NCJ Number
187011
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 24 Issue: 1 Dated: Sring 2000 Pages: 61-90
Editor(s)
Mahesh K. Nalla
Date Published
2000
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This article provides estimates of the prevalence and characteristics of extortion of Chinese businesses in United States cities. It addresses many of the limitations of previous research through a victimization survey of Chinese business persons in New York City.
Abstract
Although many Chinese residents acknowledge victimization and extortion of businesses by Asian youth gangs, there is little evidence with which to estimate the seriousness and prevalence of the problem, the number or types of businesses affected, the extent of monetary loss, or the prevalence of violence that business owners may endure. The study interviewed 603 owners of Chinese businesses in 3 Chinatown neighborhoods in New York City. Over 70 percent of the businesses in New York Chinatown neighborhoods were approached by Chinese gang members for some type of extortion, usually demands for money. Over half (55 percent) have made payments. Although gang members frequently harass or threaten business owners, actual victimization occurs fewer than four times each year. Payments vary by type of extortion and type of business. There is little evidence of vulnerability to victimization based on characteristics of owners or their businesses. Despite threats of violence, actual violent victimization is rare, with verbal threats being the most common form of coercion. Business owners resisted extortion attempts in unique ways, and in some cases negotiated with gang members the payments to be made. The study explains that extortion is deeply ingrained in the social and economic dynamics of Chinese business and is regulated informally by cultural norms. There is a continuous interaction between victims and offenders to negotiate the extent of the victim's loss. The customary responses by business owners are to adapt and accommodate to extortion demands. There is little incentive or willingness to invoke formal legal or social controls. From a broader perspective, in order to examine the seriousness of extortion, there is a need to understand how gang victimization may have eroded the informal controls and social capital of a community and created in its place an environment in which an organization or individual's ability to "take care" of gangs can become a "passage" to power and money. The estimates in this study are limited due to owners in certain businesses not being sampled and some respondents may have denied or minimized the severity of their victimization. The results should be viewed as conservative estimates of the prevalence and seriousness of gang victimization. To gain a full measure of the extent of exploitation, research should include businesses that operate in the informal economy, as well as the illicit business activity. Notes, references, and appendix