Gang Leader For A Day By Sudhir Vankatesh

Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Vankatesh portrays the vicious gang lifestyle in one of our countries many urban cities. In Vankatesh ' book, he tells the story of a community who live a lifestyle way different from what most of us, living in the suburbs, Vankatesh especially, are familiar with. Some of the major themes in the book include the relationship between the Black Kings and the community, the variance of power between men and women In the community and whether or not their lifestyles portray a culture of poverty.

When you think of home, most of the time thoughts of love, warmth and family come to mind. Although a drab exterior , it is no difference for the thousands of people who reside in the Robert Taylor Homes on the Southside

The communities fear of J.T. And the gang is apparent in various instances which helps keep the level of hierarchy and order in the buildings. Essentially, everyone who lives there has to pay in and check in with the men. "as long as they pay us and do what we say."(p. 50) referring to the squatters in the building. J.T. And his crew settled disputes as the self proclaimed authoritative figures. Anything on a scale from a money issue with the squatters to drunken domestic disputes, J.T. Needed to know everything that was going on in the buildings and seemed offended when he was out of the loop. For example, when J.T. leaves for a business meeting and Ms. Bailey introduces Sudhir to Autry, the director of the recreation center, he was startled at the fact that Sudhir would go and meet new people without his "approval." J.T. Roughs up a man for the slightest bit of disrespect in front of a crowd, in order to maintain the level of

Twelve thousand cops in Chicago today. The average age of these members are high school age, sixteen to nineteen years old. In the book, the Black Kings were mostly made up of "foot soldiers " this same age who gradually moved up the ranks in the gang. Although these young men sold drugs in the community and didn 't contribute to the growing epidemic and war on drugs, the community didn 't oppose of them one hundred percent. Besides protecting the community from gang rivals, the Kings also ran patrol of the buildings. Instead of calling the police or ambulance who would take hours to show because of fear of the community , the residents would just call out for the members of the gang. For example, a drunken domestic dispute with left the woman near unconscious called for a beating of the man. A gang member himself, was beat down , because the disrespect of women was not tolerated. If someone needed to be taken to the hospital, a gang members car was designated. A portion of the monies the gang collected went back into the community by way of free clothes, community parties, school supplies for the kids, funds for the recreation center. Even though this was drug money circulating, the community appreciated the fact that J.T. Cared about their well being. In my opinion, J.T. truly cared about the next generation, mandating a high school education, and letting them know that education was more