Did the internet help promote gang lifestyle and migrate it from the city to the suburbs and further into rural areas? The data says it likely did. Take-aways Two phases of the internet rollout contributed to rising gang-like activity in both rural areas and fringe metro cities. It also pushed gang behaviors into suburbs but not to the same degree. Whispers from the Feds and Detectives Over the years we’ve heard whispers from police detectives claiming that between YouTube and cell phones, street gang culture had migrated from the inner cities of major metros, all the way out to the suburbs and perhaps beyond. It certainly seemed that way in 2023, when in the small town of Dadeville, Alabama (population 3,034), there was a mass public shooting with gang-like elements at a Sweet Sixteen party. As in many street gang interactions, gunfire erupted between two groups of people, resulting in … Continue reading →