The children that are born into a family of gang members have no opportunity to live a
life of their own and sadly experience violence and oppression. The injustice that will be
explored is gang life and how children of gang members have little or no chance to
escape from the violence that is thrusted upon them. It is very unfortunate that young kids
have to live around violence and drugs on a daily basis. This narrative will describe the
experiences Will Queen experienced during his undercover work and how young kids are
being oppressed in gang life.
An example of an oppressed situation is in the novel Under and Alone by Will Queen and the author experiences two children growing up a notorious gang member and sees how in danger their lives are. “I saw Red Dawgs kids playing with his pit bull and I couldn’t stop thinking about it biting the kids neck and never letting go”(p.108). This shows the neglection of kids in a gang because their “father” is always too preoccupied with drug deals, hits, and parties to even care about his two kids and the fact that they are playing with a deadly animal. The father is evil disguised as good because he is providing them with shelter and food, but he is setting a horrible example by living a life of drugs and violence that will surely rub off on his kids.
Will Queen not only met gang members who dreamed of becoming a gang member, but he also met people who were basically forced into a gang because their family members were a part of a gang. “When I met Hernandez I thought he was just another punk ass thug who wanted to play dress up, but I found out he had 3 generations of gang members”(pg. 76). Queen had no idea that some gangsters had to continue the tradition of the family thug life even if they did not want to. It turned out Hernandez was a nice guy who tried to stray away from violence, but was sadly killed in a shoot out between rival gangs. The evil disguised as good is that the family members tell their kids that they must fulfill the family tradition and the kids have no idea what they are getting into.
Queen was under investigation for 18 months and during that time he encountered countless times of being threatened if he ever betrayed the gang. The Mongols are a feared gang all over the country and Queen learned from them was that they were a family. “When my mom died the only people that were there for me were the Mongols. They would say I Love you bro and gave me hugs for comfort. None of the agents gave me anything close to that”(pg.192). Even though this was a violent gang, they Mongols did love each other and were there for anybody who needed help. The only thing they demanded was loyalty and commitment. This is an interesting fact due to the part thatgangs are famous for murders, but all throughout the novel they seemed kind to each other in times of need.
Will Queen learned from the Mongols many things he never knew he thought possible while joining a gang. The acts of kindness to each gang member was unreal to him, but at the same time the fact that young kids were being forced to live a life of violence and drugs was saddening. In the end Queen realized that family always has to come first, but sometimes you have to implement tough love to your family. Tough Love meaning that sometimes by enforcing strict rules and raising your authority can strengthen the respect of your family, but at the same time teach them that following rules blindly can be detrimental. The gang members would blindly follow the chief’s instructions leading to the death of themselves and innocent people. In conclusion, Queen realized that a life of commitment can lead to a life of fear and anxiety.
