The Dallas Morning News explains how the yearning for belonging moves from the playground the prison yard:
They tattoo themselves
with Dallas Cowboys stars and the area code 214. They proudly proclaim
“D-Town” and brag about their hometown affiliations on MySpace and
YouTube.
The Tango Blast, a violent, drug-dealing gang born in the Texas prison
system, is growing in popularity and could change the Dallas landscape
because it rejects old notions of prison gang exclusivity and lifelong
commitments.Authorities say the trendy look and loose rules of the Tango
Blast are proving irresistible to kids. Tangos can maintain
affiliations with gangs they joined outside prison, a hybrid approach
to membership that allows them to plant tentacles in many of Dallas’
established Hispanic neighborhood gangs.
If the Tango Blast meme of belonging is allowed to linger, we will soon all be prisoners in our own homes.
