1) The document discusses sociological theories that help explain gang activity in impoverished urban communities like the Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago. Labeling theory and anomie theory suggest that negative societal perceptions of these communities can lead youth to join gangs. 2) Life in the Robert Taylor Homes was characterized by poor conditions, violence, and lack of support from authorities. Gangs provided some services to residents that the government did not. 3) Research found that media portrayals exaggerated the involvement of gangs in drug dealing but that economic pressures and learning deviant behaviors from family/community influenced youth to engage in illegal activities. As long as social stigma toward these communities exists, gang activity will likely

1. The Urban Bodyguard 1
The Urban Bodyguard:
A Sociological Perspective on Gangs and Communities
Christopher J Barrile
Canisius College

2. The Urban Bodyguard 2
When modern society hears the word “gangs” the thoughts and stereotypes that follow
are undoubtedly negative. “Gangsters, drugs, guns, violence, etc.,” are all words commonly
associated with present day American street gangs. But what is to be said about the
neighborhoods in which these gangs reside? “poor, ghetto, crime-ridden” it would seem the
negative connotation of gangs is mirrored into the community. The question we must ask is not
merely why our nations youth join these gangs. We must also find how society’s perception of a
community can change not only the physical attributes of that community, but the lives of
people there as well. Through sociological theory and research, we can show a causation
between greater societies view on a community and the effects joining gangs has on American
youth.
A History of Chicago’s Projects
In his book Gang Leader For A Day, author Sudhir Venkatesh tells a vivid story of his
time spent at the Lake Park Projects and the Robert Taylor homes. In the very first chapter he
describes the squalor conditions of these housing units: “There was a long row of beaten-up
mailboxes, many of them missing their doors. Water was dripping everywhere, puddling on the
ground. Shouts and shrieks cascaded down from the higher floors, making the whole building
feel like some kind of vibrating catacomb.”
Unfortunately, it did not take long for the conditions to deteriorate. Opened in 1962 the
Robert Taylor Homes stretch over 4 miles and contain 4,400 apartments which house 27,000
people, about 20,000 being children (Hunt, 2001). Expected to be at the forefront of massive
housing, only three years after the Robert Taylor Homes opened, a local news report was aired

3. The Urban Bodyguard 3
describing the awful conditions residents had to live with. Taylor residents, the series explained,
faced a daily night-mare of broken elevators, erratic heat, excessive vandalism, and unsettling
violence.
Having been built during the height of segregation, this cheap income housing would of
course house African Americans. The white population of Chicago refused to build the projects
near any white only neighborhoods so the Taylor homes were designed and built almost entirely
segregated from the rest of the city. Simultaneously, the Housing Authority in Chicago was
undergoing budget cuts, and the upkeep of African American housing was the first thing to be
eliminated (Hunt, 2001). Even today the Taylor Homes are still known for its bad living
conditions as well as violence, illegal drug activity, and of course, gangs.
Why Gangs Inhabit the Projects
Referring once again to Gang Leader For A Day, Venkatesh learned from several of the
gang members why they didn’t mind living in poverty, and selling drugs. Venkatesh was
explaining what sociologists refer to as “culture of poverty” in which poor blacks didn’t seek
employment as they don’t value employment unlike other ethnic groups. JT however, had been
to college, and even with the college education, he felt limited because he was black (Venkatesh,
2008).
The gang members whom grew up within the Robert Taylor homes feel a sort of social
stigma. Because they grew up in an area that is known for gangs, drugs, etc. and because they are
African American, they have a hard time working their way into mainstream society. If the
standards of society cannot be met, then they are forced to stay within that community, and deal
with the violence and drugs in order to make some type of living. Unless the social stigma

4. The Urban Bodyguard 4
associated with community can be eliminated, there will always be perpetual gang activity within
the projects.
A crucial factor that remains is not all individuals in these gang communities are gang
members themselves. Many, if not most of the residents in the Robert Taylor Homes are just
poor, often African American, and living on some type of government aid. However honest and
law abiding these citizens may be, they live in an area stigmatized by the greater society. When
the police are called they rarely show, virtually leaving public safety to the citizens themselves.
Venkatesh(2008) learns that the main reason their community puts up with the gang activity is
that the gangs simultaneously maintain order. The gangs provide extremely cheap housing for
the homeless, they check on the elderly because ambulances rarely show, and while not
beneficial, provide crack-cocaine for many residents who need their “fix”.
Connecting Sociological Theory
Thus far we have seen examples of life in the Robert Taylor homes as described by
Venkatesh during his time spent there, and a brief history of how society came to negatively
view the Robert Taylor Homes. Here we will present sociological theory to explain how
society’s view of the Taylor Homes explains gang activity. The sociological theories that apply
most closely to gang activity are the theories of deviance. According to Tobin (2008), deviance
is any behavior that violates social norms, and is usually of sufficient severity to warrant
disapproval from the majority of society.
One of the most common deviance theories associated with gang activity is known as
labeling theory. Labeling theory concerns the meanings people derive from one another's labels,
symbols, actions, and reactions. This theory holds that behaviors are deviant only when society

5. The Urban Bodyguard 5
labels them as deviant (Tobin, 2008). Due to the fact that the current gang members were
“labeled” as those who were poor, African-American, and came from the Robert Taylor Homes,
society labels them negatively. Social research indicates that those who have negative labels
usually have lower self-images, are more likely to reject themselves, and may even act more
deviantly as a result of the label (Tobin, 2008).
Another theory suitable to gang activity is known as Anomie Theory. Anomie refers to
the confusion that arises when social norms conflict or don't even exist. In the 1960s, Robert
Merton used the term to describe the differences between socially accepted goals and the
availability of means to achieve those goals. For example having a large salary is a major goal
for many Americans, however not everyone has the ability to achieve this, especially minority
groups (like those who live in the Robert Taylor Homes). When these individuals discover that
they cannot achieve their goal due to an obstacle out of their control, they experience anomie.
When anomie is experienced, these individuals may employ deviant behaviors to attain their
goals; often times engaging in illegal activity as a means of income (Tobin, 2008)
The final theory under the model of deviance lays in the realm of both Sociology as well
as Psychology; Differential Association. First developed by Edwin Sutherland in the early to
mid-20th century, differential association helps explain deviant behavior. Individuals learn
behaviors on their own as well as peer groups and their families. If an individual is brought up
into a family and society that values the gang lifestyle, the likelihood that person will become a
member of a gang (Tobin, 2008).
In his book, Islands in The Street, Jankowski wrote that often times communities
tolerated gangs on a basis of mutual benefit (protection, money, etc). Often times, there are

6. The Urban Bodyguard 6
numbers of parents whom spent time in these gangs as youth, and therefore raise their children to
become a part of the gang life as well; an excellent example of differential association.
Jankowski (1991) describes how a 47 year old carpenter and parent of four living in Los Angeles
describes being a part of a gang.
“I don’t like the shooting that goes on with gangs today. There is much more than when I was in
the gang, but I am proud of my sons being members of the [gang name] because it keeps a family
tradition alive; you know my father was in the same gang. It also keeps a community tradition
going that is not as bad as the media portrays it.”
Although mainstream society may view gang life in a negative aspect, when an individual is
raised to believe that being a part of a gang is a way of life, according to differential association,
that individual will most often follow this path based upon expectations and what they have been
taught as “normal” in this situation.
Connecting Sociological Research
Having discussed the various sociological theories that apply to gangs and deviance, we
must now delve into the realm of sociological research. Countless number of studies have been
done on gangs and their effects on the individuals within them. Here we will look at a select few
studies regarding gang youth and the connection to drugs and violence, as well as the media
portrayal of gangs focusing on how greater societies view of gangs, effects on how gang member
view themselves.

7. The Urban Bodyguard 7
The popular image of youth gangs ties them directly to drugs and violent crime (Klein,
1995). Goldstein (1985) suggested three possible relationships between gangs, drugs, and violent
crime. (1) That the drugs (typically crack-cocaine) induce changes in behavior that can often
times be violent due to the addicting qualities of the drug. (2) The high cost and risk of the drug
market leads to “economic compulsive” types of crime in order to obtain the funds necessary to
either distribute or consume drugs (shoplifting, robbery, car jacking). (3) “Systemic” violence is
common among the drug community. These types of violence include protection (from rival
gangs), expanding drug distribution territories, and also violent acts against individuals who
violate rules regarding drug distribution.
“Today’s gangs are urban terrorists. Heavily armed and more violent than ever before, they are
quick to use terror and intimidation to seize and protect their share of the lucrative drug market.
Gang members are turning our streets and neighborhoods into war zones, where it takes an act of
courage simply to walk to the corner store” (Klein, 1995).
With gangs, and more specifically, drug gangs gaining the attention of the media in the
1990’s, the image of gangs became widely magnified and stereotyped (Klein, 1995). In 1992, the
Los Angeles District Attorneys office compiled an assessment of youth gangs in and around the
Los Angeles area. District Attorney Reiner estimated that: “more than70 percent of gang
members in Los Angeles used drugs and that the incidence of drug sales among gang members
was seven times higher than among non-gang youth.” (Reiner, 1992). However, when the study
was released it concluded that only 1 in 7 gang members sold drugs more than 12 times in one
year. The study also concluded that the Los Angeles gangs were not forming into organized drug

8. The Urban Bodyguard 8
trading networks. The gang members may be involved with drugs, but they remain peripheral to
the activities of the gang (Reiner, 1992).
Throughout the 1980s and well into the 1990s, the media, with help from law
enforcement, created many myths about gangs, which undoubtedly created fear among the
public. Similarly, the war on drugs has been largely a media-driven event. For example, in 1988
public-opinion polls revealed that only about 10 percent of the public believed drugs to be a
major concern that should be immediately dealt with. Following an intensive media coverage,
this percentage soared to almost 40 percent within one year (Miller, 1996).It is easy to see how
high levels of media coverage can skew statistics that were once true and reliable to a frenzy of
excitement and propaganda in which viewers undoubtedly believe what they are being told.
Conclusions
The interconnections between gangs and community are almost inseparable. Some
communities view gangs as their so-called Urban Bodyguards, protecting them when society
seems to have forgotten about them. Built upon racial oppression and stereotyping, society has
stigmatized these communities forcing a wide variety of sociological theories into motion
creating a near perpetual loop of poverty, violence, and drug trafficking. Mainstream society
separates these communities which is followed by them doing whatever is necessary to reenter
the mainstream. However, when they ultimately fail, it would seem the main alternative for these
impoverished neighborhoods is gang activity; and once the drugs and the violence starts, the
media and it’s unstoppable desire for a story hammers the nail into the coffin for these dying
neighborhoods. No one wants to step up and save the dying communities let alone make a home
or business there. Until society can be the “bigger man” so to speak, these areas of poverty and

9. The Urban Bodyguard 9
violence and drugs will continue to thrive. This time we must break the infinite loop to save the
Real greater society, for the real greater good.
References
Goldstein, P.J. (1985). The drugs/violence nexus: A tripartite conceptual framework. Journal of
Drug Issues 15:493–506
Hunt, D. B. (2001). What went wrong with public housing in Chicago? A history of the Robert
Taylor homes. Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, 94(1), 97–122.
Jankowsk, M. (1991). Islands in the streets gangs and american urban society. Los Angels,
California: University of California Press.
Klein, M.W. (1995). The American Street Gang. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

10. The Urban Bodyguard 10
Mark D. Weist , Olga M. Acosta & Eric A. Youngstrom (2001): Predictors of Violence Exposure
Among Inner-City Youth, Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 30:2, 187-198
Reiner, I. 1992. Gangs, crime and violence in Los Angeles. Unpublished manuscript. Office of
the District Attorney of the County of Los Angeles.
Sheldon, R. (2003). Youth gangs in american society. Belmont, California: Wadsworth.
Tobin, I. (2008). Gangs, an individual and group perspective. Prentice Hall.Retrieved from
http://books.google.com/books/feeds/volumes?q=978-0-13-172404-4
Venkatesh, S. (2008). Gang leader for a day. London, England: Penguin Books.