Original sentence: It is, as many people have claimed, a misappropriated gang symbol.The dragon is a way that members could tell who was at a particular gathering
Edited sentence: It is not, as some people have claimed, a misappropriated gang symbol, but then the Alleyway Crew was never a gang to begin with.It was, and is, a group of friends.The "Alleyway" is in a school yard in Flushing, Queens, where the band and all of their friends would gather.The dragon is a symbol of friendship as well as a way that members would relate who was hanging out at a particular gathering