As an individual who lives in a community where gang violence is a problem, I am grateful that you can take part in a movement to reduce the amount of gang violence today . According to Statistics Canada, gang-related homicides remained unchanged in the years 2011 to 2012, with 0.27 victims per 100,000 population.[1] In Ontario, from 2002 to 2012, deaths peaked at 38 in 2003 and decreased significantly in 2004 to 17.[2] These numbers demonstrate that gang-related violence is a constant battle every year in many communities. Since this is a very complex issue for which there is no simple solution, it is very important to highlight just a few of the many factors that contribute to this problem. According to Public Safety Canada, the main contenders who join gangs are often citizens who find themselves at a social disadvantage or have inequalities compared to others.[3] These people are more likely to have a lower income and live in neighborhoods surrounded by people who live in these conditions. In reference to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, most of them do not believe they have satisfied their physiological and safety needs, but to feel safe they need a feeling of belonging. Some of the individuals who feel comfortable with their groups may feel they have greater esteem needs and therefore become leaders to initiate violence or group behavior. To address these cases, it is important to start from the root cause to make changes for a better future. Since one of the main similarities between gang issues concerns low-income families, we should initiate programs that can help rebuild their neighborhoods. For example, giving families a meal voucher... in the center of the card... Works Cited[1] Government of Canada, (2013). Homicide in Canada, 2012. Retrieved from Statistics Canada website: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/131219/dq131219b-eng.htm[2] Government of Canada, (2013). Table 7 Number of gang-related homicides, by region, 2002 to 2012. Retrieved from Statistics Canada website: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2013001/article/11882 /tbl/ tbl07-eng.htm[3] Government of Canada, (2013). Youth gangs in Canada: what do we know? Retrieved from Public Safety Canada website: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/gngs-cnd/index-eng.aspx[4] Ibid[5] Muller, R. (2013, August 24). Poverty, Broken Homes, Violence: The Making of a Gang Member.Psychology Today, excerpted from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/talking-about-trauma/201308/poverty-broken-homes-violence-the -making -gang member