Nipsey Hussle is a post hip hop icon. In this essay, we mine popular music and media coverage of Nipsey to describe his artistry and advocacy anchored by his articulation of an African American diasporic identity, his ambivalence as an independent rapper within a mainstream music industry, and his leverage of Black capital in his Crenshaw…

In this paper, I report on research about the experience of a group of English teachers who returned from the violent gang culture of Southern California to Mexico, seeking a means of changing their identities from gang members into productive, educated members of society. On returning to Mexico, the teachers had to negotiate their otherness and…

This longitudinal study examined the psychosocial adjustment of adolescents who affiliate with antisocial crowds in a gang-impacted urban environment. We followed 405 adolescents (219 boys, 186 girls; average age of 11.51 years, SD = 0.61; 84% Latino, 9% Asian, and 7% other or unclassified) for one academic year. These youth attended a middle…

Presents findings from research on Chicano gangs in Los Angeles, which indicates that many gang members do not live in the territory they defend as their "turf." Suggests that the ecological premises of research from the old "Chicago school of sociologists" no longer apply to gangs in modern U. S. cities. (Author/GC)

Explores the ways in which ethnicity is constructed by Filipino-American youths and examines the role played by generation in the formation of youth groups and identity construction within them. Findings from field observation and interviews with 20 Filipino-American males show changing gang roles from the 1960s through the present. (SLD)

Uses an interview format with Michael Zinzun to discuss the work of the Coalition against Police Abuse, organized in Los Angeles (California), to come up with solutions to police abuse. The Coalition was instrumental in forging a truce between two large gangs in southern California, and this effort, and efforts to broaden the truce into a movement…

This brief discusses the use of traffic barriers to block automobile access to streets as a way to reduce gang violence. The tactic was used in a crime-plagued area of Los Angeles, California, that had experienced a high level of drive-by shootings, gang homicides, and street assaults. The program, Operation Cul de Sac (OCDS), was evaluated as a…

This book describes the experiences of an inexperienced young teacher who, with the support of parents and teenagers in a Los Angeles (California) neighborhood, created a one-room schoolhouse and began to teach 30 gang members, ranging in age from 13 to nearly 20. He had no teaching credentials or college degree and the school had a tiny budget,…

Urban adaptation among Mexican Americans resulting in the rise of youth street gangs is assessed in this article within a framework that examines the adaptation's ecological, economic, cultural, and psychological aspects. It is argued that difficulties in changing to Anglo-American patterns have been exacerbated by living and working conditions…

Interviews with 21 present and former female gang members illustrate the lives of Mexican American girls in the gang milieu of the San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles, California). Gang structure, activities, and reasons for joining are discussed, along with the gang as a source of support. (SLD)

Focus groups and interviews with African American youth in Los Angeles and Afro-Caribbean youth in London found gangs to be one of their five top issues; identified social, educational, and employment factors fostering gang formation; and identified psychological, social, and economic functions of gangs for their members. (Contains 95 references.)…

This is the second published volume of the House Committee on the District of Columbia's hearings and findings on the problems of urban centers in America and the Federal government role. The earlier volume focused on Washington, D.C. as a central model and viewed urban problems very broadly. Based on findings presented in the earlier volume, the…

THE HORNER BOYS CLUB IN CHICAGO REACHES OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND HELPS CHANNEL GANG MEMBERS INTO A CLUB SITUATION WITH CONSTRUCTIVE FORMS OF ACTIVITY. IN LOS ANGELES, A DEPUTY PROBATION OFFICER ORGANIZED A SERVICE CALLED GROUP GUIDANCE IN WHICH PROBATION OFFICERS WORK WITH THE HARD-CORE CITY GANGS THAT ARE NOT HANDLED BY CONVENTIONAL…

Mike Davis's book presents a history and current sociology of Los Angeles from a socialist perspective, arguing that inequalities in the distribution of power and wealth underlie the area's serious, growing problems: ethnic fear and discrimination, social disinvestment and withdrawal by the "haves," and an epidemic of youth violence. (SV)

To investigate the extent to which street gangs in Los Angeles (California) are comprised of youth or adults, self-report data from 435 gang members are examined. Findings do not generally support the idea of the aging gang member. Gangs consist primarily of adolescents, regardless of racial and socioeconomic differences. (SLD)