Why teens join gangs?

Why do teens join gangs? Gang members are from both poor and wealthy neighborhoods and from big cities and small rural towns. What causes some teens to join gangs?

1. Most teen gang members have been forced to join a gang, they have no choice most of the time its either to join a gang or get hurt or killed
2. Teens join because they have no support at home, and they just want to find a family for themselves
3. Teens also want to be accepted and respected, they think that no one values them as who they are
4. Sometimes it's because they just something to do
   
5. Teens also think gangs will give them something to value, like expensive sneakers, leather jackets, gold rings, etc.Gangs take advantage of all this to get innocent teens to join them, gangs also promise teens that they will take them in and take care of them just like a family. But the reality is that gangs only offer false promises, because if they would actually care they wouldn't ask teens to do the following:

Here are some real things gang members are often asked to do:

1. Hurt or kill innocent people
2. Perform heterosexual or homosexual acts, or both
3. Allow yourself to be beat up in order to join the "family"
4. Put yourself in danger of injury, disease, prison, and death

Would a caring family ask you to do these things?