arted 5109:
gang leader for a day
i spent the last couple days reading sudhir venkatesh’s gang leader for a day. this book documents the author’s incidental clash with the chicago black kings, an involvement that quickly became a 6 year relationship for informal education and dissertation research. because venkatesh was not actually part of the gang, the information he was able to gather and report on was limited, however his work does provide valuable insight into gang management and discipline, a gang’s role inside the community, and how people live in the robert taylor projects.
one of the more memorable parts of the book for me was venkatesh’s time with ms. bailey, the dual tenant manager and building president. on what is believed to be their first prolonged interaction, ms. bailey takes time to educate venkatesh about the projects, how society has failed these citizens, and how society’s most privileged citizens continue to blame the poor for their problems while not providing effective solutions. my favorite moment occurs in a subsequent meeting, when venkatesh is trying to talk about education and how obtaining an education can help individuals “escape poverty.” ms. bailey interrupts by posing a situation to venkatesh about needs, in true maslow style: food versus education.
“if your family is starving and I tell you that I’ll give you a chance to make some money, what are you going to do?”
“make the money, I have to help my family.”
“but what about school?” she said.
“I guess it will have to wait.”
“until what?”
“until my family gets enough to eat.”
“but you should stay in school, right?” she said, sarcasm rising in her voice. “that’s what will help you leave poverty.”
poverty is an incredibly complicated issue. it is not something easily conquered, and how someone gets trapped in poverty is rarely discussed. in fact, in this book, we don’t really hear the citizens of robert taylor talk about how they got to where they are. and yet, when society has failed them and brought challenge after challenge, the people of robert taylor have created incredible systems, including the gangs themselves, to maintain a livelihood. the profits from drug money gets reinvested into the community, almost creating dependence on the drug dealers. and yet the younger drug slingers hardly make any money at all; do they take pride in the work that will “trickle down” to benefit the community at large? tenants have to barter for certain privileges or goods, and when they make bad choices and fall outside of community standards, they are kicked out. tenants rely heavily on each other for all kinds of support: food, childcare, and housing, to name a few. such systems seem almost outdated, especially when our country pushes modes of independence. there is very strong emphasis on the individual in america, and very little emphasis on community… except in these subcultures perpetuated by the state. because they can’t expect assistance, let alone protection, from the government, they can only rely on each other.
this compares well to the snippet of tuen voeten’s tunnel people, a documentation of homeless citizens who have taken up residence in vacant train tunnels underneath new york. again, these are people from all walks of life who have been deprived opportunities to live like other american citizens, so they invent their own systems. no housing available to them? not wanted on the street, because they are a reminder of america’s failures and inequality? they take to unused spaces. they find new ways of earning an income. some of them are lucky enough to escape homelessness and find legitimate shelter in apartments, just like a few members of robert taylor escaped life in the projects.
but what do these communities — the projects and the homeless — have to teach us about life in the united states? because in both situations, the government can decide at any moment when they are tired of these eyesore communities. for people in the projects, the government can decide to tear down their homes, establish relocation programs, and sweep the ugly bits under the rug. for the homeless, the government can again try to establish relocation programs and keep them off the streets. in both situations, these are only temporary, and superficial, solutions. how do we fix problems of poverty, institutional racism, and classism in this country? or can we?
questions:
-how do people become poor? (personal choices, systemic problems, etc)
-what are ways people can “escape poverty”? do these means actually exist?
-what is the government doing? what is the government not doing? should the government do anything?
-how can education play a role in helping individuals, including the government systems that perpetuate these systems?
-how does institutional racism, classism, and stereotyping play a role in societal oppression?
-what opportunities exist for people in situations of homelessness or poverty in order to improve their standards of living? what opportunities do not exist, but should?
