Youth involvement in gangs in urban areas is significantly increasing. These youth are at high risk for physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Exposure to community violence is linked to aggressive behavior, lower academic performance, lower levels of social competence, and negative mental health outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to set the agenda on how to deal with gangs and gang members from a social policy perspective. This paper will outline the nature of the gang problem in Providence, Rhode Island from three different perspectives: Violence, Forgiveness, and Practice. Literature will be presented and discussed and recommendations for social policy using Ortiz's (2007) Social Diagnosis will be presented.