Image by: Kelly Wilkinson/ The Indianapolis Star
According to a recent Reuter article, there are about 200 organized gangs in metropolitan Paris. Last year President Nicolas Sarkozy passed a law making it illegal to be part of a gang. Though the law is unclear about what exactly a gang is, membership is punishable by either a three-year prison sentence or $60,000 fine. Read the full description.
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Piece Description
Gangs can be found in most major cities around the world, from the Yakuza in Tokyo and the Bratva in Moscow to the Latin Kings in Indianapolis. As Americans use the word, Parisian gangs are not really “gangs.” They do not have national and international criminal affiliations; members are not in for life; and drug dealing is not one of their main activities. In Paris, the word describes a group of friends who hang out together in their neighborhoods because they’re unemployed and bored. Many of them dress in gangster style, and they often listen to French rap, which is inspired by the same struggles and is similar in sound to American rap.
