NCJ Number
137842
Date Published
1987
Length
80 pages
Annotation
Written by a poet and social practitioner, this booklet traces the evolution of black street gangs in Chicago from 1900 to the present and identifies factors contributing to gang violence.
Abstract
The black youth gang is considered to be an urban oppressed phenomenon. Many gang members who started out defending the black community have turned into its greatest predators and destroyers. A contributing factor is the level of violence on television and in videos, movies, and magazines. The symbolic rites of passage and initiation of black gangs are almost unknown to adults. Every black youth, however, regardless of social class standing in the urban black community, is as acquainted with gang territorial markings and signs as he or she is with the names of streets in the neighborhood. Survival depends on knowing and respecting these markings and territorial requirements. In tracing the evolution of black street gangs in Chicago, the author looks at definitions and theories and their application to black street gangs, reasons why gangs have appeal, and myths and realities about black street gangs. He suggests that the black community research and construct a new functional value system for blacks that will provide positive belonging, identity, role models, security, discipline, support, parenting, self-esteem, love, and communally shared experiences. An appendix contains a list of events in the evolution of Chicago's black street gangs, a glossary of street and gang terms, and a list of major Chicago street gangs. 11 references and 10 footnotes