<http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=7>, /
January 12, 2008
Sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh befriended the leader of one of the
country's largest and most violent gangs and ultimately led the gang for
a day.
Excerpt
"He fancied himself a philanthropist as much as a leader. 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 gave money to some local
youth centers for sports equipment and computers. 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. J.T. could even put a positive spin on
the fact that he made money by selling drugs. 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."
Link to More:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18003654#18003054
No comments:
Post a Comment