Gangs Flashcards
Vice Video on gangs
- questioning the definition of a gang
- dixon buildings in community. called breeding ground for Dixon City Bloods - violent gang.
- “in cage”, not allowed to play/live without being watched.
- residents say there are no gangs
- june 2013: dixon towers raided by police. investigation called “project traveller” police looking for Dixon bloods gang.
- guns, money, drugs seized after raid.
- resident says police is seeing the problem all wrong.
- dixon became dangerous after police raids: exposed gang? or police aggravated violence?
- dunno who the dixon bloods are, but they’re getting the hit for drugs + guns.
- police crew there all the time; profiling - somali name accused of being in gang; non-somali name not accessed even tho have multiple charges.
- rap music contributes to gang ideas. rapper says it’s just an image.
- police raid as a propoganda tool hi
- rappers “dont know” dixon bloods.
- charged with homicide, was 3 provinces away.
- liaison officers in dixon buildings: reduce fear, try to be part of the solution > problem
what is a gang?
everyone has a different definition - no agreement.
what are youth gangs?
- no universal definition
- considered “out of control”
- groups of kids 10-16yoa
- thought to be mostly male phenomenon.
2 reasons why gangs are NOT a youth phenomenon?
- post-industrial era: blocked opportunity for many who live in impoverished areas [ can’t age out of gang bc no where to go; youth/adolescence changed; = older. ]
- ODs: older gang members, choosing not to age out.
who do youth join gangs?
- many reasons, weigh pros + cons - this is best decision.
- material incentive: money in drugs
- recreation: fun
- refuge + camouflage: diminish responsibility
- physical protection: bonds protect
- time to resist: resist society, gang does too.
- commitment to the community: tradition, funneled into gang
relation between gang + neighbourhood
- gang IDs with territory; defining element
- existence of gang is seen as embodiment of neighbourhood
- make money in their own neighbourhood - primary turf.
- mandates that perceived/actual threat need to be met with strong resistance + defence of territory
what is vehement protection?
primary motivation for gang warfare
- protect others in your gang.
who benefits from moral panic about gangs?
- media: sensationalizes, gains attention + readers
- politicians: absorb moral panic into legislative promise
- law enforcement: more money, jobs available to target gangs
- gangs themselves: free advertising; showing other gangs they’re strong + fighting.
where is regent park?
east of Toronto downtown core
- low level apartment buildings for short term housing of white torontonians after war, revitilization changed that
demographics of regent parkers?
1700 youth
68% of families below low-income cut off line
80% of residents id-ed as visible minorities
quoted representations of regent park
ghettoized poster child for poverty homicide hotbed mythical ruin == stigmatized btw ppl and media + other neighbourhoods
what happened with regent park revitilization?
- major revitilization project.
- attempt to de-concentrate poverty by social-mixing, sell off parts of neighbourhood to rich ppl to “teach” poorer ppl pro-social norms/behaviour
- moved gang members to rival neighbourhoods = violence extended.
methodology of marta’s research?
- 56 semi-structured interviews
- 2 summers of fieldwork
core sample: - 20 males, 16-47 yoa, racialized (jamaican, somalian), gang involved/affiliated, drug dealers, rappers
function of social media platforms?
narrowing digital divide = more disadvantaged populations have access to internet.
- avail to more ppl, expanded access
use of platform for what?
for rap careers + increasing street cred
- ID with neighbourhood as master status.
- conspicuous consumption
issues with SM?
makes life riskier - live action of where they are + what they’re doing.
issues with ID-ing with neighbourhood
what is conspicuous consumption?
imagery of wealth + glory
- bottle service, grills, cars, shoes.
violence + code of the street?
code tells you how to live + survive.
- says if someone is victimized, respond with violence.
what is the ghetto fabulous aesthetic?
- academic term to describe conspicuous displays of expensive goods.
- gang themes are prevalent
- connects to street code: post things you’re willing to die for, there can be serious repercussions, but important to display a sense of street authority.
risks of sm?
- inadvertently communicate actionable intelligence to unwanted audience
- - display connections to objects, activities, other ppl - prospect of victimization when flaunt expensive things.
benefit of sm?
show the money you have, the connectedness with other gang members.
- enhance reputation
- affiliation: assess capacity + threat differently as individual vs as gang
function of affiliation?
- display greater group of soldiers
- increase street cred
- manner of protection: discourage attacks against you: not easily intimidated, violence met with violence.
riskiness of affiliation?
- broadcasting can be risky
- ongoing, serious, lethal gang beefs = pay for neighbourhood affiliation/reputation
- others may interpret innocent as dangerous, violent.
BC NEIGHBOURHOOD IS MASTER STATUS
dangers of specifying location?
social media allows distance others to precisely locate you in space + time.
- know where u are in real time.
- provocation: start more beef, waiting for ppl in other neighbourhood, calling them out on sm
chicago middle class black neighbourhood called?
groveland
describe the neighbourhood [sweet mothers + gangbangers]?
dense network among criminal + non-criminal residents
- government involved, highly educated AND top gang leaders live in same neighbourhood, co-exist peacefully.
- looks like good, quiet neighbourhood.
- residentially stable: lived their whole life, generations lived there
how does chicago neighbourhood challenge social disorganization theory?
HIGHLY STABLE, yet HIGH Rates of Crime persist.
- social disorganization says that failure to agree on common values = failure to maintain effective social controls = crime.
argument for ~type~ of social disorganization in chicago neighbourhood?
although internally regulated (“dont do that here”), still lack essential ties to public (beyond-neighbourhood) forms of social control
when may gangs form?
stable, low-income areas.
- lack of opportunity for uni etc.
alternative opportunity structure of gangs
- how do they benefit community?
if dont have access to acceptable ways of living, choose crime.
- benefit those involved + non-criminal neighbours: provide social and economic resources, watch dog for the neighbourhood, may still advocate for pro-social movements.
4 findings from pattillo: sweet mothers + gang bangers
- black middle class neighbourhoods have higher poverty rates + are closer to poor areas [couldnt move far from “hood”]
- high proportion of low income earners in middle class neighburhood = criminality is attractive.
- home ownership + residential stability = facilitate formal + informal social control
- ties to neighbours hinder efforts to rid neighbourhood of crime.
pattillo - pro-social residents on neighbourhood crime?
exert social control.
- try to keep violence/ crime out of neighbourhood
- pro-social, safety activities done by neighbourhood “criminals”
- positive relation btw criminal and non-criminal residents.
demographic + behaviour of gang members
- black mobsters; low-profile criminal activities
- no swearing, fighting, openly dealing, didn’t want neighbourhood flooded with bad behaviour
- wanted bedroom commuity = acted as agents of social control, altho violated themselves.
- middle class dealers conform to middle class norms.
liquor store in neighbourhood?
- shut down because caused fights, break ins etc.
- got rid of liquor store = better environment.
