Gang Leader For A Day Summary

What do you do when the legal system fails you, your neighbors are your allies, and the gang outside your door is both protector and oppressor?

1. Resilience thrives even in the bleakest environments

Contrary to official statistics claiming 96% unemployment in the Robert Taylor Homes, residents created their own informal economy. Women in the projects often supported each other by offering services such as babysitting, cooking, and even fortune-telling to make ends meet. Although these jobs were not high-paying, cooperation among neighbors helped fill gaps left by a lack of formal services.

Men played their part by searching for manual or illicit work. One resident managed to earn a living by selling fake social security cards and license plates, while another ran an operation to help tenants steal utilities like gas and electricity. This ingenuity revealed the community’s determination to carve out survival even in oppressive conditions.

Resource pooling became another survival tactic. When appliances broke down and the Chicago Housing Authority ignored repair requests, tenants collected money to bribe workers to fix shared amenities, such as a functioning shower or stove. These shows of solidarity became a backbone of living in the projects.

Examples

• Women babysat or cooked in exchange for other needed services.
• Residents bribed workers to repair broken utilities for shared use.
• Men took on side hustles like social security card sales or manual labor to sustain their households.

2. When emergencies strike, residents are their own first responders

Due to mistrust and neglect by emergency services, calling 911 from the projects was an act of futility. Police and ambulances often ignored calls from the housing complex, leaving residents to take matters into their own hands. This self-reliance cemented the idea that the community was on its own.

One illustrative example was a domestic violence incident the author witnessed. Instead of calling the police, neighbors intervened to protect the victim and later drove her to the hospital themselves. These interventions replaced traditional law enforcement, which had failed the community.

Even when police did show up, their presence brought hostility. Residents threw bottles and occasionally opened fire on officers, showcasing the deep resentment and mistrust toward law enforcement. At the same time, corrupt officers exploited the community, running protection rackets and abusing residents to secure bribes.

Examples

• A woman assaulted by her partner was rescued and transported to the hospital by neighbors.
• Residents maintained hostility toward officers, throwing objects when police arrived.
• Specific officers extorted money, breaking into homes and assaulting tenants.

3. Gangs offer both care and control

The presence of the Black Kings gang shows a paradox: they inflicted harm on the community yet also contributed to its vitality in some ways. Gang members enforced order by escorting vulnerable residents, like elderly women, to guarantee their safety. They also helped repair and secure broken apartment doors that left families open to theft.

Financially, the gang offered resources that aided the community. They funded youth centers and handed out supplies like mattresses and warm clothing. By organizing community events and curbing certain crimes, the Black Kings tried to maintain a degree of goodwill among locals.

However, their assistance always carried a price. The gang expected silence about their illegal activities and compliance from residents. This dynamic established a complicated relationship where residents both depended on and resented the gang.

Examples

• Gang members guarded a family’s broken apartment door to ward off intruders.
• The Black Kings donated money for youth programs and basic necessities such as food.
• In exchange for their aid, residents were forced to turn a blind eye to criminal behavior.

4. The costs of drug trade ripple across the community

While the Black Kings offered some benefits, their primary activity—selling drugs—brought destruction. Addictive substances infiltrated the lives of residents, with 15% of tenants becoming addicts and another 25% using occasionally. The financial and emotional toll on these families was immense.

The gang’s infamous protection racket spread its reach across various small businesses in the projects. Even a woman selling candy out of her apartment had to part with part of her meager income. Those who resisted payments were beaten into compliance, as seen in the case of a hairdresser who was severely injured after refusing to cooperate.

Violence was a constant byproduct of the gang’s drug business. Turf wars and disputes triggered shootings, leaving innocent bystanders caught in harm’s way. This atmosphere of danger became part of daily life in the projects.

Examples

• Tenants frequently fell into drug addiction, worsening personal struggles.
• A hairdresser refusing to pay protection money was brutally beaten.
• Regular shootings endangered even those uninvolved in gang activity.

5. Parallels between gang leadership and corporate management

JT, the leader of the Black Kings, operated in a manner remarkably similar to a corporate executive. Formerly employed in sales, JT applied a professional approach to leading the gang, organizing weekly meetings and requiring his subordinates to report detailed performance metrics.

To mediate disputes, JT used negotiation techniques, even involving local figures like a pastor to avoid conflicts escalating into full-scale wars. He rewarded high-performing members with bonuses and penalized underperformers through pay cuts or physical punishment. This performance-driven culture mirrored the structure of sales teams in legitimate businesses.

Despite these strategies, gang members at lower levels earned less than minimum wage. Their daily risks of arrest, injury, or death were tragically disproportionate to their meager earnings.

Examples

• JT ran weekly meetings to gather updates on drug sales and maintain control.
• The gang leader relied on mediation to resolve conflicts, avoiding unnecessary violence.
• Members earned less than minimum wage despite putting their lives in constant danger.

6. Being a gang leader is no simple task

The author experienced firsthand the many duties of a gang leader after JT challenged him to fill the role for one day. Throughout the day, he had to organize tasks for gang members, negotiate deals with external figures, and address internal conflicts among the group.

A moral dilemma arose when he had to punish a member who failed to sell his share of drugs and was suspected of theft. The author refused to enforce the gang’s violent methods, but JT stepped in, delivering a brutal punishment himself.

The experience demonstrated the complex mix of decision-making, leadership, and moral compromise within the responsibility of leading a gang. It was far from the leisurely image the author initially imagined.

Examples

• The author managed a cleaning operation to maintain good relationships with staff.
• He struggled to negotiate with a pastor over the use of church space for meetings.
• JT intervened and punished a member when the author refused to use violence.

7. Power dynamics extend beyond the gang

Ms. Bailey, the building manager, wielded immense influence within the housing projects. On one hand, she helped residents obtain food, healthcare, and other essentials, often leveraging her connections with local organizations.

But she also operated in morally gray territory, accepting bribes from both residents and gang members. These actions kept the gangs entrenched in the projects but ensured some level of functionality within the deteriorating housing complex.

Ms. Bailey’s favoritism also created divisions. Residents who earned her favor received better treatment, while those she didn’t like were often ignored. Her selective assistance underscored the challenging power dynamics in the projects.

Examples

• Ms. Bailey negotiated free health services for children in the projects.
• She accepted payoffs from gang leaders, ensuring her cooperation.
• Certain tenants benefited while others struggled due to her biases.

8. Research meets danger and moral dilemmas

Conducting a decade-long study in the Robert Taylor Homes presented the author with unique challenges. He had to abandon traditional research methods, such as surveys, in favor of engaging directly with residents and immersing himself in their daily lives.

The author struggled with objectivity as he developed relationships with residents and gang members like JT. This emotional involvement clouded his ability to purely observe and document.

Legal risks also loomed. He was obligated to report any knowledge of planned gang violence, while secrecy surrounding his research might have exposed him to both legal and physical dangers.

Examples

• The author used informal methods like participation and observation rather than surveys.
• His growing relationships with residents challenged his impartiality.
• He sought legal advice to navigate his responsibilities as a researcher.

9. Life in the Projects: A community bound by hardship and strength

Despite its challenges, life in the Robert Taylor Homes reflected the resilience and adaptability of its residents. From creating informal economies to caring for one another in emergencies, a strong sense of community emerged.

Individuals like Ms. Bailey or even the Black Kings gang displayed a mix of positive and negative motives, demonstrating the complexities of these relationships. They all played a role in sustaining the unique ecosystem of survival within the projects.

Ultimately, this world was defined by shared struggles, innovative solutions, and a delicate balance between trust, dependence, and fear.

Examples

• Neighbors formed reciprocal relationships to trade services and goods.
• The gang helped with financial donations while also demanding compliance.
• Acts of kindness, like guarding families or feeding children, added hope to adversity.

Takeaways

1. Address systemic neglect by fostering grassroots networks and mutual aid systems in impoverished areas.
2. Recognize that criminal organizations often step into gaps left by social services, highlighting the need for comprehensive community support.
3. Approach complex issues like urban poverty by examining the intertwining roles of individuals, formal institutions, and informal economies.