Many people see gangs as a problem in society. The first signs of active gang activity are said to be found in Western civilization. Around the beginning of the 1600s, more structured gangs began to appear. In 1783, US gang activity emerged. This has not only affected adults, but many young people and the communities surrounding these groups of people. Influence came from all sides favoring the advance of these structured alliances. The origin of the gangs does not have a specific location. The regional focus helps identify how cultural differences and migration have affected these groups. The emergence of these groups in the Northeast and Midwest of the United States was fueled by immigration and poverty. The Irish, Poles, Italians and Jews arrived around 1820-1920. Harsh conditions passed through generations formed subsequent gangs. The western region was most influenced by pre-existing Mexican culture along with Mexican migrations. Specifically Los Angeles and Albuquerque. These regions later attracted more immigrants to the Deep South. The Northeast, Western regions, and Midwest showed the first signs of street gangs in the United States. Although the early formation of gangs was not that threatening, more serious ones began to appear around the 19th century. In New York, they are said to have appeared around 1820. As stated by (Howell, 1999, 2006), serious gangs tend to be classified as having multi-year histories, highly variable membership, being organized in the sense of having some kind of hierarchy with leadership roles, and being involved in violent crimes during the course of their street presence including homicide, aggravated assault, robbery and use of firearms. Researchers and journalists saw gangs as a male phenomenon. For this reason there is not much information... half of the article ......ds (Pesce and Wilczynski, 2005). The most effective programs to help young people combat bad influences contain skill-building strategies. One way schools themselves can help is to start enforcing the dress code more, paying attention to any signs of gang or black affiliations. Overall, studies show that schools that try to keep their students in school and away from bad resources improve academically. Over time, gangs and their activities evolved and blazed a trail for how things remain today. Works Cited Howell, C. James; Decker H. Scott. Juvenile justice bulletin. Network. January 28, 2014.Howell,C. James;Moore P. John. National Gang Center. Institute for Intergovernmental Research.2010. Network. January 28, 2014.Moore Joan; Hagedorn John. Nagia. NP ND. Network. 30 January 2010. Pesce C. Rosario; Wilczynski D. James. “Prevention of gangs”. Nasponline. NP November 2005. Web. 28 January 2014.