As an individual living in a community where gang violence is a problem, I am grateful that you can participate in a movement to reduce gang violence Today. According to Statistics Canada, gang-related homicides remained unchanged between 2011 and 2012, with 0.27 victims per 100,000 population.[1] In Ontario, from 2002 to 2012, the number of deaths peaked at 38 in 2003 and declined significantly in 2004 to 17.[2] These numbers prove that gang-related violence is a constant battle in many communities every year. Since this is a very complex problem for which there is no simple solution, it is very important to highlight just a few of the many factors that explain this problem. According to Public Safety Canada, the main contenders who join gangs are often citizens who are socially disadvantaged or suffer from inequalities compared to others.[3] These people are more likely to have lower incomes and live in neighborhoods surrounded by people living in these conditions. Referring to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, most of them feel that their safety and physiological needs are not met, but to feel safe they need a sense of belonging. Some of the people who feel comfortable with their group may feel that they need more esteem and thus become leaders in initiating violence or gang behavior. In order to tackle these cases, it is important to start at the root of the cause in order to make changes for a better future. Since one of the similarities between gang issues is low-income families, we should start programs that can help rebuild their neighborhoods. For example, giving food stamps to households...... middle of paper ......Works Cited[1] Government of Canada, (2013). Homicide in Canada, 2012. Retrieved from Statistics Canada website: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/131219/dq131219b-eng.htm[2] Government of Canada, (2013). Table 7, number of gang-related homicides, by region, 2002 to 2012. Retrieved from Statistics Canada website: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2013001/article/ 11882/tbl/tbl07-eng.htm[3] Government of Canada, (2013). Youth gangs in Canada: what do we know? Retrieved from Public Safety Canada website: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/gngs-cnd/index-eng.aspx[4] Ibid[5] Muller, R. (2013, August 24). Poverty, broken homes, violence: the making of a gang member. Psychology Today, retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/talking-about-trauma/201308/poverty-broken-homes-violence-the-making -gang member