The youth has the gang clothes, the tattoos, the knowledge of the gang, and a way to communicate with associates. The youth starts a new set of the same gang, is visited by members of the same gang, and may start a new chapter, getting rank and a leadership position in the process. Such meetings have been held in Kansas City, Chicago, Minneapolis, and other cities in recent years. The Spread of Gang Groups and Organization 1. There are some other systematic ways in which gangs spread geographically.
Some researchers point to the drug trade profits as the fuel in the engine of gang migration.
An example of this from Davenport, Iowa, occurred when a drug dealer came to Davenport a few years ago, presenting himself as a Vice Lord leader from Chicago and with a large stash of drugs he needed to sell, quickly tapping into the youth subculture. A number of white Vice Lords suddenly appeared, living in Davenport. For example, Gangster Disciples present themselves not as a gang, but as an organization dedicated to the growth and development of its members. The Natural Phenomenon of the Ripple Effect in the Geographical Dispersion and Proliferation of Gangs and Gang Members Nationally. Like the splash effect, the ripples extend geographically outward, until the effect is minimal at the farthest distance from large urban areas.