Analysis Of The 6th Street Boys

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The 6th Street Boys were the gang that Goffman spent six years in Philadelphia with, and who she wrote her book about. While Goffman mainly focuses on a handful of the 6th Street Boys, one could assume that the gang consisted of almost every young male who lived on, or near the block. Everyone who she encountered during her time living in this neighborhood was an African- American, and this includes the young men who were in the gang. This being said, however, the gang lets Goffman become a “member” and even give her a nickname. This leads us to believe that the 6th Street Boys allowed women who lived on the block, and their girlfriends who may not have lived on the block to join the gang as well, but not as on official 6th Street Boys member, …show more content…

The age range is mid-twenties and up. The members of the gang that we saw were all white men. Women were referred to as “old ladies”, and this could mean either a wife, mother, girlfriend, etc., but they were not full members of gang. Before one could become a member of the gang, they had to go through a one year probationary period. The symbols they used were a reaper, crossing an AR-15 rifle and a scythe in its hands. The gangs was involved in many violent acts, such as murders, robberies, and gun running. The Sons had an alliance with the 1-9ers, and their main rival was another motorcycle gang known as the Mayans, and the white supremacist group, also located in Charming. This gang has more than five members, ample amounts of organization and permanence, members identify as a member of the Sons, involved in criminal acts, and they have a subculture and use …show more content…

The neighborhood of Philadelphia in which the 6th Street Boys reside is not the poorest neighborhood in the city, however, it can still be classified as poor section. The young men being examined have never really had a positive male role model in their lives, and were exposed to crime at a very young age. Institutional bodies are also at play here. The gang did commit crimes, however, the police that patrolled the neighborhood were portrayed as bad guys, who just wanted to make these young men’s lives a living hell, by harassing them, their loved ones, and neighbors. The other institutional body at play was the high school that the gang members went to. A simple schoolyard tussle was blown out of proportion, thus leading the men to not trust authority figures. Drug use also seemed to run rampant throughout the neighborhood. This led to one of two things, either becoming a junkie, or becoming a dealer. While some people emerge from these backgrounds as successful adults, many do not, and Goffman made sure to ram that point home. The in depth description of Miss Linda’s (a drug user and abuser) home almost made me sick. According to Goffman, it was a mess, smelt like animal urine, and had cockroaches roaming all around it. This leads us to assume that this was the state of many of the homes in the

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