Crime organization outside poor neighbourhood

There are a lot of crime groups based in poor neighborhood, for example, all kinds of street gangs, it seems most members of these gangs comes from a very poor background, like an immigration family. On the contrary, in some upper class neighborhood there always lack gang activities.
However, some groups, especially mafia type groups are different. Lots of LCN members are not from poor background. Im not saying their economy class is high, just saying that they are from some sort of working class neighborhood and I think LCN, bikers and some white racial gangs are similar in this aspect.
It also occur to me, some organised crime activities actually rely on middle class society. Well maybe those poor neighborhoods have the biggest drug market, but apart from this, things like gambling, loan shark, union corruption request you to have connections in some economically better area, I assume thats why OC groups and street gangs have different composition.

http://gangsterreport.com/generation-xtacy/

 In the early 2000’s the biggest extacy dealers in the Detroit, Michigan metro area were a group of kids from the suburbs of Grosse Pointe -one America’s most affluent cities…richer than Beverly Hills, Waspier than the Hamptons.
Here their story.

http://youtu.be/KyXJrtOfHBM

El Chapo was born into a poor peasant family and he was leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Pablo Escobar was also born into a poor family, his father was a peasant farmer and his mother a school teacher (pathetic shit pay in Colombia for school teachers back then.)

A lot of Mexican cartel members and Colombia cartel members are from poor backgrounds.

In my observations, bikers seem to come from lower middle class families (people that don't have trades and just work shit jobs)

Yeah, but cartels are always different.Their money and power arent fromw the area where they operate, its from US and Europe, where their products are sold. Without the global
drug market they would be no more than a bunch of street thugs.

The economic background of some crime groups membership tend to vary by location. You could have middle/upper class individuals involve in racketeering for greed while the poorer end of the spectrum engages in it to stay feed or rise to a lavish lifestyle. Contrary to some reports all street gangs didn't start in the poor neighborhoods. A few originated in the surburbs, working class/ middle class neighborhoods or corrections facilities. The variety of life for you.

Not quite.

The Mexicans run large legitimate businesses and also have cornered entire industry's in their respective cities and regions. The higher ups own casinos, hotels and all sorts of businesses.

They have rackets outside of drug trafficking, like the multi-million dollar fuel theft trade, prostitution, immigrant smuggling, gambling (casinos for US tourists just across the border), exotic wild life trade.

Hardly a bunch of street thugs.

Sure they are much more than that but thats because global drug trade gave them wealth and power. If there no drug trade, the cartels wouldnt have been formed in the first place. Cartel is a combination of several powerful drug lords in order to monopolizing the whole market. Otherwise there will be only smaller gangs operating in different areas.
Anyway, these are not my point. I was just saying in America the reason why most street gangs are not so organized is that they route in the poorest neighborhood and has no access to OC market(except drug).

Street gangs are different compared to OC groups.

Street gangs are made up of teenagers and guys in their early twenties looking for a surrogate family, they didn't join a gang to further their financial interests.
OC groups are made up mostly of guys in their 40's and older. They joined an OC group purely to further their financial interests.

@SimeonChin & @Neo

It's a broad stereotypical picture in regards to street gangs that I caution against. Street gangs vary by location and structure. Yes a considerable amount of their membership is young & poor that's not the majority. You have street gangs that are well organized and involved in different activities.
Too many cases has and will continue to display that certain street gangs are criminal enterprises.

The Mafia's grip across southern Italy is linked to increased poverty.

But weren’t the original members and first few generations of most of those organized crime groups also poor immigrants? The original LCN and those organizations before them came from poor backgrounds and the level of poverty compared to today’s poor was worse back then. What’s left of those groups now is what was passed down in the culture or whatever is left of the tradition. But the origins were still guys from poor immigrant families that didn’t want to work the same as their parents and they wanted to make fast money and command respect on the streets. Is it fair to say they built their structures at a time before the Feds had the tools to really fight OC like they do today?

For the higher ups its about the money, but there are always young associates in OC groups, a lot of them are similar to street gang members, violent, simple- minded, and regard committing crime as a habit. Take a look at Camorra, a lot of young guys.

Yes thats true, actually a lot of these "gangs" should be considered as OC groups.

LCN guys in 20s and 30s were poor, but back then I believe they operate more like street gangs and not that much organized. I dont know about bikers, but it seems they just became a real power in 60s and they werent from a very poor background from the beginning. Similarly, AB guys in the south are red necks from better background compared with black and Mexican inmates.

Are bikers really that much of a power though? Biker clubs and some of them are involved in illegal activities. Weren’t the original Hells Angels just a bunch of Vietnam war veterans looking for a brotherhood in civilian life..

I don’t know about the south but here in California there’s white peckerwood gangs which ultimately is where AB recruits from in the state and these guys mostly come from the poorest neighborhoods. You don’t come across these guys in the white middle class neighborhoods. maybe? but I never seen or heard of that. Maybe one lone guy here or there.

There’s some areas with actually quite a few middle class (maybe lower middle class) Black and Mexican gangs. They’re not all poor living in the projects. Just being honest. In no way am I saying they’re living well off with privileged backgrounds but they damn sure aren’t living in poverty. Just depends on the area.

Mobster are interest in two things power and money. So poor Kids want money and sometimes they want power.Some rich kids want also money and sometimes power. But the way how they get this are different. Rich guys goes to Yale, Havard and MIT. For poor Kids a mobster lifestyle are more lucrative. Both can be a criminal.Bbut they way are different how they organzid a criminal enterprise

The now defunct street gang El Rukn recruited mainly from poor neighbourhoods and these guys were doing deals with Libyan officials for seven figure sums.

They started as a street gang, become an OC group then almost advanced to become a terrorist group.

El Rukns was a splinter group consisting of the high rank members of the BPS. The group possibly would of use the financial support for expansion than terrorism.

They are outlaws they could come from a rich or poor background.

Yeah I know but they were going to carry out a terrorist act on behalf of the Libyans. I reckon that fucked up the El Rukns faster than drug dealing.

It's a combination of both with the conspiracy of purchasing a rocket launcher. I know the background of this group well and their leader is originally from a small town near my location.

you may have individuals hook up inner city crime folks trying to prove they are tough but I have never seen a black suburban-based street gang.the black folks who can afford to purchase homes not going to sit there and let street scum ruin their investment.they going to sic the law on azzholes

Bloods started in the surburbs for example. There's plenty more of surburbs of Chicago and other cities too

well remember you could not live outside the hood before 1965, the bloods started in Compton, but I can tell you even today in Baltimore and bunch of other places where black folks paid real money for those houses it ain't happening, that stuff thrives in poverty. they know better not commit a crime in the higher income areas because the sentences are heavier.for example, every crook in Baltimore city knows if he goes in Baltimore county he will never see the light of day if he kills out there. i have lived in over ten metro areas they do not dominate places where folks own homes where they paid damn good money.

Most blacks didn't live in the hood back then as well. The most concentrated activities will be in the high poverty neighborhoods and yet it's not restricted there. Baltimore crooks been killing in the county.Even the gangs invest in real estate properties.

no way does any of the counties in metro b-more let the gangs/thugs run wild folks not going to stand it.there are areas the thugs will not even drive in.now do things happen every now and then? yes but i stand by my statement.