Teenage Native girls are proud of their gang experience, they tell CBC News.

CBC News interviewed Native girls in custody at a youth facility. One said she viewed her membership in a gang as a fight against a racist, non-Indian society.

"It's kind of like Indians against white people," the girl is quoted as saying. "Rich people are above them and cops are above them. Some people handle their situations differently. Some people can talk it over, but some people, they have to fight for it."

Another girl said she joined a gang to feel welcomed. She said no one listened to her.

A report released last week said Native gangs are on the rise. Saskatchewan has the most young Native gang members per capita in Canada.

Get the Story:
Girls in gangs: disturbing reports from the inside (CBC 3/21)

Native Gangs Report:
2005 Intelligence Trends: Aboriginal-based Gangs in Saskatchewan (March 2005)

Related Report:
Aboriginal-based Organized Crime (Criminal Intelligence Service Canada 2004)

Relevant Links:
Criminal Intelligence Service Saskatchewan - http://www.cissask.ca Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations - http://www.fsin.com

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