Although there were instances where Ms. Bailey agitated for change because she would benefit from what would become of the Robert Taylor Homes, in most cases, she exerted influence through acting as an intermediary between the families in the building project and the city’s housing authority. Her influence is also exemplified by her efforts to raise awareness about the challenges the women in the housing complex face. When all other individuals in the community are skeptical about Sudhir’s undertaking and are not willing to give him information, she interacts with him, tells him about challenges facing Taylor A, and tries to use him to solicit resources that she would use to improve the living condition at Taylor A.
Ms. Bailey also exerts power through extensive collaboration not only with the authorities but with the Black King’s gang authority ( Venkatesh, 2008). She also collaborates with area shopkeepers and solicits food, clothing, and other necessities that the women in the housing project need to keep going. It is also evident that Ms. Bailey collaborates with the police and other area leaders such as pastors in discussing vices such as shootings, prostitution, and how they can be managed. However, one of the ironic aspects is that she allows the gang members to sell crack in her lobby, yet she is at the forefront of strategizing around eradicating violence and other vices in the housing complex.
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The exercise of women’s power differs from that of male power in the book in that women’s power is brought out as gentler and not dictatorial, unlike male power, where the use of force to command respect is evident. JT, for example, is the leader of the Black King’s gang who does not hesitate to use violence to protect his crack business’ interest. Another difference is that women in power, in most but not all circumstances, lobby for the wellbeing of the community members other than individual wellbeing. Examples are Ms. Bailey and Dorothy, who is not officially appointed to lead any group had leadership influence on some tenants( Venkatesh, 2008). The black king’s leadership and that of other gangs, on the contrary, are mostly made of male leaders who are mostly concerned about their illegal business and enriching themselves other than the community in general.
Question 7
While reading Gang Leader for a Day, I significantly questioned Venkatesh’s research ethics. The book’s title particularly drew my attention. As a sociology student who wants to understand the struggle of blacks in a poor neighborhood that is plagued with violence and illegal drugs business, he technically starts living the life of a gang member. He befriends the leader J.T, to the extent that he is allowed to lead the gang one day to understand the intricacies related to managing the crack business while keeping other gang members and the neighborhood in check ( Venkatesh, 2008). He does not collect data from observation but indirectly becomes an accomplice to the Black King gang leaders and members. At the same time, his research undertakings are not objective when he agrees to visit Taylor B with Ms. Bailey’s instructions. He is introduced to Autry, who is a leader of the girls and boys club on Taylor B, not that he can accomplish his research objectives, but because Ms. Bailey thinks he has connections, hence would be able to solicit for resources to build a good girls and boys’ club at Taylor A. In the process, he befriends Austry, who becomes a significant source of information about the residents’ view of Robert Taylor Homes about the gang ( Venkatesh, 2008). He, therefore, does not conduct official surveys but befriends different individuals to obtain crucial information. In addition to this, although there are gang secrets that J.T. does not disclose to Venkatesh about the gang, T-Bone secretly provides Sudhir with information about the gang, particularly gray market and black market economies related to gang business undertakings. Sudhir’s drug-dealing ledgers help him obtain the information that dates back to years about the gang’s dealings. This is an unconventional way of obtaining information.
Although it was not outrightly apparent, Venkatesh was manipulative in his own way, just as J.T. was. It reaches a point where he feels that he had alienated people from J.T. side, hence, had a feeling of developing relationships with them again. Just as J.T. main agenda was to ensure his business flourishes regardless of the means he used to achieve that, to a large extent, Venkatesh befriended different individuals and became part of the gang with the main aim of collecting data for his sociology research. He was not part of the community by birth, but he blended in so well, with the primary objective of collecting research data.
Question 8
Reading the Gang Leader for a Day helped me better understand the problems of the American urban poor. One of the biggest realizations I came to is the influence of neighborhood on crime. In a community where food is scarce, employment and lack of basic needs are high, youths are likely to be psychologically influenced by social situations. As a result, they could join gangs and engage in drug peddling to be able to get small cash from such undertakings and abuse the drugs to hide from the reality that faces them.
I also realized an intricate interconnection between social determinants of health and neighborhood characteristics. One of Ms. Bailey’s concerns is her inability to provide to the children in Taylor facilities a playground or even a club that could help them positively interact with others. It is also stated that the only space children could play was dirty, had roaches and water dripped from the ceiling ( Venkatesh, 2008). More so, in such spaces, prostitution is a business controlled by organized groups. The community is not well equipped to ensure education for its members. These dynamics negatively affect the health status of all the members. Regardless, little can be done because people in such neighborhoods have lost faith in politicians or leaders who can effectively solve such issues.
I have also been able to better identify the problems in the poor neighborhood because the book clearly focuses on drawing on the connection of different social ills, all of which are influenced by poverty. Just as it has been highlighted in different spaces, race is again a center of discussion. In the book, the neighborhood characteristics are associated with an alienated poor black community. It is even worse that the housing units are likely to be demolished, and most individuals are unlikely to be relocated to safe places. With the dynamics related to crime, drugs, prostitution, health issues, and poverty, I have come to understand that such neighborhoods experience cycles of poverty that influence the negative experiences in such spaces. Unless something is done by external stakeholders such as the government, it is hard to change such situations.
References
Venkatesh, S. A. (2008). Gang leader for a day: A rogue sociologist takes to the streets . Penguin.
