Anonymous

Experts claim that one of the many motivating factors for youth gang involvement is the unfulfilled need for a sense of family. Many juvenile gang members are products of broken homes or victims of child abuse who end up in the foster care system. In the following viewpoint, the anonymous author speaks with three teenagers involved with gangs, each of whom expresses a familial sense of belonging to the gang and with the other gang members. This viewpoint was excerpted from Foster Care Youth United, a bimonthly newsletter written by and for young people in the foster care system and produced by the organization Youth Communication.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What reason does Taz give for wanting to join a gang?
2. What are the three things Joseph claims...