. bigger more violent gangs it will be harder than lower gangs. one thing that should be noted about leaving a gang is that even if your gang lets you leave - a rival gang might not care. 

IN CONCLUSION