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(KMOV)- News 4 is taking an ongoing look at issues relating to race in St. Louis and how it affects everyone.

News 4's Craig Cheatham investigates the influence of gangs in A Shared St. Louis.

In the inner-city gangs of St. Louis, murder is a constant threat.

Mike is a 20-year old member of the Anderson Crips in north St. Louis.

B is a Blood. Although, Crips and Bloods are at war in some cities, B and Mike are friends. Like many gang members, they share the challenge of coming from broken families devastated by violence.

B said her father died in prison. Her grandmother raised her and doesn't know she's in a gang.

Sharon Williams-Rayford has devoted her life to helping at-risk kids.

Rayford and her two sons moved back into a troubled neighborhood to try to help it heal.

But her oldest son William, nicknamed Mikey, wanted something else. He became a member of the Geraldine Street Crips.

Two months ago Mikey was murdered.

In St. Louis, gang activity has had the most devastating impact on black families. That's because more than 90% of the gangs identified by police are African American and nearly all of their victims are also African American.

Police have also identified Vietnamese and Bosnian gangs in south St. Louis and Hispanic gangs in south St. Louis City, St. Louis County and Fairmont City among other areas. Many of these gang members have criminal records.

Scott Decker is widely recognized as one of the leading gang experts in the country.

Although, we rarely hear about white gangs, Decker believes white supremacists who are active in south St. Louis, south St. Louis County and Madison County, can be particularly difficult to combat.

Police said we hear more about black gangs because there are more of them and they are easier to find. For example: 30 members of the Geraldine Street Crips concentrate on the four blocks of 5000-5300 Geraldine. There are white and Hispanic gangs that are spread out over two counties.

Anthony Anderson, 19, identified by St. Louis police as a member of the Geraldine Street Crips, told us Mikey Rayford is one of several friends murdered recently.

Sharon Williams-Rayford believes the key to fighting gangs is to invest in children and give them positives choices and reinforcement.

Mikey's circumstances were like many of his friends. Although Williams-Rayford tried to direct him to church, his father wasn't around much and his friends carried far greater influence in his life.

Although she will continue working with children, Mikey's mom closed her business on Geraldine Street and moved out of her home just a few blocks away.

Police believe there are more than 80 gangs in the St. Louis area, many of them are loosely organized.