Gang Gunfights In Lower Class Communities

This paper will acknowledge the problem of gangs and the shootings occurring within Toronto’s streets with the support of an article published as “GANG GUNFIGHT: Frustration mounts as gunmen fire at will in North York” by Jack Boland of the Toronto Sun. Along with a summary from this article, two criminological theories will also be shared to further explain why these gang-related crimes are happening and what can potentially prevent them from reoccurring. The first theory is the differential opportunity theory founded by Cloward and Ohlin which states that delinquent subcultures flourish in lower-class areas and take particular forms they do because opportunities for illegitimate success are no more equitably distributed than those for convectional success (Adler 2012). The second theory is Sutherland’s differential association theory; which states that crime is learned through social interaction specifically using his nine propositions about cultural transmission outlining a group’s values, beliefs, and behaviours from generation to generation (Adler 2012).

The article “GANG GUNFIGHT: Frustration mounts as gunmen fire at will in North York” provides a shocking story from a family living in Glencairn Toronto and a heart-felt message from Toronto’s city councillor Mike Colle. The story shares a frightening event that occurred while a family was watching a movie with their young daughter. A bullet from a gang gunfight within their neighborhood pierced their apartment window crashing right into their television screen. The video within the article talks about how upset the young girl was after the gunfight took place and how she can’t even feel safe in her own home with her two loving parents right with her on the couch watching a family movie. In addition to that scenario, Toronto’s city councillor Mike Colle shares his opinion on why we shouldn’t only talk about boycotting guns but more importantly, he said, “(handguns) are illegal and every punks got a gun.” He wants the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency to ensure no more firearms are entering the country from the south border (Boland 2019)

Differential opportunity theory assumes that crime occurs in areas where conventional and illegitimate values and behaviours are integrated by a close connection of illegitimate and legitimate businesses, “criminal gangs emerge” (Adler 2012). The theory explains that crime happens more often than not in lower-class areas. This theory believes that older criminals serve as role models and teach younger members the type of people they should go after and take advantage of which is normally those of the middle class or higher. They teach the youngsters necessary criminal skills and how to stay loyal to their criminal organizations and how to find corrupt lawyers and police officers (Adler 2012). The theory, in summary, explains that criminal organizations are created due to unfair and unequal opportunities in society as a whole.

Within the article, the ongoing crimes take place in a lower-class area in Toronto which supports the differential opportunity theory. As mentioned before, this theory focuses on crimes and where they emerge, and it is concluded that its mostly in lower-class areas (Alder 2012). The family is living in an apartment building which most likely tells us they are a part of the lower class. Since crime is based out of lower-class areas, people that are just normal law-abiding citizens are getting caught up literally in the crossfire between two different gangs. A fight between two gangs in different social classes is known as a secondary conflict and they involve a conflict between lower and middle classes (Adler 2012). Boland shares that Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders states that there are over 100 identifiable gangs in the city of Toronto and that his officers are actively doing investigations through intelligence-driven initiatives to get them off the streets (Boland 2019). The reason these gang shootings are occurring is due to the lower class struggling trying to attain the same goals similar to the middle class. Unfortunately for this family in the story, they were innocent victims due to bullets flying into their apartment and also 4 others that were injured while the crime took place. Families in this area that are not gang oriented/driven are regular victims of gun violence, and gang conflicts due to being forced to live within the same housing arrangements where gang and gun violence is very prevalent. Families like the one shared in the article have and are trying to continue following society’s legitimate means to achieve common goals, but others are turning to “other modes of adaption” which often includes creating their own rule sets and committing deviant acts to achieve their own specific goals.

Although this theory states that crime originates from areas of the lower class, and the people within them; it doesn’t mean everyone living in these places isn’t following the general rules along with the rest of society like the family who had bullets flying through their window whilst watching a movie with their little girl. However, living in areas of poverty such as the one used in the article sets up everyone in the setting to have a hard time trying to achieve society’s goals. People being born into lower-class neighborhoods such as these with high gang activities ultimately leads to more individuals committing deviant acts and eventually leading to serious crimes. Even when seriously injured, these members of society continue to re-offend and not help the police in any way. One of the victims that were shot has a history of gun violence, served time for gun-related offenses, not once, but twice (Boland 2019). The reasoning for these types of avoidance of the police, and not helping them is also due to the location of where they are living. Lower-class areas tend to know a lot more about each other when compared to areas such as the middle class (Boland 2019). There is always the emotion of fear in lower-class areas; people who go to the police and snitch get targeted and potentially hurt or even killed. This is why people don’t go to the police with reoccurring problems such as the one illustrated in the article. This also leads to other problems and safety concerns with the police in the city of Toronto. Police are risking their lives every night on our streets, yet the gun runners are not afraid of the police or the consequences (Boland 2019). So, on-top of not helping the police stopping the crimes, they are also putting them in danger due to being put into situations that could be easily avoidable with the help of the community. The help simply isn’t there and it’s due to the fear factor as mentioned before. This furthers the point of society achieving its own set of goals and values because the normal community would go to the police for help.

The first theory mainly focused on where crimes emerge and why they keep happening; however, why do offenders need to make/keep their own set of values within their community? Sutherland’s differential association theory looks at what makes a person a law-abiding citizen, or a criminal (Adler 2012). This theory helps explain why lower-class areas tend to have higher crime rates when compared to the middle class. The theory states that crimes are learned through social interactions. Specifically, people coming into contact with definitions favourable to law and definitions unfavorable to the law (Adler 2012). In areas such as these where crime and violence are normal, it’s very easy for others to learn their bad ways through social interactions. Children especially get exposed to these types of deviant behaviors and children tend to follow the paths of their families and communities. If a community has a bad reputation with the rest of the city and your people don’t get along with others outside the community, it’s likely you too will not get along with them even if you try to. Your person will be labelled to the community you live in and unfortunately, this is the sad truth for kids growing up in these neighbourhoods and is one of the reasons for children getting involved with crime during their childhood (Boland 2019). When you are already labelled as something bad, you may as well go through with being bad; it is the way these kids see it. Whether you are good or bad; you have been labelled.

Sutherland’s nine propositions are an addition to this theory and further this thesis about social interactions causing crime. The nine propositions explain this process by which the transmission of values takes place (Adler 2012). The nine propositions present that criminal behaviour is learned with the interactions of other persons; not only just living in their environment, but also taking part in communications. The rest of the propositions list ways that criminal behaviour is “learned”. A few other examples; crime is learned through intimate personal groups, younger delinquents being taught techniques to commit crimes and also how to rationalize and defend their actions, and specific motives such as being in the lower-class struggling attain the rest society’s goals (Adler 2012). Relating the idea of this theory to Boland’s article on the gang shootings in Toronto demonstrates that perhaps crime certainly is learned through social interactions in a community’s group of people. Just as differential opportunity theory, it is mostly believed that crime occurs in the lower-class areas. The differential association theory along with Sutherland’s nine propositions shows that crime is taught and passed on to others within the lower-class community which helps conclude why crime rates are so high in these areas.

The family within the article lives in a violent as well as a poor neighbourhood where gang activities and gun violence are very active. Families living in these low-income types of neighbourhoods along with the gang and gun violence leave their children vulnerable to also join the lower class’s own set of values and goals; even if their parents follow the rest of societies or try their best to. These types of violent events aren’t new to the folks living in this area, and the more you are exposed to something; the more likely you will get comfortable with it and possibly start doing the deviant acts yourself. “The punks within the neighbourhood are just riding up and down our streets shooting at each other,” they’re not afraid of our laws. They’re not afraid of the police even” (Boland 2019). Regular shootings in a community sort of make them not as scary as they would be in other communities. When events like this happen multiple times a week it’s just expected to happen at some point. This article was a great example of demonstrating how fear within a community decreases solely due to events happening so often. The family watching a movie from the article; didn’t seem too shocked about bullets flying through their windows which helps further prove this point.

This paper has demonstrated that gun and gang violence is prevalent because of the differential opportunity theory stating that crime roots in lower-class areas like the area within Toronto that the article looks at. This theory attempts to prove that crime mostly occurs in the lower-class areas and looks at the reasons why they do take place. The paper also illustrated that crime and criminal activities are learned through social interactions between people in the same classes. Specifically, the older “gang members” or “deviant individuals” influencing young children their ways and bad habits (Boland 2019). This theory specifically in correlation with this article looks to prove that young children are being influenced by their elders in their neighbourhoods; that of the lower class and why they are taught to commit deviant behaviours to attain the rest of society’s goals (Adler 2012). These are big problems a lot of community’s face around the country every day. This is significant because it leads to youth and other members of society getting involved in deviant/criminal acts and endangers communities with families not involved with gang/gun violence. These communities need support and help to those suffering and or afraid as the continues gun and gang violence take place.