So, this is what I'm reading, and its too bad I actually am busy - lestwise it would have been finished much less than in a jack flash - compulsive. I'd read about the book -it's a 2008'r - in the press, but it took until now - new @ our library - to actually pick it up and examine.He's a U of C grad student - well, was, in 1989 - who spent years hanging out w/ a street gang in the old Robert taylor homes. I'm not going to review it, other than say I'm enslaved to it - I get free like 9 pm to-nite, and only will I read it, nothing else.
Many things good. But, of course, since this is Securityout, it's MY ROLE in the book that is most important. I'm kinda reckless in my personal safety- people who know know. I love the city, and all of its neighbourhoods. That, a love of city buildings, city street life, and just plain too cheap to get a car or etc ... meant that except for some of the neighbourhoods around O'Hare, I've basically walked in every hood in the city. (Even Altgeld Gardens , so fucking south it's almost out of the city - we went there to see Carver HS play some highfalutin' team way back in 1995. Dragon and I took the CTA there. No one bothered us except to remark on the bok in my hands - the 1000p Campaigns of Napoleon by D. Chandler was loking like the Bible, so some cats asked if we were converting people.). And that means sidestreets (Malcom X wrote th same thing - he just didn't hang on 125th Street, he also did the side streets. Having read that sentence, I immediately started to walk the side streets).
And @ all times. Until 2006 Mai, I rode CTA everywhere. Since I worked in all neighbourhoods subbing during school year - and then love dthe basketball games after school - I just hadda use the city. That means, again, alleys If I needed an unloading (whizz), cornershops to get my soda, etc etc etc.
So, I became very familiar w/ all hoods in Chicago - nice ones, poor ones, rich ones, etc ones ... they were all mine, I liked that no one I knew had my adventures, and etc etc etc...
But this guy does me better. He wanted to do sociological research, and decided to go to the projects to find people to study. He ended up staying there for 4 years or more, and ended up published and doctored and all of that. He's now @ Columbia a PH.D.
But, for me the funny business started when he first went to the project building. He just ... walked in. Of course, these things happened: He was not molested, but rather a guy came up to him and stated "What's your business here?" NO - although I actually HAVE been inside the Robert taylor Homes (Volunteered for a -- guess what? - soccer team we were trying ot form from the kids in the projects), I realy don'yt think I would have gone inside under those circumstances. He had to hang out for a whole nite w/ the gang - not by choice - but from there he started to do his research.
HOWEVER- there is another aspect to this - the gangs want to use the property for drug business. If there are things going wrong - shootouts, police coming by, outsiders being robbed or killed- then the police will stop by and business will be shitty. However, if it's peaceful - well, then business can go on as usual and the gangs can make money. So - no way would the researcher be hassled. Again, same as me. Wheever there is an open air drug market - be it in the projects or @ the end of streets where my frenz lived - I always felt safe. I knew - strangely, i know - that the sellors would not want me hassled by anybody. It reminded me of a story from 1989. back then there was a cetai posse of frenz I hung w - rememebr, I hang w/ everybody, so these dude don't define me or whatever - but for a but they would visit an open air market near St. Ignatious HS in order to by some hard drug or whatever. So the story goes that once I making a buy the locals started to harass them. They took over the car, took their $$, and took the car radio out of the car. Dind't hurt them - just robbed them. But then the gang leader and his boys come over, ask the frenz what happned - and then gave them their drugs and got the radio back w/ an apology..
Always thought that was a funny story. I only remember that one of the dudes was a LU guy - one year younger than the Crankface, Jackson, Vito, Rocky, Blackie crew etc etce ct ect and he was infamous for calling everyone "Braw". Good kid.
Most people are afraid of many 'hood in Chicago. Shouldn't be.
HOWEVER- there is another aspect to this - the gangs want to use the property for drug business. If there are things going wrong - shootouts, police coming by, outsiders being robbed or killed- then the police will stop by and business will be shitty. However, if it's peaceful - well, then business can go on as usual and the gangs can make money. So - no way would the researcher be hassled. Again, same as me. Wheever there is an open air drug market - be it in the projects or @ the end of streets where my frenz lived - I always felt safe. I knew - strangely, i know - that the sellors would not want me hassled by anybody. It reminded me of a story from 1989. back then there was a cetai posse of frenz I hung w - rememebr, I hang w/ everybody, so these dude don't define me or whatever - but for a but they would visit an open air market near St. Ignatious HS in order to by some hard drug or whatever. So the story goes that once I making a buy the locals started to harass them. They took over the car, took their $$, and took the car radio out of the car. Dind't hurt them - just robbed them. But then the gang leader and his boys come over, ask the frenz what happned - and then gave them their drugs and got the radio back w/ an apology..
Always thought that was a funny story. I only remember that one of the dudes was a LU guy - one year younger than the Crankface, Jackson, Vito, Rocky, Blackie crew etc etce ct ect and he was infamous for calling everyone "Braw". Good kid.
Most people are afraid of many 'hood in Chicago. Shouldn't be.
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