Gangland
Gangland is a gritty, true-life documentary series exposing the world of history's most notorious and dangerous gangs.
The Gangland series tells the insider story and we learn how the gangs shaped their times and affected the neighborhoods that they controlled.
From the destruction wrought by the heroin kingpins in Harlem of the 1970s to today's most dangerous gang MS-13, which has spread out from the inner city to infect unexpected turf - suburban communities-gangs have a rich yet deadly history.
They usually start out as a form of protection for their members and community but then grow predatory as they feed on the very people that they purport to defend.
With exclusive interviews and rarely seen footage, this is a raw look at life inside these gangs-from those who live it and the agencies that are working to stop them.
dana bostic the new breeds the 4 corner hustlers are 2 of the best episodes.
Stick them all on an isolated island somewhere and let them kill each other off. Problem solved
Of all the gangs that y'all shown on Gangland daughter still missing one vicious hardcore gang out of Texas which is a Texas Mexican Mafia on a San Antonio area Corpus Christi area
From this series I learned about MS-13, Los Zetas, and any number of gangs that are finally getting attention.
I know how to get rid of these gangs. Anyone found to be in a gang, whether they commited a crime or not...automatic, mandatory execution. No exceptions. I guarantee the gangs would dry up and disappear in no time.
which gangs are you talking about ??? the hooded ones or the suit ones ??
Just saying !!
The ones that where suits are by far more dangerous, and they don't even go to prison unless they didn't share bribe money with there buddy's.....That's a no-no
Sick, judgemental person , Little do you know the new interpretations of “gang” these days . They are nothing but words you are throwing out . People are people whatever walk of life good and bad in all .
jesus..whats up with theses friggin hobos??? gangs suck!!
You have to catch ALL of them and tighly cuff both their hands and feet and tie bags over their heads in order to do that
The documentary has a disgusting glorifying tone.
Over produced, over sensationalized american crap.....
flashy images oooh
ugh I couldn't get past 5 minutes of the over-sensational style of editing and narration! :/ didn't watch it.
it doesn't make a difference. nobody is trying to justify the gangster life style. you wont stop the problem by killing all the ''gangbangers'' new ones will take their place. if you want mommy's and daddy's to have their offspring safe, you will have to change the social structure of the society. you know take the problem by its roots. that is what people mean when they say :'' I cannot believe the level of ignorance out there. Just cause you didn't have to make those choices or be in those circumstances you think your right about everything you say. You need go through something to truly understand it. Until then you should be more humble about making outlandish assumptions about whats evil and whats good and so on. ''_quote from rtiom. not trying to part with the killers, but just saying that its not a solution to give 3 times life sentences.
What about the ones who die innocently at the hands of gang banging. Do they have a choice, an option, or even a say in their death? No some one who claims to be abused, a product of their society, and yes even passing on the blame based on their family unit. If you want the bad boy image as your significant other this is your final solution to live in a place that sucks. Do not blame others. This is a product of not wanting better for yourself, and then blaming society saying its their fault i am in this situation.
Oh yeah,what diference does it makes to parents of murdered child,how the killer grew up?
MissPamela Quinn,u nailed it.
Jesus rtiom. Chill the fu*k out. Why get so upset about varying opinions? It's great that people can have an open discussion about these issues. Don't take it so personally. I actually agree with your basic underlying message. I don't think you can judge anyone without experiencing their exact life circumstances. How can anyone say they would act differently in the same situation if they haven't been there themselves? However, I don't like your aggressive approach.
I do not like the way this doc presents its self. From the narrator to the graphics used. It is much like the fear mongering Fox news projects as to the 'war on terror'. Yes this gang is violet and corrupt. But this corruption and violence is a result of a complex social dynamic witch the doc neglects to investigate. It is fear-mongering disguised as journalism like this which is as violent to society as the gangs them selves.
Maybe I am getting old and cynical or I have just seen to many of these types of documentaries because they all seem the same to me, just change the name of the gang and or leader and follow the usual script. Not saying the problems and issues are not important because they obviously are as to many of these kids start life and grow up under horrible conditions where their role models are drug dealers and murders. But I just find that far to often I start watching one of these docs and it feels like I have seen it before and having seen so many of them the violence and total lack of humanity in these people is no longer shocking to me (could be my own fault for watching so many of them) but I do think part of the problem is as I already said that they are all made using the same format. A while ago I watched some of the one's done by Ross Kemp and really enjoyed those (as much as one can enjoy watching a doc on this topic and these people) but I doubt it is easy to get people to do what Ross does, even if they make it look like he is in more danger than he really is. I know the situations he puts himself in (especially when he goes to a war) are real and have real danger but when he visits gangs I often wonder if he has some sort of body guards with him. Either way I like his shows and the man is either crazy or pretty damned brave.
I cannot believe the level of ignorance out there. Just cause you didn't have to make those choices or be in those circumstances you think your right about everything you say. You need go through something to truly understand it. Until then you should be more humble about making outlandish assumptions about whats evil and whats good and so on.
And who are you the grammar police? Am I here too amuse you with my wonderful writing skills? Am I writing an essay for you too mark, or prehaps it's important to me what you think. Consider that your another douche-bag who knows the incredibly important difference between to, two, and too in this instance. Yet you know nothing of the difference between intelligence and education. So too me you just blah blah bob. And what in the world does "another computer tough guy" supposed to mean? That has got to be the cheesiest thing i heard today along with go play in the traffic. You are really clever man, but you seem to be changing the subject from the documentary too just lashing out on the comment section against me. And hell yeah I feel like a lot of people on here are act and say extremely foolish things. And then they wonder why the society they live in is soo messed up.
The fastest, easiest way to gain power over people is violence. While I wont claim to know any real gangsters of the US variety i'd also submit that most of these dudes are alike in one way.
They seek the affiliation of their brethren to justify their less than ideal circumstances!
These guys will get what they signed up for, death and prison sentences seem to be the status quo.
No one has actually said if this is good or not, just talked total sh*t.
Police are the most aggressive/organized gangster out there. and we paid for their protection.
hate to say it rtiom...
but so what if these criminals made money & changed careers later.. the violent acts they commit in my opinion cannot be excused by circumstance.. because we all face tough ones but ultimately have a choice whether to let situations turn us into monsters or rise above them..
sorry rtiom.. they are unintelligent barbarians who probably had other options... i know this from experience, being poor is not a good enuf excuse.
OK let me clear this up for you, and hopefully you read every word and understand its context. I'm gonna say this once because I'm getting really tired of people picking at fragments of what I write and assuming they made a valid point, when they missed the "MSG" altogether. There have been, and will be people all over the world who commit terrible crimes against humanity. I'm saying that in a lot of cases these people grow up under circumstances which force them to make wrong decisions to keep living, or too keep living normal lives. I think it's pretty easy for many others too judge and assume things based on stereotypes. I'm generalizing criminal activities, and not discussing MS-13 so get it straight. Originally I was responding too a few certain comments made here, and if you would like to talk about all the other aspects surrounding the issue let's do it. I'll respond too each comment separately. But don't put words in my mouth or in the mouth of someone who doesn't know what their talking about just to justify your opinion.I am not talking about poverty alone. And I never isolated poverty as a stand a lone reason, so I don't know why your turning what i said into something i didn't.
Quote: "I'm saying that in a lot of cases these people grow up under circumstances which force them to make wrong decisions to keep living, or to keep living normal lives."
I do agree with that....and there are many different ways people who have had a SERIOUS difficult start can turn out.
Some turn against others and some turn against themself, and not until a genuine hand reaches out, will they have a chance to correct an ingrained pattern, unfortunately few ever find that or few are ever offered that.
az
Absolutely AZ, and whats more sad is that ghettos and slums really dont have to exist. All can be rectified, and sad to see that not only is the root problem not being remedied but instead everyone is just getting punished.
Oh and hell no your not always given the choice whether to let situations turn us into monsters or rise above them. What an ignorant thing to say. You clearly missed many parts where they mentioned in this doc as an example, that if they weren't gonna do what they were told they would get killed. But I guess you would be the hero and test that out. Or prehaps you would just know better than too join a gang if you had no parents and you were a little kid who needed to eat and have friends and a life and such. I the general scheme of things yes it's better to do no harm. And yes there are people who are just plain psycho killers. But were talking hundreds of thousands of gangsters all over the world. In some cases they call them selves freedom fighters.
Makes me laugh with the irony. America has this sh*t on it`s streets that cause death and destruction to American citizens. What constructive value do these so called men have? America sends troops to fight terrorism in the middle east yet has these terrorists on the streets. These gangs should be sent to Gauntanamo and let the military deal with this filthy scum! What a fu*king joke!
Some people do things because they have very little options and because they grew up indoctrinated to believe lies. It's not always their fault, it doesn't make them stupider than anyone else, because clearly they make their money and they do make it if their smart enough and lucky enough. Not everybody has good you losers.
You are just like the gangsters that you idolise: a small person with a loud-mouth aggressive personality with no substance. The fact you use childish playground insults like `big puss' shows is a sign of your immaturity and lack of any real argument. gangsters are aggressive parasites who contribute NOTHING to society, and they should be dealt with accordingly.
I don't think you contribute enough to society to make that call either.How do you know I'm a loud mouth from written internet text? Or is that you attempting a figure of speech? I don't know when you were raised but back when I was a kid "BIG PUSS" wasn't on children's vocabulary list. I will admit I can get aggressive, when people who claim to be empathetic, attentive, rational, intelligent and educated, contradict themselves and spew nonsense. Here's a fact of the day for you. The government can stop all drug trade if they wanted too. Do you honestly think that these people sell drugs and cause violence because they feel like it? If you think that than your way far gone. But if you agree then don't you think the government can have a solution too this problem? Or are you honestly so gullible as too believe they are that helpless.
@oklima you claim that "gangsters are aggressive parasites who contribute NOTHING to society, and should be dealt with accordingly" but what experience do you have with gang members or even any gangs themselves? Probably none. I grew up in a gang infested area of San Diego and was in a mexican gang, jumped in at age 14. Every person I grew up with since birth were all in the same gang, so I had been around it my entire life. I did not have many options and if you grew up where I did then you would have a completely different view. Oh yeah, my family moved when I was almost 18 to a different state where there are no gangs. While it is true that I was kicked out of every school in the San Diego district for fighting and my teacher had to come to my house, I am still not a bad person. I thought I could not go to college and after high school worked low pay jobs as a cook, waiter, etc. I realized at age 24 that people I was working with who were also going to college were no more intelligent than me and in many cases were many levels below. I went to college, graduated with a B.A. Majoring in Political Science and Minoring in Philosophy. What do I do now, since I can obviously contribute nothing to society in your words oklima? Well first i worked for a few years with children between ages 5-12 who come from broken homes or mental illnesses and now I work for the state in our state's maximum security lock-up for the most violent offenders in our state between ages of 14-21. I have helped many of these "kids" go on to lead a much better, more valuable life, and contribute to society in ways you could never dream of. Since I could relate to them in ways most of the workers there cannot these kids trust me and see what I have done with my life, they know anything is possible for them. So before you speak on something you should really at least have some idea of what you're talking about. By the way, i was never a bad person, I just grew up in a place where being friendly and smiling at everyone is a good way to get killed. So think before you judge or stereotype all gang members or any group of people for that matter. Yes, there are despicable people in gangs but there are also despicable people in politics, health care, the stock market, and every other profession.
You guys can be as sarcastic as you like, but i speak from experience mainly, not from what I've read. And it's pretty disgusting how so many so called intelligent people can sit around and have different opinions about unfortunate people just based on the different ways they are shown on tv/news.
You'd be surprised how many of them are far more intelligent than half of the people sharing their incredible knowledge here.
Yes, they're such intelligent and inspiring people...we should all look to the gangsters for guidance! Whatever you've been smoking mate, I want some :D
ummm, well if you want too do that that's your problem. Really though, if you could grasp with your puny little brain how much strength, will power,determination and intelligence it takes to make something out of nothing you wouldn't be on here making comical sarcastic and foolish comments. And yeah in some respect you should look too some of these people for guidance. Maybe then you wouldn't be sitting around complaining about the government and how you a helpless little puss with a big mouth and a big brain but nothing to show for it.
I like gangsters too...give us a puff.
@rtiom - you're right about that .... read my comment above in response to the brilliant (sarcastic, of course) oklima, who probably knows next to nothing about gangs or gang members. I would bet he has never even met a gang member or former gang member (if you haven't oklima - Hi my name is kamakaze, nice to meet you).
This comment is @ kamakaze and rtiom since my views are close to yours. We come from different backgrounds as I have no experience or exposure to real gangs, I live and was raised about half an hour from Toronto (in the suburbs) and while the numbers are less here (Toronto is a city of over 5 million and Canada as a whole has a population around 34 million which is just slightly less than the state of California has) the gang problem in Toronto has become an issue We do get some poser teenagers dressing and talking like they are gangbanger's (if that is even a close to up to date term, lol look up middle aged suburban white guy in the dictionary and you will see my picture) around here and being teenagers they do from time to time cause trouble but it is like Disneyland here compared to whats on this doc.
Anyway the point of my comment (yes I have one, I just get sidetracked easily, even when talking to myself lol) is about your comments on the intelligence levels of gangster's be they 13 year old kids or the older ones. For someone to say all gang members are stupid is a ridiculous statement, feel free to correct me when I get something wrong guys as I am only giving my opinion and point of view from how I see it. I think someone mentioned a number in reference to how many gang members there are in a certain place, dont remember if it was a state or nation wide number, but when you have a large number of people there are going to be some statistical facts on various things that I believe are generally true or the numbers are close enough that a point can be made by using them. I think that no matter which side of the nature versus nurture argument you take some stats are going to hold true. I am not using exact numbers as it would take to long to look them up so I am ball parking them. Say you have in a particular area 100 people, it is a statistical fact that a certain percentage of those people be it say one in 10 are going to be homosexual, a percentage is going to suffer from depression and you are going to have a certain percentage that are considered average, below average or of above average intelligence. So if you believe that well researched facts and statistics are true (which I do because while I dont have a link to a site that shows this research I have taken classes and read sites and books with this information on or in them) and proven then it is impossible that all gang members are stupid. There is going to be a percentage of them (as with any group) who are going to be very intelligent, they just generally dont get the oportunity to prove it because they are not given the resources to take advantage of their brains. I think it was kamakaze who said where he grew up if you walked down the street smiling and being nice to people (or something to the same effect) you are opening yourself up to get killed. It doesnt sound like a place where intelect and education are a priority.
Kamakaze by being nice enough to share part of his life with us has shown that a gang member who is intelligent generally wont get the chance to use that intelligence. Because of the gang lifestyle he is more likely to do what he did and get into fights and kicked out of schools or worse because it's what he needs to do, or all he knows, to survive and be accepted. But when given the chance (he had to move away to get it though, a situation which needs to be corrected) and resources he was able to use his intelligence and get an education and now has a degree and helps kids who face the same obstacles he did. So I guess not all gang members are stupid, do you think running a large gang and keeping it organized and making money can be done by a stupid person?
oHHH, and one more thing to the ignorant fools who come up with silly assumptions and jump too conclusions on here without any real solid knowledge about the subject. I personally know of many ex so called "barbarians" and criminals who have risen up and became lawyers , cops, and engineers.
Most of them from support, love, support, love, support....(too bad they chose to be lawyers and cops).
az
No actually they made their money too get out of a bad situation and moved away and went to school just like everyone else. You seem to be stereotyping, without any real knowledge. The ones you speak of usually go into trades and social work and lower positions.
my comment was actually in support of yours. I do think most people who succeeded in getting out of gangs did get support and love and yes a lot of determination that was their own doing.
Azilda, are you out of work or something? You seem totally committed to being a pillar of the Top Free Docs comment sections.
Do you have a job offer?...i have many skills.
I work to live, not the other way around. Although at times i work out of passion...no matter the amount of hours.
az
Brandon, I think Az is retired. Anyway, I have a job but spend a lot of time here too (as my never ending file slowly loads to e-mail) LOL.
@CnN me re tired...no way! Re energized.
az
Except the dead ones.
You sure do throw around a lot of insults towards other peoples intellect, especially considering the fact that your grammar is horrible. You don't even know the proper spelling of the word to, not too or two, for the context in which you are trying to use it. Your just another computer tough guy. Do society a favor and go play in traffic.
I appreciate this documentary for showing what the world contains. It brings insight to people living in these counties. It's important to have a wide and rich understanding of society and whats going on around you. I read some of the comments here and would like to emphasize on the difference between intelligence and education. They do not go hand in hand because you can very easily be educated, yet you can't be made intelligent.
CYBER DOG - mentioned that America solves other countries problems but can't solve their own sorta speak. Well in my opinion America doesn't solve anyone's problems but only brings back old ones in order to keep trying to solve more ;p
CYBER DOGS BREATH STINKS- Because his reasoning and logic, are of a narrow minded human being, who is unaware of the complexities of the world. Don't ever forget that it's easy to be a back seat driver, or the civilian watching the tanks roll by as criticizing everything you see. But it's a whole different world when not only are you the driver but the moves actions on the road traveling at high speeds are determined not only by your own judgment but by collective and mutual decisions of a group. And once you make that turn you, your in a whole new situation.
@rtiom Calling names, that really gives credibility to an argument. Just to really point out the obvious, which has clearly gone past your intellectual level, and the others commenting on it... that whole sentence(America solving the planets problems) was sarcasm, go get a dictionary, or even better, an education. Is it really necessary that I have to spell it out? As with the rest of your comment... WTF?? Seriously ?
Mate, you're the only one that knew it was sarcasm! You sounded like a tosser, so we responded in kind. We can only go by what you write.
"America can Solve every other country on the planet's problems, but cannot solve a simple gangsterism problem in their own back yard .. Perhaps more should have been spent on this, and less on the Bin Laden story. Oh wait, there were no arms contracts to be made from this by the political elite, go figure.." this is what you said douche bag, so part of that were you sarcastic about? Or was everything you said just garbage?
And yes I am educated. Probably much more educated than you. Please spell it out for me, because I'm in awe from your brilliance. Dude, your nick name is CYBER DOG BREATH, enough said. I think your a pup who is just lost on the internet making horribly wrong assumptions. How can you tell me too go get a dictionary when we're on the internet? Are you ok? Maybe you also forget that the guy confusing intelligence and education is you. And after your comeback ,im gonna make my decision about whether I should even keep responding to your nonsense. You are a waste of time maan. Go cry someone a river about your problems with the world. And then throw some empty ideas about how you're going to change that.
@valkto thanks for uploading the docs for us to learn
if i can make a request can you find the documentary THRIVE
The opening text is interesting in that it claims that most 'gangs' started off in a vigilante role turned predatory. Duplication of police state; we'd never have let them gain so much control unless we'd been duped into believing they were going to 'protect us'. Don't need to see the film - lesson observed.
What a complete waste of my time, I regret watching this. Having a documentary showing that the world contains, unintelligent, useless people that will rather steal, pillage, and kill than create something constructive, or further humanities goal of evolving is rather pathetic. To think that people still have this barbaric, medieval, or more closely, neanderthal intelligence shows us that humans have still so far to go... It is embarrassing to be human at times. It really seems that the intellect level between the academic and these sorts of people to be ever increasing. Then on the flip side, America can Solve every other country on the planet's problems, but cannot solve a simple gangsterism problem in their own back yard .. Perhaps more should have been spent on this, and less on the Bin Laden story. Oh wait, there were no arms contracts to be made from this by the political elite, go figure..
LOL "simple gangsterism"? There's 7 seasons worth of gangs featured in the Gangland series, and those are just a fraction of the total number of gangs in the US, with more created continuously. Some work for different mafias, some try to be like mafias and some are just about violence and gettin cash by any means necessary. It's easier for the yanks to gun down people in the middle of a desert far away from home turf, than it is for them to reduce gang activity in the states.
This gang series did show that the whole gang loyalty thing is pure bullshit, just a bunch of idiots trying to be the toughest man on the block. There's no respected codes of silence, why the hell are they then braggin and tellin all types of gang related things on their streets while being interviewed and filmed.. Even the mob people snitch on each other, so what's interesting to me is that gettin money is actually the only thing keeping these street gangs as they are. Disrupt that, and they'll turn on each other in an instant. Greedy dumbasses.
i agree
I love it when they try to describe gang lexicon with that serious narrator, lol. this is something you passively watch while you doing something else in another room and on the phone.
What world are you living in where America's solving the problems of all the other countries on our planet? America creates more problems in other countries than they do to solve them. Maybe if America didn't spark war in some poor 3rd world country, they wouldn't have to send humanitarian aid there a decade later. Maybe if America didn't install a ruthless dictator there, they wouldn't have to root him out a decade later. And then you have the gall to say you're solving their problems. Big wonder why Americans are hated so much all over the world.
I agree what problems in other countries have they actually ever solved? I mean really solved not there version of solving the problem by as you say installing a dictator and handing out money that generally gets stolen by the new government anyway.
Hmmm " embarassing to be human" are you? human that is? Funny how you saw 'unintelligent, useless people' when I saw a young lady, teenager actually, who got her self into a situation and tried to get herself out of it. With no obvious person around to assist her, counsel her she became the teenager that exists in most of our cities, needing freinds and family which ultimately was her downfall. But look what she achieved with her death, probably saved alot of other innocent lives from the gang.
IMHO you are the unitelligent 'souless' neanderthal. Having to live in communities with 'individuals' like you its no wonder lots of young people join gangs. As for America solving other countries problems, WHO ASKED THEM? The US goes in where they are not wanted and not asked usually under the guise of 'helping' but is generally about exploiting that countries resources. America IS the cause of problems for lots of countries around the globe.
The only thing you said that made sense was that US should solve its own problems, but then that wouldn't get you any more oil and what would you guys put in you cars?
@Leasy: She actually did not achieve anything with her death. The case was built around short periods of rationalism, probably between bouts of drugs, recklessness, and jail time. Her death was her own doing. A lot of time and energy had been spent to keep her safe, she undermined that as well as the whole case(and all the law people involved, who were putting their lives at risk for her) by being selfish and reckless. So you prefer these gangsters to someone having a disagreement through a comment on a forum.. WOW! That was incredibly well thought through and mature, how old are you, 12? Are you even legally allowed on here ? You obviously know absolutely nothing about gangsterism, and the shallow reasoning that goes with it, which is clearly the reason behind you not being able to see any sense in what I have said. These gangsters deal out a great deal of senseless anguish and heartache to a lot of people. Almost all of their rationality is based on a foggy haze induced by massive usage of drugs. Every gangster is always innocent, when confronted, it is always the gang, not them individually, yet it is something they choose, and keep choosing. As is clear in the case of this woman. She had a better life than she had ever had before in the gang, she had an opportunity to escape, and still, she chose to go back, she chose to die, it was her choice. As well as the choice of putting everyone life at risk who helped her. You can keep blaming everyone else for her stupidity, but the simple fact, according to this documentary, remains that the protection system and the law system were there for her. To attack me directly, especially considering the fact that you actually know nothing about me or where I am from, is shallow and childish.
@Irishkev, yeah you are right, the Neanderthal probably was more intelligent as well, bad choice on my part.
Hey, why badmouth the neanderthal. I've never seen a Neanderthal selling drugs, stealing or shooting people. Lay off the Neanderthal!!
America causes the world's problems! Only americans believe your propoganda. Lol, you're so closeminded that you're funny!
@Daryl: The above comment to rtiom applies to you as well ...
I agree Cyber dog breath needs a tick tack cause he's stinks of foolishness.
31 hours...what is that the reverse of 13 or what? coincidence
az
@Py, see i knew it would be a good one! lolololol
when i say good, i mean good as an inside joke about yesterday. I too do not see much pleasant viewing in this...i tried to watch but No thank you!
az