2005

This project provided Hispanic/Latino residents of the Phillips and Northeast neighborhoods of Minneapolis an opportunity to dialogue about their understandings and concerns related to increasing physical activity and improving nutrition. HACER carried out 5 focus groups with Hispanic/Latino residents in the two neighborhoods—3 in Phillips and 2 in Northeast. The focus groups took place during the last week of August and first two weeks of September 2005.

Gangs are not a basic component of any culture. Neither are they intrinsic to race, ethnicity, or nationality.
Rather, gangs develop in social groups under specific circumstances. Gangs are not an element of Latino culture, just as they were not inherent to Irish culture in the last century. However, as research shows, gang involvement is
a significant problem in the Latino
communities of today. The 1998 National Youth Gang Survey revealed that Hispanics/Latinos were the predominant racial/ethnic group among gang members nationwide, accounting for 46 percent of all gang members. This report focuses on the impact of gangs on Latino communities in Minnesota.