The main takeaway I got from reading Chapter 7 of the CQ Reader was the fact that, not only are gangs still prevalent, but they are becoming more of a problem; and that they are spreading with regard to what they do. Usually a gang is thought of in the most simplest of terms and in the way they have been portrayed in movies and the like for years: a group of guys who hang out together and fight ‘turf wars’  with other gangs. However, that is far from what gangs are or have become. This chapter informs you that there are now many woman who not only join gangs, but are leaders of gangs, and that what gangs do with their time has changed drastically as well. While another label people might have been used to associating with gangs was the fact that they weren’t the brightest, gangs today are stepping up their game; they are hacking, scamming banks, running well organized prostitution rings, etc.

The fact that the advancement of technology has been something gangs have used to become more spread out and effective is the least bit surprising at all. The internet has become a place where, anybody who wants to spread a certain ideal, recruit people to their ’cause’, or incite/rile up people, can accomplish their task extremely easily by using Facebook or Youtube or any other platform. Gangs aren’t the only groups to realize how the internet can help them and utilize it; terrorist groups around the world have taken to the worldwide web to do recruiting and incite attacks also. That is something that, in my opinion, can’t be so hard to track. Meaning, with all the intelligence and technology this country has, we should be able to find the posts or accounts of gangs/ gang members and just stop them from posting. It’s something that should be done with terrorists groups as well but hasn’t and the same thing applies to gangs.

With regard to the injunctions, it’s hard to believe that is the best way experts have come up with on how to stop gangs. This country is, as Judge Cohen said a couple weeks ago, a place that believes in and prides itself on second chances. So if someone was in a gang and decided that it was wrong and that they wanted to turn their life around for the better, why would we ever put obstacles in his or her path and keep that person on a list that associates them with gangs? While the idea behind these injunctions might be correct and might actually work, the implementation and way it’s carried out has to be changed.