Gang Leader for a Day
Page 28
At the University of Chicago and at Columbia, Professors Peter Bearman, Jean Comaroff, John Comaroff, Herbert J. Gans, Edward Laumann, Nicole Marwell, and Moishe Postone guided me through difficult waters. Katchen Locke, Sunil Garg, Larry Kamerman, Ethan Michaeli, Amanda Millner-Fairbanks, David Sussman, Benjamin Mintz, Matthew McGuire, and Baron Pineda were ever supportive, whether with humor, advice, or a glass of wine. Farah Griffin’s writings inspired me to push on, Doug Guthrie encouraged me to pursue the venerable path of public sociology, and Eva Rosen read drafts diligently and is on her way to becoming an outstanding sociologist.
I never would have written this book if I hadn’t met Steven Levitt, an economist who took an interest in my fieldwork. Over dinner one night at the Harvard Society of Fellows, Steven and I spent hours trying to connect the worlds of economics and sociology. To this day Steven remains a close collaborator and friend. I couldn’t have attempted this act of hubris without his encouragement. Steven kindly introduced me to Suzanne Gluck, who helped shepherd me through the byzantine world of trade publishing. Suzanne is one of the wisest souls I have ever met. At Penguin, Ann Godoff has been a pleasure to work with, and I hope this is the first of many journeys under her stewardship.
In writing this book, I drew on the intellectual gifts and emotional sustenance of my close friend Nathaniel Deutsch. I pulled Nathaniel away from his precious daughter, Simona, on many occasionsto rant, cry, or just throw up my hands. Nathaniel, I may never be able to return the favor, but I will certainly make sure Simi knows how kind you have been.
To Stephen Dubner, I owe an inexpressible debt. Stephen had the unenviable task of helping me put my thoughts on paper. It was not always easy for me to visit my past, and Stephen listened to my meanderings patiently, offering the right amount of criticism and feedback. I doubt that Stephen thinks of himself as a teacher, but he is one of the best.
I remain especially grateful to the tenants of the Robert Taylor Homes for letting me into both their apartments and their lives. Dorothy Battie has been a close friend, and Beauty Turner and the staff at the Residents’ Journal newspaper have given of their time generously.
I still feel guilty about all those years that I let J.T. think I would write his biography. I hope that he at least reads these pages someday. While a lot of it is my story, it plainly could never have happened without him. He let me into a new world with a level of trust I had no reason to expect; I can only hope that this book faithfully represents his life and his work.
INDEX
affiliates
aldermen
aluminum
American Liberties Union (ACLU)
anthropologists
Apartment
Armour Square
Autry, see Harrison, Autry
Bad Buck
Bailey, Ella
Bailey, Ms.
accusations against
back-to-school party thrown by
Boys & Girls Club and
Catrina and
CHA and
Clarisse and
cleanup demanded by
clothing drive of
at Crustie’s
gang donations to
as head of LAC
on hustling
J.T. on
on J.T.’s surveys
at monthly tenant meeting
on poverty
power desired by
pride in S.V.’s attention
Robert Taylor demolition and
sexual partners of
as suspicious of S.V.
S.V.’s information and
S.V.’s underground-economy studies approved by
Bailey, Ms. (cont.)
Taneesha incident and
tenants’ visits to
underground-economy cut of
Wilson’s door replaced by
Baldwin, Mr.
Bangladeshis
Barry (gang member)
Battie, Dorothy
Bee-Bee (J.T.’s daughter)
Bee-Bee (Taneesha’s manager)
Billy (gang member)
Billy Jo
Bird
Black Kings
basketball tournaments held by
Candy’s apartment as storage for
CBOs and
community and
crack dealt by
Curly as manager of
Disciples’ rivalry with
at drive-by shooting
drive-by shootings discussed by
drugs dealt by
Elks Lodge party of
extortion by
factions, sets, and organizations of
foot soldiers of
gambling racket of
hierarchy of
history of
investments of
J.T.’s promotion in
leaders of
ledgers of
meetings of
pay in
as police
in politics
prostitution and
regional meetings of
rivalries within
Robert Taylor demolition feared by
rules of
sales crews of
taxes and fees collected by
in voter-registration drives
wars of
in West Pullman
Black Panther Party
Black P. Stone Nation
Blue
Boo-Boo
Boston, Mass.
Boys & Girls Club
grant proposal for
meeting on drive-by shooting at
midnight basketball at
school program at
Brass (squatter)
Bridgeport
Butler, Charlie
cabdrivers
Caldwell, Booty
California
Calumet Heights
Candy
Carla
carpenters
Carrie
car thieves
Cartwright, Ms.
Catrina
Clarisse and
essays of
funeral of
Taneesha incident and
on women
Census, U.S.
Chantelle
Charlie
Cheetah
Cherise
Cherry
Chicago
African-American migration to
black communities in
desegregation in
gang and drug problem in
midnight basketball league of
Ms. Mae’s move to
politics of
school teachers’ strike in
winter in
Chicago, University of
Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Bulls
Chicago Housing Authority (CHA)
black market of
Ms. Bailey and
Ms. Reemes and
Robert Taylor built by
in Robert Taylor demolition and rehousing
scheduled demolition of Lake Park projects by
security of
sex exchanged for rent forgiveness
Chicago State University
Chicago Sun-Times
Child and Family Services Department
cigarettes
Cisneros, Henry
civil rights movement
Clarisse (prostitute)
cleaners
cleaning ladies
Cleveland, Ohio
Cliff (gang leader)
Clinton, Bill:
and Chicago midnight basketball league
and housing project demolition
Robert Taylor visit of
welfare reform by
C-Note (squatter)
anger at S.V. of
J.T. and
S.V.’s study of
Taneesha incident and
Cobras
cocaine
Coco
Cold Man (Black Kings leader)
Columbia Univ
ersity
Comaroff, Jean
Combs, Leonard (Old Time)
community-based organizations (CBOs)
Congress, U.S.
conservatives
cooks
crack
Black Kings’ deals in
dilution of
economics of
epidemic of
extent of use of
prostitutes’ use of
Creepy
crime
in Lake Park projects
Crustie’s
culture of poverty
Curly
Curtis
Daley, Richard J.
Daniels, Ms.
Dan Ryan Expressway
Darryl
day care
Democratic National Convention ()
Denny, Ms.
desegregation
Des Moines, Iowa
Disciples
domestic violence
Doritha
drive-by shootings
Black Kings’ discussions of
by Disciples
dropouts
drugs
Black Kings’ traffic in
economy of
Dunbar High School
DuSable High School
Duster, Lenny
Easley, Ms.
economics, economy:
of crack
of drugs
J.T. and
underground
economists
education
Elder, Ms.
Elks Lodge
El Rukn gang
Englewood
ethnographers
extortion
FBI
Federal Street
building
food stamps
South Lake Park
Forty-seventh Street
Freakonomics (Levitt and Dubner)
Freeze
gangs
Black Panther Party vs.
federal agencies vs.
sociologists on
Garcia, Jerry
Gladys’s
Grand Boulevard
Grateful Dead
Great Migration
guns
Officer Reggie on
for women
Harris, Porter
Harrison, Autry
background of
gang conflicts resolved by
and grant proposal
at meeting on drive-by shooting
midnight basketball league meeting of
police and
school program of
S.V.’s car robbery and
on tenant anger at S.V.
Harvard’s Society of Fellows
Henry Horner projects
heroin
prostitutes’ use of
housing projects:
death in
paradox of
housing reform
”How Survive” (essay)
Hyde Park
hypes
Illinois, welfare in
independents
Indians
Iowa
Jackson, Brian
Jackson, Jesse
”jailhouse niggers,”
Jamel (J.T.’s son)
Jerry, Officer
Dorothy Battie arrested by
Jimmy’s
Johnny
Johnson, Officer
Jo-Jo
Josie (gang member)
Joyce (J.T.’s girlfriend)
J.T. (John Henry Torrance)
arrest feared by
at back-to-school party
basketball tournament party hosted by
beatings given by
Billy-Otis dispute and
at Boys & Girls Club
at Carla’s birthday party
children of
Clinton’s visit and
C-Note and
Curly’s meeting with
diluted crack as worry of
and domestic violence
at drive-by shooting
drug-selling lecture of
economics and
education of
fear as leadership style of
as gang historian
girlfriends of
income of
informants for
Johnny and
as lawmaker
luxuries of
management skills of
Michael and
move to Robert Taylor by
on Ms. Bailey
Ms. Bailey given money by
at police robbery
in politics
popularity of
promotion of
prostitution and
random gunshots and
recruiting by
at regional meeting
Robert Taylor demolition feared by
Robert Taylor survey by
sales directors of
on sex trade
S.V. made gang leader by
S.V.’s first meeting with
S.V.’s information and
on S.V.’s legal concerns
S.V.’s relationship with
S.V.’s teaching and
S.V.’s underground-economy studies approved by
S.V.’s writings as source of pride for
Taneesha incident and
at voter-registration drive
Wilson family helped by
worries of
Justice Department, U.S.
Justin (Taneesha’s baby)
Kalia (gang member)
Katchen (S.V.’s girlfriend)
Keisha
Kennedy-King College
Kenny (gang member)
Kris
Lake Park projects
scheduled demolition of
LaShona (J.T.’s cousin)
Las Vegas, Nev.
Latin King
Lee-Lee
Legends South
Levitt, Steven
Levy, Cordella
liberals
Local Advisory Council (LAC)
Los Angeles, Calif.
”Lounge,”
Mae, Ms. (J.T.’s mother)
background of
at back-to-school party
cooking of
move of
on prostitutes
on sex trade
visitors to
Mafia
Marcus, Reggie, see Reggie, Officer
marijuana
Marna
Mayne (gang leader)
MCs (Mickey Cobras)
MC Southside Fest
Medicaid
men of neighborhood
network of
Mexican Americans
Michael (gang member)
Millie
Milwaukee, Wis.
Missie (J.T.’s girlfriend)
Montana
Moochie (gang member)
musicians
nannies
Nation of Islam
Newark, N.J.
New York, N.Y.
Old Time (Leonard Combs)
Olmsted, Frederick Law
”operators,”
Otis (gang member)
outlaw capitalism (underground economy)
out-of-wedlock babies
Pakistanis
Parnell
Patton, Mama
Patton, Pops
pimps
rules of
S.V.’s interviews of
police
Autry on
Black Kings as
Black Kings robbed by
at Boys & Girls Club meeting
Cordella’s power with
crime statistics and
and demolition of Robert Taylor
Ms. Bailey and
Ms. Reemes and
Robert Taylor feared by
sex exchanged for preferential treatment
S.V.’s fear of
S.V.’s writing and
”sweep
s” by
Taneesha incident and
see also Jerry, Officer; Reggie, Officer
Pootchie (Black Kings leader)
Pootie
poverty
Ms. Bailey on
in Robert Taylor
sociologists on
stereotypes of
Price (gang member):
Billy-Otis dispute and
Boo-Boo and
Brass beaten up by
Johnny and
pay of
promotion of
on recruitment drive
shooting of
student beaten up by
at S.V.’s meeting
as war planner
Pride
Princess
prison
T-Bone in
prostitution, prostitutes
drugs used by
Ella Bailey as madam of
fees paid by
pay of
regulars vs. hypes
S.V.’s interviews of
Provident Hospital
psychics
psychologists
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act ()
rappers
Reagan, Ronald
Reemes, Ms.
Reggie, Officer
Dorothy Battie freed by
on guns
at Mayne and J.T. negotiations
at police officer bar
with S.V.
S.V.’s car robbery and
on S.V.’s dissertation
Taneesha incident and
regulars
restaurant workers
Robert Taylor A
Robert Taylor B
Robert Taylor Homes
absence of men in
barbecues and parties in
candy store in
Clinton’s visit to
clothing drive for
as community
crime in
demolition of
drive-by shootings in
elevators in
former tenants of
gardens in
history of
illicit earnings in
J.T.’s move to
J.T.’s survey of
monthly meetings of
neighborhoods around
police fear of
poverty and danger in
Robert Taylor Homes (cont.)
random gunshots in size of
stairwells of
S.V.’s lone surveys of
unemployment in
winters in
Robert Taylor medical clinic
Rogers Park
”Roof,”
Roseland
St. Louis, Mo.
San Diego, University of California at (UC San Diego)
Sarina
Sears
segregation
Serena
shorties
Shorty-Lee (gang member)
Shuggie (J.T.’s daughter)
social workers
sociologists
on gangs
on poverty
quantitative
sociology
invention of
Sonny (pimp)
South Illinois
South Shore