newly arrived Asians make their way among the strange customs of Western culture. But they often exacted a price from those they helped in the form of loyalty to the gang. (Yablonski, 1997) In recent years, the presence of Asian gangs has become more and more apparent in the United States. The younger members of these gangs have become assimilated to American culture and customs. Modern gangs have a trend toward scarring of mutilation to create gang markings. Burns on hands or forearms are commonly associated with Southeast Asian gangs form the Philippines, Vietnam of Cambodia. Chinese gang members tend to have burns on their upper arms, with females sporting burns on their ankles and feet. All the gang members have different combinations of markings. The number and pattern of burns means different things to each individual gang. (Webb, 1995).Most gang members prefer imported cars like Hondas, Mazdas or Toyotas as their means of transportation. Many of them will spruce then up by adding fender flares, spoilers, tinted windows or pinstripes. These cars are used as means of reflecting status and wealth to other gang members. (Gardner, 1992) These same members will generally be armed with and use the best weapons available. They prefer "high capacity handguns and semi automatic weapons" with "9mm semi automatic handguns" as their weapon of choice (Sigmund, 1995, p.11).Modern gang members are generally twelve to eighteen years of age. They share a growing trend toward adopting colors and terms associated with the Crips and the Bloods. They dress well and are usually well groomed and clean. Their hairstyles vary; many of them have "new wave" haircuts. When gang members are engaged in criminal activity, many of them color their hair. After the crime has been committed, they will often wash the color out. They may even cut their hair to avoid being recognized by police. (Sigmund, 1995, p. 10) Asian gangs engage in a wide ra...
