1. Drug trafficking was seen as the problem on Alma Street because it was visual and people came in contact with it on an everyday basis. This type of problem would be in quadrant 2 of the Typology of Problems table (Brueggemann, 2014, pp. 81-82). The community sees that drug trafficking is a problem but that are unaware of an effective solution to get rid of this problem. The community also sees drug trafficking as a main social issue instead of an effect of the social problem of poverty (p. 86). It was also found that the demand for drugs was from “people from the suburbs and cities forty miles away” more than those in surrounding neighborhoods (Chavis, 1998, p. 104). The defense mechanisms used by the residence of Alma Street was blaming (Brueggemann, 2014, pp. 103-104). They blamed the drug dealers for the problem or drug trafficking and the apartment owners …show more content…
While Melody was finding her spirituality through Buddhism, the community gained their spirituality through the neighborhood church. The communities’ use of spirituality was seen when they created memorials in honor of those that were murdered, when Reverend prayed for her killed son, and when Abbot Mel Weitsman had everyone be silent for a moment when wanting to show compassion to both the murdered and the murderers (Chavis, 1998, pp. 153-156). The transpersonal theory would be used for the spirituality of Alma and Melody (Schriver, 1998, pp. 141-142). Maslow suggests that spirituality gives individuals self-actualization, which is the highest form of human development (p.142). Based on Peck’s theory of psychological theory, Melody was in the going through mental flexibility versus mental rigidity (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2013, pp. 470-471). She has completed her formal education and training for work and has arrived at a set of beliefs on religion and politics. She also uses her prior experiences and answers to guide to the solution to new
It is not their drug- problem that causes the dislocation, but the dislocation that causes the drug problem. He uses the term dislocation to describe the lack of integration with “family, community, society and spiritual values” (226). Alexander goes on to explain that history proves that inability to achieve healthy opportunities can take on the form of violence and damaging drug use. The problem is more the “pattern of response to prolonged dislocation” (226). Therefore, the “drug problem” (226) is not the problem. Alexander supports this by explaining that the reason for the dislocation is driven by globalize society, which can only be established by the displacement of tradition, economy, and relationships. This has been seen in historically in England during the 19TH century, when “a brutal, export-oriented manufacturing system” was accompanied by workhouses and shanty
According to Goldstein’s Tripartite model there are three major contributions to framing the drug-violence relation. The Mexican Drug Cartel they use the systemic model, it is within the context of supply and distribution that violence occurs in the drug trade. Violence is used to ensure protection and sharing of territories, sales, and stock. It is seen as an organizational management strategy. Violence is used by dealers and drug traffickers in retrieving debts owed to them.
The article begins with Kaplan’s trek northward from Mexico City and describes many of the sights he sees along the way. He describes dirt roads lined with trash, and cinder-block houses with corrugated roofs. Then he goes into great detail about the economic divisions between social classes and the booming America-bound drug industry that causes the division.
The Cocaine Kids and Dorm Room Dealers are two very different, but yet similar books. Cocaine Kids are about a group of kids, primarily of Hispanic race, with one kid of the Black race. The kids were raised in the inner city of New York. Dorm Room Dealers are about White, middle to upper-middle class college students, who was selling drugs for their status. The purpose of this paper is to prove that there are racial disparities among drug users. There will be examples from the texts that show the different takes on the drug markets and how race plays a factor. There also will be how these experiences shape the kids drug dealing and using. The paper will conclude how all the kids either remained in the drug career or left the drug career.
The first major concern is the high incidence of crime. Much of the crime is related to the illegal drug trade. The off-the-books culture comes into play, too. And the deep divisions between rich and poor means t...
“Just Say No!” A statement that takes us deep into yet another decade in the history of the United States which was excited by controversies, social issues, and drug abuse. The topic of this statement is fueled by the growing abuse of cocaine in the mid 1980s. I shall discuss the effects of the crack cocaine epidemic of the mid 1980s from a cultural and social stand point because on that decade this country moved to the rhythms and the pace of this uncanny drug. Cocaine took its told on American society by in the 1980s; it ravaged with every social group, race, class, etc. It reigned over the United States without any prejudices. Crack cocaine was the way into urban society, because of its affordability in contrast to the powdered form. In society the minorities were the ones most affected by the growing excess of crime and drug abuse, especially African Americans; so the question was “Why was nearly everybody convicted in California federal court of crack cocaine trafficking black?” (Webb: Day 3). The growing hysteria brought forth many questions which might seem to have concrete answers, but the fact of the matter is they are all but conspiracy in the end, even though it does not take away the ambiguity and doubt. I will take on only a few topics from the vast array of events and effects this period in time had tended to. Where and who this epidemic seemed to affect more notably, and perhaps how the drugs came about such territories and people. What actions this countries authority took to restore moral sanity, and how it affected people gender wise.
The documentary Narco Cultura by Shaul Schwarz in 2013 and the article Corruption, Drug Cartels and The Mexican Police by Margaret Haerens display the cycle of drugs and violence in both similar and different ways. These two sources use pathos and actual examples of crimes to be effective. Although, the article doesn’t have as much details as the documentary because it incorporates actual interviews and visuals that set it apart from the article. The documentary Narco Cultura reaches the audience more effectively because it has a
Before spelling out who or what is to blame for the crimes of Primo and Caesar in Philippe Bourgois’ In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio, it is important to acknowledge that explanation is not exoneration. Primo and Caesar engage in violence and break the law. At the most immediate level, Primo and Caesar are responsible for their actions. But if we are only to see Primo and Caesar as solely responsible for their crimes, we are left with a limited range of options in terms of social policy for dealing with the types of crimes committed by men like Primo and Caesar in inner-city neighborhoods. If by “blaming” we are looking for a set of causes of Primo and Caesar’s crimes, then we can come to see a multitude of causes inner-city problems, and shape public policies accordingly. Bourgois’ ethnography tries to look at both agency and structure, both free will and social constraints, and he does so by looking at the crimes and violence of men like Primo and Caesar in the macro context of political economy, or structurally, all the way down to individual choices, or how these men exercise their agency within the constraints they confront. What is fascinating about this portrayal of violence is how it incorporates culture for understanding the practices of selling crack in the social world of el barrio. Bourgois does not want to play “blame the victim,” does not want to present his readers with a “pornography of violence,” but also does not want to reduce the crimes of these men economic explanations. Relying on culture, then, helps him to avoid these possible problems when studying street culture.
For my final paper I choose to sociologically analyze the book Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets by Sudhir Venkatesh. Newsweek describes Gang Leader for a Day as being “Compelling…dramatic…Venkatesh gives readers a window into a way of life that few Americans understand.” (Newsweek) Gang Leader for a Day tells the story of a young sociologist named Sudir Venkatesh and his search for answers to poverty problems in the urban projects. After being constantly warned of which areas not to visit, Venkatesh decided to ignore all the forewarnings and goes and walks into Lake Park Projects, to conduct surveys for his professor. On his trip into the projects Venkatesh ends up meeting a gang leader named J.T. After spending the night in the projects Venkatesh is allowed to leave after J.T. states “You shouldn’t go around asking them silly-a** questions —- With people like us, you should hang out, get to know what they do, how they do it. No one is going to answer questions like that .You need to understand how young people live on the streets.” (2008 : 21) From that day on Venkatesh would come to end up befriending J.T and spending almost all of his time in the projects. It isn’t until J.T gets relocated to the notorious Robert Taylor Housing that the real study begins. Over the next seven years Venkatesh would not only gather information from J.T but, also befriend everyone from the other neighborhood dealers, crackheads, squatters, prostitutes, pimps, activists, cops, organizers, and officials. Through his time spent with the residents and officials of the Robert Taylor Homes Venkatesh not only was able to gain insight on the day to day life of...
Due to the serious consequences of the drug problem and its related crimes in the United States, law enforcement identified six goals to handle cases of such nature. The first goal is to reduce the gang violence associated with drug trafficking and prevent the emergence of powerful organized criminal groups. Organized group are the main distribution of drugs in the community. They sell drugs for many reasons. It’s fast money, help fund other criminal activities and difficult for law enforcement to build a case against them for it. The drugs problem brings other crimes into the community. With drugs comes violence, drug wars and death. It is the main cause of the degradation of the community. Therefore, confronting the root of the problem by
One of the biggest causes of drug trafficking is very futile economies where people are searching for ways to make money. Places with weaker economies, such as Mexico and Colombia, usually have a lot higher drug trafficking rates than places with strong economies. As I said before, it is believed that Mexico’s economy would shrink by over sixty-three percent if it wasn’t for drug trafficking. That in itself is enough to show how dependent some places are on drug trafficking. These areas don’t have the job opportunities that many places throughout the world have either because they don’t have good economies. This is beca...
Concerned authorities have focused essentially on criminalization and punishment, to find remedies to the ever-increasing prevalent drug problem. In the name of drug reducing policies, authorities endorse more corrective and expensive drug control methods and officials approve stricter new drug war policies, violating numerous human rights. Regardless of or perhaps because of these efforts, UN agencies estimate the annual revenue generated by the illegal drug industry at $US400 billion, or the equivalent of roughly eight per cent of total international trade (Riley 1998). This trade has increased organized/unorganized crime, corrupted authorities and police officials, raised violence, disrupted economic markets, increased risk of diseases an...
The reason with the old ways do not work, Alexander say, is because “self-destructive drug users are responding in a tragic, but understandable way” (226). It is not their drug- problem that caused the dislocation, but the dislocation that cause the drug problem. He uses the term dislocation to describe the lack of integration with “family, community, society and spiritual values” (226). Alexander goes on to explain that history proves that inability to achieve health opportunities can take on the form of violence, and damaging drug use. Therefore, the “drug problem” (226) is not the problem. The problem is more the “pattern of response to prolong dislocation” (226). Alexander supports this by explaining the reason for the dislocation as being globalized by a society that is market driven which can only be established by the displacement of tradition, economy, and relationships. This has been seen in history before in England during the 19TH century, when “a brutal, export-oriented manufacturing system” was accompanied by work...
...haviors he so wishes to comprehend are those whom he labels as The Cocaine Kids. Now that examples of these drug sellers’ behaviors have been provided, the criminological theories that can explain such behaviors have been made visible to the unseen eye. Criminological theories including the theory of Differential Association, the Subculture of Violence Theory, and the Social Learning Theory can be viewed as methods for developing a knowledgeable understanding of how and why such behaviors introduced individuals to the drug-selling world, kept them submerge deep within it, and allowed for them to leave it.
Illegal drug use is one of the most common problems that affect Americans every day. Joyce B. Shannon (2010) found that, “More than 35 million individuals used illicit drugs or abused prescription drugs in 2007” (p. 11). The impact can be seen in communities of all types, and people with low and high income levels. Drug use is at the root of many problems with our society. Joyce B. Shannon (2010) referenced a survey from 2004 that states, “32% of state prisoners and 26% of federal prisoners” admitted that they were currently serving jail time for offences committed while they were, “under the influence of drugs” (p. 102). The reasoning behind this issue will be explained from a psychological, sociological, and an anthropological perspective including the benefit of an interdisciplinary perspective to grasp the cause of drug use and it’s affect on society.