NCJ Number
184709
Date Published
2000
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the centrality of racial conflict and violence in the attitudes and behavior of the Avenue T Boys, an Italian-American gang in southern Brooklyn.
Abstract
The conflict and violence that are part of gang life are outgrowths of the members' negative attitudes toward blacks and other people of color. These attitudes help to promote social cohesion within their peer group, since the expression of these attitudes provides positive proof that they are loyal to the neighborhood. Youths who express negative attitudes toward blacks and other people of color gain status and respect within the peer group. Many of the gang members are viewed by adult members of their community as "hoodlums" or "outcasts"; many are also alienated from their families. For many gang members, the only place where they receive positive reinforcement is on the street, hanging out with other neighborhood teens in their peer group. As a result, they are constantly trying to intensify their worth and respect in the eyes of their peers. In the context of street life, this effort to prove oneself to peers involves engaging in behavior that shows conformity to and passion for the ideology of their peer group, including backing up ideas with force and harassment, sometimes leading to murder. Case histories are provided to show how racial conflict is central among gang members. 2 notes and 3 references