ABSTRACT
Gangs are not a social organization indigenous to Cambodia. In fact, there is no direct translation in Khmer for the English word “gang.”1 Hence, as mentioned before, Cambodian gangs in America have patterned themselves after already existing African American and Latino gangs, acquiring from them clothing style, hand signs, and other conspicuous gang attributes. Cambodian youth gangs are generally very fluid in nature, with few rigid rules. As ethnic gangs, they are unique in that they do not display the ethnocentric attitude found in many other gangs. A trend common among Cambodian American gangs is to be accepting of ethnic and racial diversity within their ranks, and other youth may often become part of the gang the same way a new person is introduced to a circle of friends.
