User:Cpalladino100

From The Peopling of New York City

The Relevance of Gangs in Ghettos and Enclaves: Success rates and improvement vary among different cultural ghettos, yet the one thing that remains constant is the function of gangs. While gangs are mentioned most explicitly in The New Chinatown when discussing the Tongs, it is highly unlikely that there is any ethnic group out there who does not have their own version of a similar gang. Beginning with the Italians, Irish and Russians, gangs continue to play a major role today still with Blacks, Chinese, Koreans, West Indians, and Hispanics as well. Perhaps this is because wherever there is a lack of wealth or opportunity legally, an illegal option is more appealing. For example, for the Chinese, there is the option of working long, grueling hours for very little pay, or joining the Tongs and possibly overseeing gambling houses or extorting money from local businesses to earn thousands of dollars a day. Unfortunately, this does present a hard decision for many.

For blacks and Hispanics, where racism often becomes a major restriction as well, there is the option of working minimum wage, tedious jobs or perhaps selling drugs. When the richest people in your neighborhood are drug dealers, as seen in Down These Mean Streets, the idea of becoming one is much more tempting. Unfortunately, gangs will always be relevant in ghettos because they provide a seemingly “easy way out.” They don’t require any education, they don’t discriminate and they can result in large amounts of quick money for those who participate. When looked at this way, it is understandably hard for legal, low-paying, menial work to compete.