Forget what you know about other gangs and take a serious lo
Kyle Tolle | Phoenix, Arizona USA | 06/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"You've probably heard about high profile gangs that make up some of the American landscape and those would include some like the Crips, Bloods, Hell's Angels, Mexican Mafia, The Latin Kings, Chinese Triads, Japanese Yakuza, and Skinheads. These are just a few and they are all notorious in their own right but there is an even more insidious gang that is growing at a frightful rate on a global scale.
In the 1980's in Los Angeles, the gang MS -13 came from humble beginnings but now spreads across 33 different states in America and 6 different countries around the world. The estimated numbers are ten thousand members in the United States and up to one hundred thousand worldwide. It seems like virtually no communities are left untouched by their presence as they expand like a plague through urban and rural settings.
MS -13 is touted as the fastest growing and most violent gang in America at the present time. They have their own culture and abide by a set of rules and rituals that they follow to the letter. Enforcing these measures, protecting their turf, and conducting day to day business oftentimes means using murder, maiming, and other brutalities to accomplish whatever they need to. They are made up of individual cliques inside distinct territories that govern themselves but there is evidence of a top hierarchy that has influences down through the ranks. Organization in criminal activities appears to be well structured also and money is made from drug smuggling and dealing, extorting protection money, gun running, and other illicit affairs.
National Geographic has put together a detailed, informative, and scary documentary that is well supported with interviews from law enforcement officials and past and present members of the MS -13 gang. This program does contain graphic video footage and some disturbing images but it is not excessive in my opinion and I see it as a necessary element in supporting the overall messages here.
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Great Look at a Horrible Problem
J. Johnson | Colorado Springs, CO USA | 01/26/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As usual, these folks do a terrific documentary. The information is detailed and photographed in a compelling, interesting way. If you want to learn about gangs in america, this is a great video to get you started."
National Geographic - World's Most Dangerous Gang
Donald R. Newman | 05/04/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This was recommended by a College of Justice and Safety professor to use as a source for a High School senior project and was well worth it."