Gang living exists as a way of life due to lack of access to resources. Gangs are traditionally seen as a byproduct of social disorganization, of the weakness of traditional institutions, such as schools, in replacing the lost primary networks of the traditional world. Home of the Chicago Bulls and great players, such as Michael Jordan and Derick Rose, who won six rings and is considered the home of one of the greatest NBA teams of all time. It is the adopted hometown of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. The city has produced great musicians like R. Kelly and Nat King Cole, who revolutionized the music industry in their time. It burned down and rebuilt stronger than ever, with landmarks like the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Building dominating the skyline. It is known for its famous cuisines, such as deep dish pizza and its famous hot dogs. Chicago is an extraordinary city with many exceptional qualities, but in recent years the lethal combination of gangs and guns has turned it into a war zone. The Windy City, now nicknamed “Chiraq,” had the highest homicide rate in the country in 2012 with 500 homicides recorded (Erbentraut). Chicago is a war zone, so much so that, in recent years, its younger citizens have started calling it “Chiraq,” after Iraq, the Middle Eastern nation with which the United States is in a standoff in a war since 2003 (“FBI: Chicago”). With good reason, 4,265 people have been killed in Chicago since 2001. This is 2.5 times more than in the war zone of Afghanistan (Chi raq). Young people they internalize their situation by proudly calling themselves soldiers or savages. They learn violent and antisocial behavior both for survival reasons and because their only role models are...... middle of paper ...... hi raq. Will Robson-Scott. Will Robson-Scott. Protein TV, 2013. Film.Erbentraut, Joseph. The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, May 13, 2013. Web. December 8, 2013. "FBI: Chicago is officially the murder capital of America." Fox News. FOX News Network, September 19, 2013. Web. December 11, 2013. Goetz, Edward G.. The Ruins of the New Deal: Race, Economic Justice, and the Politics of Public Housing. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2013. Print.McClelland, Edward. "Chiraq, Drillinois." The morning news. Np, August 7, 2013. Web. December 9, 2013.Tarm, Michael. “Violence in Chicago: FBI Seeks New Ways to Curb Crime and Reduce Murders in Windy City.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, December 2, 2013. Web. December 9, 2013."The Urban Portal." Problems of the RSS urban portal. Np, 25 December 2011. Web. 9 December. 2013.