Just as dangerous and maybe even more brutal, Asian Gangs hold a place in the history for what they have contributed to the street gang history.
Asian Gangs have grown in size in North America making up a larger percentage than they once did. With the growing asian population in North America they are also looking to gain some market share and their piece of the pie when it comes to the street gang life.
Asian American youth gangs have started to gain a lot more coverage due to social media platforms, like instagram and YouTube. Just like most Street Gangs that are made up of Black and Latino members, Asian Gangsters can be just as brutal and menacing.
Origins Of Asian Gangs in North America
Asian Gangs have the same origin stories as a lot of the street gangs in North America. The come up of the original Asian Gangs started of in the little China Towns, and Korean Towns and Most Famously in New York City, which was the subject of a lot of research when they first initially broke out on the Gang scene as early as the 1800s and continuing into the modern era.
The Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and other asian immigrants that came to the US found it hard to assimilate into the American lifestyle which made it hard for them to connect with Americans and American Culture.
Asians felt frustrated, mad, and even lost when it came time to adjusting to the U.S lifestyle. The language barrier and skill set made it hard for them to find work. This was true for the Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laotions, Filipinos.
Asian youth felt disconnected from everything in their new country, so they stuck to what felt familiar to them, which was each other. Coming to a new country can make you feel misunderstood and unappreciated.
This left them being the victims of prejudice, racism and discrimination, just like the Blacks and Latinos in America.
Like other gangs, Asian Gangs started due to the lack of social community asian youth found with the American people. Thus leading the youth to find some kind of connection in the same social circles.
These circles gave them a sort of belonging or “family” that they can pursue the same interests, wether it be earning money, fighting, or committing crimes.
Due to the influence of large crime syndicates back home in Asia, like the Triads, asian youth were able to organize and gain huge traction in their new country.
Asian Gang Organization
Asian gangs organized quickly due the connections or large organized crime groups back home like the Triads and Tongs, which although distant, called a large amount of shots in the United States.
Small Asian youth gangs usually start out as small social groups of friends and can graduate to become a full fledged street gang. Gangs will recruit new members who would like a sense of belonging.
Asian Gang Rivals
Like all street gangs, Asian gangs will have specific crews they do not run with. Asian gangs will rival all other Asian gangs, black gangs and Mexican gangs.
It is normal for rival Asian gangs to get very brutal and bloody. They fight over, money, drugs, sex and territory.
List Of Asian Gangs
Although this article generally goes of Asian Street gangs in North America, the more powerful asian gangsters are still in Asia.
In Japan, they have the Japanese mafia, which is known as the Yakuza, one of the most powerful Yakuzas in the World, is the Yamaguchi-gumi. The Yamahuchi-gumi is one of the most powerful organizations in the world.
Asian Gang Signs
Typical asian gangs do not usually throw up gang signs like regular street gangs. Gang signs were developed and used by most street gangs in Los Angeles.
That does not mean you won’t find Asian gangsters stacking or throwing up their set.
Asian members that are part of the Crips or Bloods will throw up their gang sign just like other gangsters which is very typical, just don’t expect a member of the Yakuza or Triads to being stacking.