Gangs are violent. Hence, the degree of violence any area has is a function of how many people are in gangs and what their attitudes are toward violence. Take-aways Street gang participation rates in Chicago are at least 80 times that of London As in the United States, about half or more of gun homicides are gang-related in London Participation Rates and Culture We have noted in other places that street gang participation rates in the United States are astronomically high compared to any other location around the world. Since the United States gets compared to the United Kingdom too often in regard to guns and violence, looking at just those cases in isolation gives some perspective. The problem is that the United States is huge and culturally varied and thus a bit of a tough comparison. Comparing London, which has meaningful reporting on their gang participation rates, with a … Continue reading →