Two points in Venkatesh that I found interesting:
1) The power vacuum created by deceased king-pins in low-income neighborhoods-- In chapter one Venkatesh details the complications of "Big Cat's" death. Like we saw in the film "The House I Live In", drug dealers are considered by "citizens" to be both a neighborhood protector and nuisance.
Mothers of Maquis Park could rely on Big Cat and his gang to keep younger, rowdier gang members off the street at night and protect their children. On the other hand, the main source of violence in their community stemmed from his gang's actions.
Similarly, in "The House I Live In" these dealers are seen as both antiheroes and protectors of the community. They help the less fortunate by providing assistance in the simplest of things, such as buying ice cream and nicer tennis shoes for children. These gang members also have a heavy hand in propagating violence (excessive force to demand respect) and "street" status symbols such as women (misogyny).
Unfortunately, "Big Cat's" death did not liberate the people of Marquis Park. In fact, Venkatesh implies that the negative consequences far outweighed the positives. I found this particularly interesting. Why would incarcerating king-pins for their crimes prove to be any more effective to these low-income communities? Their connections to the community run so deeply that it has become impossible to weed them out without perilous consequence. I am not suggesting that high-profile crimes do not need to be accounted for and stopped, but rather, aid needs to be dealt directly to the community, and not through the simple removal of their local drug lord.
2) Low-income community members unable to escape their situation due to lack of connections (Interpersonal Ties)-- I believe we talked about this last class. Due to a lack of networking and trust, people living in neighborhoods such as Maquis Park cannot find a lucrative niche in the work force. Venkatesh has a lot to say about jobs in low-income neighborhoods in chapters one and two (liberation found in prostitution, leasing apartments, etc.)
I agree with Meredith that the examination of big time players, such as drug king-pins and gang leaders, and the recognition that they play a vital role in the functioning of the community makes the criminal justice system and really the difference between right and wrong much more complex. In The Wire, we see Omar helping out people in his community by giving them money for rent or whatever they come to him asking for. He is portrayed as a Robin Hood figure and claims he would never kill an innocent citizen who is not in "the game", yet he makes his money by robbing people for their money. He is robbing drug dealers though, so does this make it wrong for him to take money away from drug dealers? Even some of the drug dealers are probably just selling drugs so that they can provide for their families. Which is the worse of the "evils" that our criminal justice system has created? Yes both Omar and the drug dealers are doing things against the law, but would they be participating in these activities if better opportunities were presented for them to make money and help the community? I think the more we examine street life, and especially the underground economy, the more complicated and grey so many areas become.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, Meredith's comment is pretty much exactly what I came into the blog prepared to post. These few things, the power vacuum, community involvement of gangs, and low-income job/"illegitimate" market and underground job economy were the big ideas of the reading for me.
ReplyDeleteI am particularly intrigued by the positive community involvement of gangs and their leaders. It's not too often that I consider the ways gangs are actually helping their communities. How do we weigh the positives and negatives? This becomes a harder question when human lives are affected in very serious ways. Even the church, a place that is extremely positively received and a crucial aspect of community, benefited from "Big Cat's" money and donations. The place has to stay afloat somehow, so it's hard to blame them for not refusing the money- no matter where it came from.
Participating in the underground economy also certainly seemed to be a normative part of life for many people in this Chicago neighborhood. I would be interested to hear from police officers about their opinions on these underground economic exchanges. It seems as though the United States as a system blocks many lower class African Americans from any sort of participation in the economy, aside from maybe fast food jobs/purchases. Understandably then, this underground economy develops and is sustained and prolonged by the people. They are protecting themselves, taking care of "their own", supporting locally.
I wanted to share an episode of "This American Life" with you. I really enjoyed it. This class has awakened me in so many ways and I find myself thinking about it a number of times everyday. This episode's themes include gang life and gun violence in Chicago. I hope you get the chance to listen to it if you want to. It is actually 2 parts. The link below brings you to part one, but at that site there is another link for part 2.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/487/harper-high-school-part-one