Gang Leader for a Day

Sudhir Venkatesh's Gang Leader for a Day was an excellent read; I enjoyed following Sudhir through his six-year study and the development of his relationships with the Robert Taylor residents and the Black Kings gang members. Through the whole book, he seems impossibly naive. How could he not understand the gravity of his actions, like when he discussed the hustlers' incomes with JT and Ms. Bailey? I understand how he got involved--it was almost chance. All he wanted to do was ask a few questions and get out, and he ended up an observer for six years because JT saw that he meant no harm.

As many people have said in class, his naivete seems ridiculous, almost comical, and I'm sure that at least part of it was exaggerated. At first, it was understandable because he had been raised in a middle-class, white neighborhood in California, and gang life in Chicago is obviously vastly different. Even after a few months, one would expect him to learn to shut up for the most part while around gang members and residents. Sure, questions need to be asked, but blabbering to and about everyone in the projects and dropping n-words in conversation is a bad choice (common sense). In all honesty, this is the aspect of the book I found most surprising.

What I did not find surprising was the structure and community involvement of the gang. It's like any enterprise, requiring leadership, organization, and scheduling; why is anyone surprised? In addition, they are the largest and most powerful group in the community, so it's no surprise the gang acts as police, government, and economy in the area. I was also expecting what Sudhir found so unfathomable: the police and ambulances don't go to the projects unless absolutely necessary. Though I have no personal experience with gangs or the projects, I would not expect EMTs to take the apparent risk of entering a gang-controlled area to help residents, especially at the apparent frequency of beat-downs. I appreciate that Sudhir's first response is to contact authorities for help, but certainly he couldn't have expected a prompt response.

The community in the projects was fascinating to me. These people exist almost entirely on their own, working together to survive, and yet, Sudhir thought that they would be very different from any other community. Yes, there are stark differences, like living conditions and enforcers, but the similarities between the community in the projects and any other community are also striking. There are greedy landlords and corrupt politicians (like Ms. Bailey), strong family values, and strong (albeit unwritten) rules of behavior. There is hardly anarchy in this society, and in some ways, it's almost better than other societies. Men still take care of their mothers and provide for their children and offer protection to the vulnerable. The powerful are well-paid because they have demonstrated skill and intelligence, just like in the "legitimate" society, and people must work their way up the ladder. The largest difference I see is reliance on the community, which is a little sad. In our society, we are generally significantly separated from others, only offering or asking for help when the situation is dire. This group, on the other hand, took care of itself.