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Abstract:
Gangs in the United States have re-emerged with a strong violent presence in major urban areas (e.g. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Dallas, Detroit, Memphis, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta) in our society. Gang's accessibility to cars and high-powered guns (e.g. 9mm semi-automatic handguns, AK-47s, Tec-9 sum-machine guns, M-16s, assault rifles, and handguns equipped with silencers) have positioned them to escape the crime scene more easily than the past which was by foot. This case study uses the societal reaction theory to examine the DOOM gang members' torture and murder of two female gang members. The societal reaction theory explains the gang members' actions, attitudes, and behaviors that led up to the murder of two female (Nekita Waller and Marsinah Johnson) members. This case study also examines how state intervention is used to reduce crimes in our society.
Keywords: urban gang; DOOM; Ahmond Dunnigan; deviance; state intervention; societal reaction theory
Atlanta, Georgia was founded in 1837. "Despite its youth, the Atlanta metropolitan region as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000 occupied twenty-eight counties and more than 6,000 square miles, and contained more than 4 million residents" (The New Georgia Encyclopedia, 2009). It is the capital of Georgia and the largest city in the state. In fact Atlanta is known as "one of the most important commercial, financial, and transportation centers of the southeastern United States. Located in the northern portion of the state, Atlanta enjoys a high mean elevation - 1 ,050 feet (320m) above sea level - which distinguishes it from most other southern (and eastern) cities and contributes to a more temperate climate than is found in areas farther south" (The New Georgia Encyclopedia, 2009).
In the 1 960s Atlanta was referred to as the "city too busy to hate," and now Atlanta, Georgia is known as "city not too busy to care" (City of Atlanta, 2009). Unfortunately, outsiders view it as the southern city for economic prosperity and job opportunities. The demographics of the city is: 416,474 with 206,725 males, 209,749 females, 61.39% Blacks or African Americans, 33.22% whites, 1 .93% Asians, 0.04% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders, 1 .99% Some other race, 4.49% Hispanic or Latino, 89.95% Occupied housing units, 1 0.05% Vacant...