Dwight Conquergood: A Critical Analysis

How well Wes Moore describes the culture of the streets, and particularly disenfranchised adolescents that resort to violence, is extraordinary considering the unbiased perspective Moore gives. Amid Moore’s book one primary theme is street culture. Particularly Moore describes the street culture in two cities, which are Baltimore and the Bronx. In Baltimore city the climate and atmosphere, of high dropout rates, high unemployment and poor public infrastructure creates a perfect trifecta for gang violence to occur. Due to what was stated above, lower income adolescent residents in Baltimore are forced to resort to crime and drugs as a scapegoat of their missed opportunities.

Constantly facing the darkness of looming greed and lust, humanity seems to be doomed to trudge in the mires of sin forever. However, while fear and chaos—especially a lack of guidance—can cause cruelty to flourish, it is also where kindness makes its greatest display. In “Why Boys Become Vicious”, William Golding argues that mayhem and terror brings out the evil nature of humans. Without proper order and parental guidance, humans are lead astray and band together only to create more chaos and cruelty. Even so, humans can come together to show kindness and love. Even seemingly barbaric gangs search for order in society and provide security and comfort for the impoverished. People are naturally inclined to help others and act socially, especially

How well does Moore describe the culture of the streets, where young boys grow up believing that violence transforms them into men? Talk about the street culture—its violence, drug dealing, disdain for education. What creates that ethos and why do so many young men find it attractive?

In the world we live in today, people who have been sucked into the world of gangs and violence have become pariahs in society. The moving biography of Gregory Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart, captures the extent of gang violence though memoirs of numerous ex-gang and gang members. Boyle’s mission is to help these people with his endless compassion, fostering a sense of kinship, and helping them find self-love, ultimately forming a community unlike any other.

As the saying goes, “Everyone is different,” from the way we think, to the way we act. Between the semi-rough pages of the book In The Heat of The Night by John Ball lies the process of punishing a criminal. The criminal who killed Wells’ very own Maestro Enrico Mantoli who was supposed to lead the city to fame, popularity, and money. However, nothing is harder in capturing the culprit than investigating the case. In a city suffering from a huge wave of racial issues, two opposing teams working on one case is not a very good idea. Especially when one party is an outsider, Virgil Tibbs, versing the city’s police force.

Pacoima is a city with five or six active gangs. Here, the low-income neighborhood carries a sense of fear and despair that permeate the air. In the summer of 2016, after having mustered the right confidence, I took on a summer job at Hubert H. Humphrey Recreation Center - home to one of the city’s most deadliest gang, the Humphrey Boys. Ironically, that summer would be the park community’s turning point, hosting the safest, most loving, and consistent 2016 Summer Night Lights (SNL).

In his article, “Black Men and Public Space,” Brent Staples writes about his encounters with people during his nighttime walks in and around the city streets of Chicago and New York. He argues that, as a result of crimes committed by criminals of African American descent, people tend to quickly avoid him because they assume that he will likely mug them because of the color of his skin. Nevertheless, on the subject as to whether this article is an appropriate and good example of the reaction of others, it is quite obvious that this is a good example of the reaction of others, given how Brent Staples spent much of his time working in the city as a journalist, and that crime rates are high in inner city areas.

Victor Rios begins chapter six by describing the way the Latino boys he studied used masculinity as a rehabilitative tool. He describes how the boys are constantly “questioning” each other’s manhood as a way of proving their own masculinity. “The boys’ social relations with one another and with community members were saturated with expressions and discourses of manhood” (pg.125). Rios continues to describe the affects criminalization and its gendered practices has influenced these young boy’s mentality of what it means to be masculine.

Victor Rios, author of Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Youths grew up in Oakland, California. During his childhood there he had an experience that made him return to Oakland to question and study the current issues that the youth’s their face. At the age of 14 he had joined a gang, he did this mostly for protection from other gangs and threats in the area, and during his time in the gang he met another kid named “smiley,” nicknamed because of his knack to smile during every situation, good or bad. Rios would become good friends with him, and even steal a car for him to use as a home at one point when he was kicked out of his own home. Although this would eventually lead to one of his first encounters with bad police officers, as he was severely beaten for what he had done. This combined with the eventual death of “smiley” made Rios feel the need to turn his life around,

In Chicago, and all over the nation, the effects of gang activity have been displayed, specifically in low income and poverty torn communities. Poverty is measured depending on a family’s annual income and determining if the amount falls below the poverty threshold for the family’s size. If the annual income does fall below the threshold, then the family and every individual in it is considered to be in poverty. Gang activity is more visible in the areas specifically in major cities similar to Chicago where poverty is a commonality in communities. although gangs might add structure in order where the government fails to do so in the projects and and similar low income communities the negative effects such as the distribution of drugs, violence,

In the book " Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City" written by Dr. Elijah Anderson, The William K. Lanman Jr. Professor of Sociology at Yale, brings to light the different issues that are regular in the city today. The street codes have a huge influence on the activities and conduct of numerous young people in the inner city or "hood". In the streets, it is stressing, as it is credited to ills like expanded rate of crime, anxiety, drug trafficking and all manifestations of brutality with extreme aftereffect of death. The urban life inside the ghettos majorly pitched into the street codes. Plainly, he brings out the issue of respect.

In this poem, the author Walter Dean Myers reminisces about the city he considers home and elaborates on the features of African American Culture that made it so wonderful. As the author describes the art, music, and sheer personality that existed in this city teeming with ambition, he uses powerful imagery to portray the “Yellow, tan, brown, black, red/ Green, gray, bright/ Colors loud enough to be heard/ Light on asphalt streets/ Sun yellow shirts on burnt umber/ Bodies/ Demanding to be heard/ Seen.”

Gang violence is a growing problem in this world. No parent would like to imagine their kids dealing with weapons or being threatened by them. These violence’s affects each child individually and their families as well. These gangs recruit multiple different individuals for many reasons such as bribery, family traditions, or even threatening. Although, many kids feel like they have to be a part of it but there are many resources out in this world to prevent them from believing so.

Gang activities have been increasing over the years from crimes ranging from robberies to homicides. In California, estimates were made by the Justice Department that approximately 175000 to 200000 persons were members of gangs. In the county of Los Angeles gang activities for over a period of five years accounted for over 23000 of the crimes that occurred.(Friedrichs. M. 1999). Gangs have become not only a problem for those communities where the gang's ar located but has become a problem for everyone. These gangs have also incurred a significant impact upon the

Gangs has their own culture and characteristics that includes their dress codes, identifying symbols, language, graffiti, drugs use &trafficking, use of other narcotics, and involvement in other illegal activities. However the nature and characteristics of gangs differ from community to community. Gangs however are found to be more prevalent in high crime areas and are also responsible for the majority of crimes committed.