Most young people I work with are not gang members, but neither can they avoid the issue. Some are scared to go out and others are unfairly targeted by police. Many feel discriminated against by the negative media attention their area receives.
In December, the Economic and Social Research Council-funded study Youth Gangs in an English City concluded that some youth facilities are left underused due to fear of harassment or shootings from rival gangs. The research discovered that in areas where gangs operate, young people not associated with gangs suffer a disproportionate amount of police searches. Young people were too easily assumed to be gang associates simply because they socialised on the same street, or were seen to greet gang members.
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