Hey guys,
I just read a very interesting article and just thought I would share it with everyone. It tells the story of four changed gang members who talk about their lives on the streets, how they got out, and what they plan to do with their futures. I just thought it was amazing. It shows that there is the possibility of gang members turning away from their lives of crime and doing something better with their lives. They all seem to have one thing in common, looking for money and something bigger to belong to. However, now that they're away from their past lifestyles, all are trying to make changes in this crazy world of ours. Jessica is going back to school to become a parole officer and hopes to make major changes in the city to eliminate violence, Damien is trying to be a good influence in his children's lives so that they do not go the route he took, Michael (who actually is still part of a gang) has dreams of being a paramedic so that he can help others, and Andre has distanced himself from his gang and is working at finding a job and furthering his education. These stories are amazing. If these four people can work at changing their lives and the lives of those around them, then there is still hope for current gang members. All they need is a good role model and a little motivation, and they can do anything with their lives.
Mario
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Subcultural gang theory
I know we're all told not to cite Wikipedia. So we won't cite it but we will show you this Wikipedia page for subcultural theory, which is a short entry about a theory of why gangs form.
It personally leaves me with a funny look on my face and a sour taste in my mouth. The theory is "arguing that certain groups or subcultures in society have values and attitudes that are conducive to crime and violence."
Can this possibly be true? It seems pretty problematic, as well as non-anthropological, to us, not to mention creating an "other" in a major way. Is there anything to be said for this theory? Are there any common threads throughout the points of view of the major theorists?
How about Phil Cohen, who argues that capitalism in our society "attempts to achieve hegemony" through domination of adults, and youth are "relatively free" from this structure, so they find the deviance more appealing and logical?
Can gangs be explained through theory at all?
- Lucy
It personally leaves me with a funny look on my face and a sour taste in my mouth. The theory is "arguing that certain groups or subcultures in society have values and attitudes that are conducive to crime and violence."
Can this possibly be true? It seems pretty problematic, as well as non-anthropological, to us, not to mention creating an "other" in a major way. Is there anything to be said for this theory? Are there any common threads throughout the points of view of the major theorists?
How about Phil Cohen, who argues that capitalism in our society "attempts to achieve hegemony" through domination of adults, and youth are "relatively free" from this structure, so they find the deviance more appealing and logical?
Can gangs be explained through theory at all?
- Lucy
Monday, November 26, 2012
My experience
Hey guys,
As this is my first post on our blog, I'd first like to share an experience I had with youth involvement in Chicago gangs. To protect the identity of the program and the people I was involved with, any specific information has been removed from this story.
Two years ago, I worked as an after school tutor for high school kids on the West Side. This was through a youth center with a specific program that accepted students from various schools. I found out about this job through my boyfriend, who had already been working there for a month before I applied. I initially took the job because my work load for that semester was pretty light and I mainly just wanted the money. I hardly expected the experience to be anything like it was.
Stepping off the blue line into a West Side neighborhood was like landing in a different country. To be blunt, I stuck out like a sore thumb because of my skin color. At first, the experience was a little more than weird. All of my life I have lived in cities, so it's not like I wasn't used to seeing people of different races. That wasn't it at all. The weird part was that I was the minority in this neighborhood. I felt nervous for a while, stepping off the train and waiting for a bus. I tried my best to ignore the looks and the thick tension whenever I rode the bus to the youth center or had to walk the several blocks there because the bus was running too late. But I only ever received looks--never in the time I was there did I feel threatened, and after I while, I started to feel really comfortable. In a strange sense, at times I felt a sense of belonging.
I think this feeling was due to the relationships I formed with the students I tutored. Initially, I tutored a few kids, mostly girls who needed help with Spanish. I also helped with English (grammar, reading, writing, etc.), geography, history, and sometimes math. I was one of the 5 or 6 tutors that came every week for these kids. It took a short time for all of us to connect, but not long after I started did the atmosphere become more about friendship, if you will, than about authority. Once the kids (and by kids, I mean they were 15 or 16, so not much younger than myself at the time) figured out that I wasn't going to chew them up for not doing their homework, or give up on them for not understanding something, the ice began to melt.
It was when this happened that I really started to get to know the students. Not only did I see how truly horrendous their education had been--and I'll get to this a little later--but how many dreams they had and how few opportunities they had been given for achieving them. This after school program was essentially their main opportunity, and most of the kids were only there because they were failing at least one of their classes. What was so great about this program, though, was that it didn't focus just on getting better grades. That was, of course, the main objective, but the program also focused on introducing the kids to new activities, or what I thought of as outlets for creativity and expression. I honestly don't know much about Chicago Public Schools; I'm sure they are all different, so I don't want to make too many assumptions. However, it was safe to assume that the schools these kids belonged to did not offer any programs that would teach kids to tap dance or create videos, much like the youth center I tutored for did. Most of the kids seemed genuinely excited to be apart of this after school program because not only were they getting help for subjects that weren't clicking with them, but they got to learn cool, new things. Speakers would sometimes come and talk to the kids about certain issues--I think usually pertaining to street/gang violence--and the kids would sometimes watch documentaries. In my opinion, this program was truly a blessing because it revolved around informing the kids while letting them have fun. Perhaps more importantly, the kids had a community of friends and people to look up to (not necessarily saying the tutors, but maybe!). The administrators of the program were very supportive and served as strong, authoritative figures for these kids who may not have had that at home.
My point in this blog, though, is that in my experience at this center I met kids who were either in gangs or wanted to be someday. These kids typically did not want to be there, at least not to learn or take the extracurricular classes, but definitely to socialize. Sometimes, I would ask them to elaborate on the appeal of gangs. The answer usually had something to do with not going anywhere through school, how it was a waste of time, and how gangs held promises of prestige, friendship, and a quick path to money. Why exactly did some of these kids see gangs this way? Well, why not? I figured that if they weren't getting support from home or from school, the most "reasonable" option would be to join a gang. Who knows, maybe the kids were getting support from home--I'm pretty sure no mother wants their son to join a gang, and would rather have him stay in school to get out of a neighborhood stricken with violence. Typically, though, neighborhoods like this tend to have people of lower socioeconomic status--with this comes mothers (often single) and fathers working all the time to make ends meet, leaving the kids to their own devices. That's why this youth center exists: to get the kids off the street and doing something towards a better future.
Needless to say, I walked away from this job with mixed feelings. The semester ended so I was no longer needed at the center. In fact, at the time we weren't sure if our positions would be open again for the following semester due to funding issues. I had never expected to get attached to the students here, or to think about them well after my job ended. I learned about their desires to go to college and the dream jobs they wished to obtain through a higher education. It was a truly enlightening experience, and I was glad to meet so many bright kids that really wanted to have different lives from the ones they were born into (structure violence at its finest). However, I met kids whose lives deeply saddened me. Some of them saw no way out, or perhaps were blinded by the appeal of joining a gang, so much so that they couldn't see any other options. I think about these kids as much as I think about the ones who dreamed of college, always wondering if they're okay and not in trouble, or worse. Having this experience made me appreciate the life of privilege I was born into, but also made me realize how much needs to be changed not just in Chicago but all over the United States so more kids can be like me. I'm not saying that my way of life is the way of life, but I am saying that every kid should have the opportunities that I've had; to have access to excellent education, among other things.
To those who have made it to the end of my long, rambling post, thank you. I hope my story has made you think about your own life or any experiences you've had similar to mine. Please send me any comments or questions via this blog, email, or my facebook if you know me. I really believe this is something that we should all be talking about.
-Rachel
As this is my first post on our blog, I'd first like to share an experience I had with youth involvement in Chicago gangs. To protect the identity of the program and the people I was involved with, any specific information has been removed from this story.
Two years ago, I worked as an after school tutor for high school kids on the West Side. This was through a youth center with a specific program that accepted students from various schools. I found out about this job through my boyfriend, who had already been working there for a month before I applied. I initially took the job because my work load for that semester was pretty light and I mainly just wanted the money. I hardly expected the experience to be anything like it was.
Stepping off the blue line into a West Side neighborhood was like landing in a different country. To be blunt, I stuck out like a sore thumb because of my skin color. At first, the experience was a little more than weird. All of my life I have lived in cities, so it's not like I wasn't used to seeing people of different races. That wasn't it at all. The weird part was that I was the minority in this neighborhood. I felt nervous for a while, stepping off the train and waiting for a bus. I tried my best to ignore the looks and the thick tension whenever I rode the bus to the youth center or had to walk the several blocks there because the bus was running too late. But I only ever received looks--never in the time I was there did I feel threatened, and after I while, I started to feel really comfortable. In a strange sense, at times I felt a sense of belonging.
I think this feeling was due to the relationships I formed with the students I tutored. Initially, I tutored a few kids, mostly girls who needed help with Spanish. I also helped with English (grammar, reading, writing, etc.), geography, history, and sometimes math. I was one of the 5 or 6 tutors that came every week for these kids. It took a short time for all of us to connect, but not long after I started did the atmosphere become more about friendship, if you will, than about authority. Once the kids (and by kids, I mean they were 15 or 16, so not much younger than myself at the time) figured out that I wasn't going to chew them up for not doing their homework, or give up on them for not understanding something, the ice began to melt.
It was when this happened that I really started to get to know the students. Not only did I see how truly horrendous their education had been--and I'll get to this a little later--but how many dreams they had and how few opportunities they had been given for achieving them. This after school program was essentially their main opportunity, and most of the kids were only there because they were failing at least one of their classes. What was so great about this program, though, was that it didn't focus just on getting better grades. That was, of course, the main objective, but the program also focused on introducing the kids to new activities, or what I thought of as outlets for creativity and expression. I honestly don't know much about Chicago Public Schools; I'm sure they are all different, so I don't want to make too many assumptions. However, it was safe to assume that the schools these kids belonged to did not offer any programs that would teach kids to tap dance or create videos, much like the youth center I tutored for did. Most of the kids seemed genuinely excited to be apart of this after school program because not only were they getting help for subjects that weren't clicking with them, but they got to learn cool, new things. Speakers would sometimes come and talk to the kids about certain issues--I think usually pertaining to street/gang violence--and the kids would sometimes watch documentaries. In my opinion, this program was truly a blessing because it revolved around informing the kids while letting them have fun. Perhaps more importantly, the kids had a community of friends and people to look up to (not necessarily saying the tutors, but maybe!). The administrators of the program were very supportive and served as strong, authoritative figures for these kids who may not have had that at home.
My point in this blog, though, is that in my experience at this center I met kids who were either in gangs or wanted to be someday. These kids typically did not want to be there, at least not to learn or take the extracurricular classes, but definitely to socialize. Sometimes, I would ask them to elaborate on the appeal of gangs. The answer usually had something to do with not going anywhere through school, how it was a waste of time, and how gangs held promises of prestige, friendship, and a quick path to money. Why exactly did some of these kids see gangs this way? Well, why not? I figured that if they weren't getting support from home or from school, the most "reasonable" option would be to join a gang. Who knows, maybe the kids were getting support from home--I'm pretty sure no mother wants their son to join a gang, and would rather have him stay in school to get out of a neighborhood stricken with violence. Typically, though, neighborhoods like this tend to have people of lower socioeconomic status--with this comes mothers (often single) and fathers working all the time to make ends meet, leaving the kids to their own devices. That's why this youth center exists: to get the kids off the street and doing something towards a better future.
Needless to say, I walked away from this job with mixed feelings. The semester ended so I was no longer needed at the center. In fact, at the time we weren't sure if our positions would be open again for the following semester due to funding issues. I had never expected to get attached to the students here, or to think about them well after my job ended. I learned about their desires to go to college and the dream jobs they wished to obtain through a higher education. It was a truly enlightening experience, and I was glad to meet so many bright kids that really wanted to have different lives from the ones they were born into (structure violence at its finest). However, I met kids whose lives deeply saddened me. Some of them saw no way out, or perhaps were blinded by the appeal of joining a gang, so much so that they couldn't see any other options. I think about these kids as much as I think about the ones who dreamed of college, always wondering if they're okay and not in trouble, or worse. Having this experience made me appreciate the life of privilege I was born into, but also made me realize how much needs to be changed not just in Chicago but all over the United States so more kids can be like me. I'm not saying that my way of life is the way of life, but I am saying that every kid should have the opportunities that I've had; to have access to excellent education, among other things.
To those who have made it to the end of my long, rambling post, thank you. I hope my story has made you think about your own life or any experiences you've had similar to mine. Please send me any comments or questions via this blog, email, or my facebook if you know me. I really believe this is something that we should all be talking about.
-Rachel
"New York police chief Ray Kelly criticises Obama on gun violence"
Hi again all,
Here's an interesting article published today about gun violence. The NYPD chief sees it as problematic that Obama seems less than fired up and ready to go to deal with these issues.
What do you think of the article? Do you find it problematic? Whose responsibility is it to help put an end to gun and gang violence?
This is some food for thought from the article, a quote from Ray Kelly himself: "'We can never accept the shooting of a child as a part of city life. We can never accept the notion that somehow children are going to be a part of the casualty count, whether somebody else is targeted or not.'"-Lucy
Here's an interesting article published today about gun violence. The NYPD chief sees it as problematic that Obama seems less than fired up and ready to go to deal with these issues.
What do you think of the article? Do you find it problematic? Whose responsibility is it to help put an end to gun and gang violence?
This is some food for thought from the article, a quote from Ray Kelly himself: "'We can never accept the shooting of a child as a part of city life. We can never accept the notion that somehow children are going to be a part of the casualty count, whether somebody else is targeted or not.'"-Lucy
Friday, November 23, 2012
The Interrupters
Happy Thanksgiving! A day late... I couldn’t finish this blog post because I was so sleepy - and I didn’t even eat turkey!
Have you seen The Interrupters? You should.
I watched this documentary, after having it on my “must watch” list for months, to get some inspiration for this project. I got a hearty dose. The Interrupters is about a group called Cure Violence, formerly known as Cease Fire - known as Cease Fire during the making of the film, which was mostly in 2010 (so the footage is pretty recent). Employees with Cure Violence seek to end violence among people ages 16-25 through mediation and discussion. It is an anti-violence method that has proven to work in many cases, included many shown in the film. The method is epidemiological, where Cure Violence workers target violence in its early stages, preventing it like a disease. Their official method is “Treating Violence as Infectious Disease” (cureviolence.org). This statement, by founder Gary Slutkin, sums up what Cure Violence is all about:
“Violence, much like the great infectious diseases throughout human history, has been ‘stuck’ without lasting solutions. This isn’t because we don’t care enough, or because we don’t have enough resources devoted to it—but because we have had the wrong diagnosis. This has led to ineffective or even counterproductive treatments. Like infectious diseases, violence can be understood better scientifically, and the result must be a new strategy.”
This is an extremely interesting way of looking at a social issue for anthropology students. Applying this scientific method to this social situation has yielded many accolades. The Global Journal just rated C.V. one of the top 100 non-governmental organizations in the world. The model has been replicated 18 times: in Chicago, across U.S. and throughout the world. None of this really matters though, because the results are what really counts. We are in college - we are being educated. We know youth, gang and gun violence is a problem because we read newspapers, watch television (some of us do) and work all around the city. So we see these violences (an idea we’ve become acquainted with in class) in our city and a solution seems out of reach. Well, how about this: in 2000, the organization’s first year, Cure Violence reduced shootings by 67% in West Garfield Park in Chicago. Check out this effectiveness-report here (I don’t want to blatantly plagarize, so I’ll give you the link): http://cureviolence.org/effectiveness/.
Back to the documentary itself. It’s such a winner. The message is clear: Stop killing people. This method of peace does not use a “kumbayah” approach at all - it is much more concrete and effective. Many of the Cure Violence staff have been mixed up in what they call “bad pasts,” meaning they have been in gangs, served jail time, had family members in gangs, or a mix of all of the above. This gives each of them the perspective of the issues and the leverage to negotiate peace with those who are contemplating violence.
Cure Violence staff face difficulties with law enforcement. I’ll explain these in more detail in another post. Basically the problem is with the legality of this method - law enforcement sees a problem with individual workers talking and mediating conflict among those who have broken the law, because it puts the C.V. staff in the position of knowing about crimes that may have gone under the radar. It’s disappointing, but wholly predictable. Cure Violence is not an organization that maintains the status quo, and it’s no surprise that they clash with the city. The most tense moments of the documentary are when C.V. staff have meetings with the city - not when the staff facilitate and mediate potential conflicts.
(But. BUT! The city just partnered with Cure Violence, giving them a sum of money to hire more staff and complete trainings to implement more interrupters. So the city has acknowledged that their ways work - maybe not instead of the CPD, but definitely as an addition to it.)
However, The Interrupters doesn’t end with all bright and shiny with some montage showcasing the amazing lives those featured in the film have gone on to have. The last shots are hopeful, at best, demonstrating that this fight is long and treacherous - one step forward, two steps back. The ending message is one of perspective - the same perspective the interrupters themselves lend to the situations they mediate: the road to non-violence is long and hard, and there’s no easy answer. The methods of Cure Violence are not fool-proof. And it becomes clear that every system, every structure, needs to examine this non-violent outlook to begin to eradicate structural violence that perpetrates the violence the interrupters work so hard to prevent.
I hope you watch the doc! Here’s a link to the full-length version: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/interrupters/#a.
-Lucy
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Anti-Violence in Schools
See how National Public Radio has documented the way in which schools have worked for anti-violence campaigns for children threatened by hang violence.
Anti-Violence in Schools
Anti-Violence in Schools
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