Gangbangers: Understanding the Deadly Minds of Americas Street Gangs

by Loren W. Christensen

Many people in America think that gang violence is concentrated in the inner cities of New York, Los Many people in America think that gang violence is concentrated in the inner cities of New York, Los Angeles and other isolated metropolitan areas. They are mistaken, says Loren Christensen, a veteran Portland, Oregon, gang-enforcement officer. After completing Skinhead Street Gangs, Christensen went back to the streets to see what's happening with gangs, and what he found scared the hell out of him! He found that gangs are everywhere and are here to stay - in the big cities and small towns, in the suburbs and the rural areas, on both coasts and in the heartland. His research also showed that gangs are equal-opportunity destroyers. Their members - and victims - are white, black, Hispanic and Asian. His most disturbing discovery was that gangs are nastier than ever. Ten years ago gangbangers fought with fists, clubs and pistols. Now they have lots of incredible firepower, and they don't think twice about using it. Here, Christensen lets gang members, former gang members and street cops tell you in their own words how gangbangers think, why they are so violent, who they target and what (if anything) can be done to curb the growth of gangs in

Genres: True Crime

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Loren W. Christensen is a Vietnam veteran, retired police officer, a martial artist since 1965, and a prolific author of books and magazine articles.

As a writer, Loren has penned over 70 books and dozens of magazine articles on a variety of subjects. While his target audience is most often what he calls “the warrior community” – martial artists, cops, soldiers – his writing has become popular among high school and college students, parents, professionals of every kind, and people interested in a side of life outside the norm.

Loren is most thankful to his many friends, associates and fellow writers in the warrior community for their continual support and expert advice.

Biography:

Bachelors of Science - PSU
Vietnam veteran – 716th Military Police
Career police officer (ret) – Portland, Oregon
Street patrol, gang enforcement, defensive tactics instructor, bodyguard
Script advisor for the motion picture Best of the Best 3
Martial artist since 1965
Earned a total of 13 black belts in three fighting arts
Starred in 7 instructional DVDs
Author of 70 books and dozens of magazine articles
Nominated for the Frankfurt award
Co-author (with Lt. Col. Dave Grossman) of “Evolution of Weaponry” in Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict, Academic Press
Wrote regularly for Black Belt, Karate Illustrated, Inside Kung fu and many others
Currently writes regularly for Black Belt and Police and Security News magazines
Book Solo Training was ranked in Amazon’s top 3 for three years in a row
Named in the 2007 - 2008 Heritage Registry of Who's Who in publishing

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just okay. This book is pretty basic and limited and it's a bit dated now, having been published in 1999; and based on my experience working with adolescent gang members in a social services program and with adult inmates in two prisons, I see some major gaps in the information presented. The biggest is the linkage between prison gangs and street gangs, which are often so tight that for practical purposes there's no separation. The second is in the author's coverage of white gangs - he paints a fairly good picture of skinhead gangs, but completely omits the biker gangs and their ties to the white supremacist gangs like the Aryan Brotherhood, which are often the most dangerous gangs around due to their propensity for extreme violence. Finally, he merely skims over the involvement of gangs in organized crime - the drug trade, home invasion robberies, prostitution, and protection rackets, for example. All in all, the author could have done a lot more with this topic.