Gang Intervention in Eastern Washington, Washington

A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectively, in illegal, and possibly violent, behavior. Gangs arose in America by the middle of the nineteenth century and were a concern for city leaders from the time they appeared. Some members of criminal gangs are "jumped in" (by going through a process of initiation), or have to prove their loyalty and right to belong by committing certain acts, usually theft or violence. A member of a gang may be called a "gangster". A number of gangs have gained notoriety in the course of history, including the Sicilian Mafia, Italian-American Mafia, and various other Italian organized crime groups, such as the Camorra; the Russian mafia, the Albanian mafia, the Irish Mob, the D-Company, various organizations within the French underworld, particularly Corsican mafia groups such as Unione Corse and the Gang de la Brise de Mer; British Firms, the Jewish Mob, the Greek mafia, the Nigerian mafia, Triads, the Yakuza, the Jamaican posse and Yardie gangs; the African-American Bloods and Crips; the Armenian Mob; Latin American gangs such as the Colombian drug cartels, Mexican mafia, the Latin Kings, MS-13, Norteños and Sureños; white supremacist gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood and Aryan Nations; and outlaw biker gangs like Hells Angels and Comanchero.

Intervention may refer to: