Reminders & Family Points From "Gang Leader For a Day"

Reminders: I know several people went to the lecture yesterday afternoon after class. Remember, to earn the 4 points you have to post a brief response on this blog -- specifically as a comment on the blog post entitled, EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY. Also, YOU ALL NEED TO MAKE SURE TO PURCHASE A COPY OF "TULIA," WHICH THE BOOKSTORE IS SENDING BACK TODAY. So you may have to go to your local bookstore or find it online.
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FAMILY RESPONSES TO "GANG LEADER FOR A DAY"

(1) Most surprising fact or observation:

GREEN FAMILY: The most surprising observation was that gang members are willing to risk their lives for very little money. Their participation is based more on loyalty to the community and the sense of unity that the Robert Taylor Homes produced.

(a) To which I would add: Dealing drugs was not very lucrative but it was better than nothing or some menial job. And J.T. and the other gang members clearly were committed to the community -- to looking out for tenants, not just themselves. They probably felt good about themselves in this context, even if they were engaged in other, more destructive criminal activities.

BLACK FAMILY: How inhabitants of the Robert Taylor Homes used sex as currency for almost anything they needed -- appliances, diapers, drugs, place to stay, weapons, rent, and to avoid prison.

(a) To which I would add: I would make two points about this: (1) Most importantly, this is an indication of how desparate the plight of these people was -- that there was so little money to be had legitimately through jobs or even government welfare, that they had to resort to selling themselves for basic necessities. (2) Also, it hearkens back to a feudal-like economy based on barter.

(I never got the Red family's response to this question.)


(2) Most insightful passage.

GREEN FAMILY: "He fancied himself a philanthropist as much as a leader....He mandated that all his gang members get a high-school diploma and stay off drugs. He gave money to some local youth centers for sports equipment and computers. He willingly loaned out his gang members to Robert Taylor tenant leaders, who deployed them on such tasks as escorting the elderly on errands or beating up a domestic abuser....A drug economy, he told me, was 'useful for the community,' since it redistributed the drug addicts' money back into the community via the gang's philanthropy." (p. 115)

This passage shows how J.T. wants to justify his gang's activity and give them a legitimate role in the community. His goal is to explain how intertwined the gang is in the community, making it seem to be a philanthropic organization and not just a bunch of ignorant criminals running around selling drugs.

BLUE FAMILY: "The next day I would wake up free of the hundreds of obligations and judgments I'd been witness to. But J.T. wouldn't. He'd still bear all the burdens of running a successful underground economy: enforcing contracts, motivating his members to risk their lives for low wages, dealing with capricious bosses. I was no less critical of what he did for a living. I also wanted to know more about his professed benevolence and how his gang acted on behalf of Robert Taylor's tenants. And I still knew very little about J.T.'s bosses." (p. 143)

Sudhir said this toward the end of his stint as "gang leader for a day." It reveals the kind of leadership skills J.T. needed to operate this illegal, underground economy.


(3) Most important lesson.

BLACK FAMILY: The most important lesson is that it is very hard to prevent or deter crime in areas such as the Robert Taylor Homes, because (1) the cops are either not around or look the other way or, in some cases, are corrupt and take bribes to overlook criminal activities; (2) the general lack of opportunities force many people to either work for the gangs or cooperate with them to make money to survive and possibly go to school and maybe even escape the projects.

(a) To which I would add: This lesson touches on the point Prof. Ahrens made in that passage I gave you to analyze for essay II -- that there is little opportunity for legal, intelligent action in this disorganized world. And that it is this disorganized world that must be addressed in order to deal with the crime problem.

RED FAMILY: In terms of understanding and dealing with gangs, the most important lesson to be learned would involve an assessment of means and goals. In the author's interaction with characters such as J.T. and Ms. Bailey, the issue of lack of access to legitimate means constantly arises. While many people may assert that the solution to this impoverished, crime-ridden community would be such things as education, a steady job, etc., Venkatesh discovers that the answer is not that simple. For some of these gang members, this gang involvement is perhaps one of the only means of making money to support their families. While their methods of making money, supporting and feeding their families may seem somewhat controversial or uncanny, as outside observers of this sort of culture, we must realize that though their means may be different from our own, they are attempting to reach the same goals we are.

(a) To which I would add: Although we share similar goals, there is no question but that we have much more access to legitimate means to achieve them, whereas illegitimate means are predominant in this impoverished gang subculture.
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That's it. INCORPORATE THE ABOVE IN YOUR NOTES. IF I ASK ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS BOOK ON THE FINAL EXAM, THEY WILL COME FROM THE ABOVE RESPONSES.