Are gangs of youths bad? Or do they just intimate without meaning to?

[Crimsyjo]

There's a gang that sit on the stairway to my house. Three flights of stairs I have to go up! Sometimes it's two or three. Sometimes it's like 5 or more. They look scary in their big coats, bananas, smoking weed and leaving their beer cans lying around. I don't like to show fear tho so I say hello and "alright" and "thank you" when I have to go past them. They usually say "sorry mam" for being in my way. And haha recently they even started helping me carry my shopping bags up the stairs.

It's sweet. Tho i hope they don't think of me as an OAP yet 😄. Do you think gangs are mostly misunderstood?

[ProbablyClueless]

It all depends on what kind of economic opportunities the guys have, but most groups are generally pretty good.

Even if they're only being good because you're somebody that lives near them and they want to take care of their neighborhood; almost every group has a friendlier side to it.

The real problems start when you have groups of young men, usually fatherless (or at least no strong discipline), who don't have economic opportunities. That is one of those historically reliable "oh shit" recipes.

[DrPepper12]

Yes. Especially motorcycles gangs. Much more like fraternal organizations.

MS13, Latin Kings, Bloods, Crips are deadly scourgse

[Crimsyjo]

What about just groups of youths hanging about with nothing to do?

[DrPepper12]

Harmless derelicts. Trust me i was one. The worst that will happen is some petty vandalism, obnoxiously loud & profane, marijuana smoke and them peeing on the side of the building breaking bottles of cheap beer against the wall talking shit about girls who wouldn't spit on them if they were on fire.

[Crimsyjo]

Hehee yh that's these guys. One was peeing against the sheds and his mates laughed cos I just looked and shook my head grinning (cos he couldn't exactly stop mid flow to hide) and he said "sorry mam" when he put his thang away 🙈. Think was same one that carried my shopping Monday actually...

[DrPepper12]

They're just big children with their motorcycle toys

[katiesmuff]

Well if they happen to live there not much you can do about them gathering on your doorsteps, but if they are from somewhere else tell them to skedaddle!

[Crimsyjo]

They don't live there. It's just more sheltered.

[katiesmuff]

Well tell them to go shelter somewhere else or call the police and they with get them moved.

[Crimsyjo]

I'm OK. I say hi and now they help me with my shopping. I think it's sweet. My other neighbours call police on them sometimes tho.

[exitseven]

Yes, when I was a kid myself and my friends were called the Dump Gang because we were always going to the town dump looking for treasures that people would throw away of we would pick up deposit bottles for spare change. We did cause a lot of trouble in the town but we never shot anyone or robbed anyone at gunpoint.

[TommyMountainFigure]

The thing is, one minute as you say they can be helping a lady carry her shopping up the stairs, and another when they meet a rival gang (like the one at Southend last week) where they use machetes on each other!

It depends on how you treat them too as to how they treat you!

[Bklynbadboy12]

Most groups of guys are good. There're just tryin to find something to do cause being a teenager now a days I'd hard and boring cause it's nothing for them to do

[Crimsyjo]

Yh true. They just on their phones. I often think they just try to look tough so as not to get other trouble too easily. Maybe?

[Bklynbadboy12]

You might be right

[loveslongnails]

Most gangs are pretty scary, but it all depends on who is leading them.

[RyanR03]

Very very few of them ever end up on a path you would want a young person on.

[IloveWinters]

Sometimes they are just harmless... Although I have seen so many movies and webseries that I kinda have a doubt always that it's a threat... lol

[Crimsyjo]

Of course. Movies and social media do like to hype up stereotypes tho.
But in other hand they could still be dangerous in certain situations I'm sure. They just maybe being nice so they can hang out in the sheltered spot without us (myself and neighbours) reporting them. I don't mind tho. Now when I get my shopping I'm kinda sad when they are not there to help lol

[Jerre]

No, I think most gangs are bad and do evil things.

[CubaPirate]

Some are but mist aren't