Gangs aren’t going away

anytime soon

no matter what we do

so what do we do?

By 2020 half of all

the world’s people will

live in poverty

Mega-Cities

Lagos today is a city of more than 10 mullion.

The Retreat of the State

urbanization + poverty + youth + slums + discrimination = gangs.

Most Gangs are Wild Peer Groups

Maras in San Salvador

What happens to child soldiers when the civil war ends?

Good community research finds many more adolescent girls in gangs than is admitted by law enforcemen. There is almost no research on adult roles for

women in gangs.

Gangs are not only lower class, but most often have a strong ethnic, racial, or religious identity

Ulster Defense Force-

Protestant militia or

drug gang?

US, Iraqi Officials cite ‘gangs’ notMahdi Army, as enemy

James Warden, Stars & Stripes, April 14, 2008

“the distinction between the Mahdi Army and “special groups” isn’t always so clear.”

Bakassi Boys: from a gang, to vigilantes, to state militia

Ethnic Militias and Gangs

Kano, Nigeria

Ayan daba (are) urban gangs who, through hunting and warrior traditions, have historical links to anti-colonial Islamic religious politics. These youths, highly skilled in the uses of weaponry and magic, have ambiguous roles in Muslim communities, where they have been employed by religious leaders to strong-arm public opinion. Ayan daba are considered “revolutionaries” who have Muslim ideologies and traditions…(they sometimes) dress lavishly in a Muslim-style riga (dress), smoking a joint reminiscent of Cheech (‘n Chong) slap a alamajiri (area youth) to the ground for forgetting to say his prayers…

(They also) have adopted a style of dress they associate with “West Side niggers”, or Los Angeles–based rappers. In their sun glasses, chains, and baggy jeans, ayan daba show a broad interest in youth cultures around the world… ayan daba serve as the vanguard for local political and religious leaders, earning the major part of their income from politically motivated thuggery.

Kano, continued

Gangs are one expression of Nihilism

nihilism is “the lived experience of coping with a life of horrifying meaninglessness, hopelessness, and (most important) lovelessness.”

Cornell West

Street Culture Wars

Engaging the Culture of Nihilism

“Say there ain't no hope for the youth and the truth is it ain't no hope for tha future…” We ain't meant to survive, cause it's a setup And even though you're fed up Huh, ya got to keep your head up

Tupac: Keep ya head up

Build on History and Cultural Identity

The Heritage of the 1960s CVL

Video of Ivory Dillard on today’s Legacy of the 1960s Vice Lords

Should DDR apply to gangs?

3. Support the translation of youth’s resistance identities into social movements

Dimensions of My Work 1. Challenge Media Frames. Research not Stereotypes

2. Support programs that reach youth through learning their history and culture and opposing mysogyny and violence, while taking the side of non-violent rebellion. Emphasize technology.

Come on come on. I see no changes wake up in the morning and I ask myself is life worth living should I blast myself? I'm tired of bein' poor & even worse I'm black. my stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch. Cops give a damn about a negro. pull the trigger kill a nigga he's a hero. Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares. one less hungry mouth on the welfare“ …. That's just the way it is. Things'll never be the same. That's just the way it isaww yeah”

Tupac: changes

For More:

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Thank You.

Read: A World of Gangs