![daynotes gang daynotes gang](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/01/12/article-2261162-16E2ED55000005DC-495_1024x615_large.jpg)
You said you think it's easy, so you do it, and you'll see what I mean." But I can't promise that you won't have to do something you may not like." There's no war on right now, no fighting. I mean, I don't think I could handle a war and I've never shot a gun, so it depends what you mean when you say 'try it.'" kept only a few officers on his payroll: a treasurer, a couple of "enforcers," a security coordinator, and then a set of lesser-paid "directors" who managed the six-person teams that did the actual street-level selling of crack.īut for the most part, it seemed that J.T.'s gang members spent their time hanging around on street corners, selling drugs, shooting dice, playing sports, and talking about women. The B.K.'s, like most other street gangs, had a small leadership class. And it wasn't as though these kids were getting rich for their trouble. had to coordinate his troops and motivate 15-year-old kids to stand out in the open and sell drugs despite the heightened risk of being shot, beat up, or arrested. When his gang was warring with another gang, for instance, J.T. It was true that sometimes his job looked hard. A drug economy, he told me, was "useful for the community," since it redistributed the drug addicts' money back into the community via the gang's philanthropy. could even put a positive spin on the fact that he made money by selling drugs. He willingly loaned out his gang members to Robert Taylor tenant leaders, who deployed them on such tasks as escorting the elderly on errands or beating up a domestic abuser. He gave money to some local youth centers for sports equipment and computers. He spoke proudly of quitting his mainstream sales job in downtown Chicago to return to the projects and use his drug profits "to help others." How did he help? He mandated that all his gang members get a high-school diploma and stay off drugs. He fancied himself a philanthropist as much as a leader. of some widget manufacturer – an attitude that I found not only jarring but, given the violence and destruction his enterprise caused, irresponsible. Sometimes he spoke of his job with the same dispassion as if he were the C.E.O. He often expressed how hard it was to manage the gang, to keep the drug economy running smoothly, and to deal with the law-abiding tenants who saw him as an adversary. seemed to appreciate having the ear of an outsider who would listen for hours to his tales of bravado and managerial prowess. was a charismatic man who led a fascinating life that I wanted to keep learning about. But beyond all that lay one simple fact: J.T. He was the one who had brought me in, and he was the one who could open – or shut – any door. wasn't my only access to the community, but he was certainly my best access. that my project was moving away from a focus on his leadership. became when he saw me branching out into the community. They were insistent that I avoid getting so close to any one source that I would be beholden to him.Įasier said than done. A few of my professors were seasoned ethnographers, experts in the methodology of first-hand observation. wouldn't be the sole target of my attention, and perhaps not even the primary target. I knew he had my best interests in mind, but it still came as a shock to me that I would have to widen my focus if I still planned to base my dissertation on this community.