Tensions among rival gangs such as 'Hells Angels', 'Rock Machine', 'Zig Zag Crew' and 'Redlined' is extremely volatile.

 Tensions among rival gangs such as 'Hells Angels', 'Rock Machine', 'Zig Zag Crew' and 'Redlined' is extremely volatile. These are just a few of the many existing gangs which are continually becoming sophisticated in their methods of operating. 
These gangs are usually engaged in drug distribution, prostitution and theft. Estimates show Aboriginal gangs are quickly migrating eastward from Winnipeg into northwestern Ontario as well as spreading as far north as Iqaluit, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Inuvik. With a high Aboriginal population, Winnipeg appears to be a convenient nucleus for native gangs. But, as this phenomenon is not restricted to only Winnipeg, it remains questionable whether attaching this stereotype to native peoples is justified.
"If we are going to racialize crime, remember that between jails and prisons some 80 per cent of all prisoners in Canada are white," said Dr. Tamari Kitossa, a sociology professor at Brock University. "Crime is an abstract noun and as such it is not possible for one group of people to commit it more than others." 
At an Aboriginal policy conference in Ottawa two weeks ago, it was said that Aboriginal youth membership in gangs could double in the next 10 years. A paper by the Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD), "Social Challenges: The Well-being of Aboriginal People," indicates that Aboriginal people are three times more likely than non-Aboriginals to be victims of violent crime. Statistics from Correctional Service Canada show that while Aboriginal people represent only 2.8 per cent of the Canadian population, they account for 18 per cent of those who are incarcerated in federal institutions. In the Prairie provinces, 50 per cent of prisoners are Aboriginals. 
The CCSD paper adds that population growth also accounts for why Aboriginals are over-represented in crime statistics. While population growth has declined for other groups in Canada, the Aboriginal population is still experiencing a baby boom. This leaves them with more young people who, faced with past and current discrimination, prejudice and deprivation, encounter additional challenges today.
These statistics and information seem to racialize gang violence and treat Aboriginal people as 'criminogenic' - as a group more likely to exhibit criminal tendencies. By doing so, Kitossa thinks we might be demonizing the youth and treating the symptom of the problem as the cause.

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