Chicago Anti Gang Loitering Laws Essay - 1802 Words

Doing nothing is illegal: Milwaukee Anti-gang Loitering laws What does a gang member look like? We as a class were asked that question the first day of school to highlight our group naivetà ©s of what a gang member is. The class spouted of stereotypes of what the media has told us was the appearances of gang members, the clothes, tattoos, the walk, the ethnicity. We were not born knowing these stereotypes; we were taught by society that we should be careful of people who have these certain traits, like they were predators of our society. Society as a whole paints people whom they fear in a negative light, people generalize appearances as a common denominator of a person’s character. People who wear certain colors, wear baggy clothes, or Nike Cortez, for example, are generalized by society because it does not matter the socioeconomic or culture that inspires their expression, it is the fact that these supposed gang members appearance has a connection to gangs and thus anyone who wears it is a gang member. That is the issue with anti-g ang loitering laws, these ordinances breeds ignorance of communities, and generalizes individuals in it. These laws spout convictions, not by the crimes they commit, but the crimes that they might commit in the future. Loitering laws have been deemed controversial in the past, as they are criticized for their racial profiling, and their targeting of very specific individuals in a community. Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2007 passed a loitering law thatShow MoreRelatedA Clashing of Opinions1297 Words   |  6 Pagesthe effectiveness of anti-loitering laws. Richard Willard shares his opinion that anti-loitering laws are effective tools that discourage gang activity in his essay, â€Å"Anti-Loitering Laws Can Reduce Gang Violence.† He asserts that alternative methods of punishing gang members only cause them to develop animosity for police that leads to more trouble. Alternatively, â€Å"Anti-Loitering Laws Are Ineffective and Biased,† an essay written by David Cole, presents the view that these laws are a form of discriminationRead MoreArgumentative Essay : Loitering By Gang Members Essay2118 Words   |  9 Pages6-32. Loitering by Gang Members. 1. DEFINITIONS: In this section: a. â€Å"Gang loitering† means remaining in any one place under circumstances that would warrant a reasonable person to believe that the purpose or effect of that behavior is to enable a criminal street gang to establish control over identifiable areas, to intimidate others from entering those areas, or to conceal illegal activities† (City of Milwaukee Ordinance). Over the years, cities have embraced new laws to protect citizens againstRead MoreRacial Profiling : Chicago 12 Essay3081 Words   |  13 PagesRACIAL PROFILING IN CHICAGO 12 Racial Profiling In Chicago Loyola University Chicago Introduction Racial profiling is a discriminatory act committed by law enforcement officials in which individuals are targeted and discriminated against based on race, religion, culture or any criteria which defines a person. Racial profiling is based around the suspicion of crime where officers turn to designated characteristics they believe to be associated with certain groups of peopleRead MoreWilliam Bratton and the Nypd12122 Words   |  49 Pages corruption, and unresponsiveness, followed by concerted cleanup efforts. In New York City, in particular, the history of policing is also a history of reform. Founded in 1844, the NYPD quickly became entangled with the city’s vice industries and gangs. Officers were notorious for taking payoffs from gambling establishments and brothels, extorting legitimate businesses, and harassing immigrants. Every 20 years or so a corruption scandal would arise, and the city would respond by appointing a commissionRead MoreGp Essay Mainpoints24643 Words   |  99 Pagessuch as Twitter threaten to make mainstream media a thing of the past †¢ But mainstream media adapting to suit the taste of consumers, still integral part of their lives Mainstream BAD: Comparatively slower in its dissemination of news †¢ Chicago Tribune, official website chicagotribue.com, posts instant news coverage before newspaper hit the newsstands following morning †¢ Many different perspectives on important events and issues †¢ Citizen journalists closer to their subject matter