Midterm Questions

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April 21, 2019

Midterm

Black street organization

The two generations of black street organizations in Los Angeles are recognized for the periods of 1960-1965 and 1969-1972. During 1960-1965 the population of African-Americans was quite small compared to the whites. The history of this movement depicts that the blacks united to react against the national level inequality and discrimination. The black street gangs emerged in Los Angeles for committing crimes. They believed that the state failed to provide them with the justice that convinced them to become part of the criminal lifestyles. Between 1960-65 small gangs were established that started taking part in the offensive activities. The Gladiators, Watts and Swamp Boys were popular groups that were involved in different crimes including drug war and violent offences. “The Watts Riots of 1965, sparked by a confrontation between a South-Central Los Angeles man and police, changed everything” (LA Times). Few shootings and crimes were recorded until 1965 because the Black Street Organization was committing crimes in limited areas. The main goals of the gang during this period was to sell drugs and build strong networks of drug crimes. The street gangs existed for providing a mission of offences and causing instability to the black rejected population. The focused on felony, robbery, murders, beatings and drug business.

The role of Black Street Organization changed in 1967 when the gang members shoot-out in the streets of the LA city. The gang members involved in the shooting were Afro-American. The shootings at the public places became common. In 1969 the gang targeted two panthers on the campus and shot them. the trends of shootings and the nature of crime changed after the 1970s. The gang gained more power and it changed its strategy of targeting only specific and less populous areas. Crime became more powerful because the gang was targeting multiple locations. The gang members also refused to surrender them for their crimes. Several strange activities were also reported at that time. In 1972 a group of young people had beaten a 16-years old boy. Street shootings also became common after 1970 when hundreds of people joined the Black Street Organization. The non-crisp black gangs were involved in promoting crimes and instability. More crime events were reported after the 1970s because the gang gained more power. Street shootings was another goal of the Black Street Organization since 1970. This reflected their agenda of causing instability across the city. Common crimes that the gang members aimed at include felony, theft, murders and drugs. The population of blacks increased significantly after the 1970s.

Fanon, Jeff and Black P Stone

The Fanonian analysis explains that the reason for rising crimes was colonization and privations of blacks. This remains the central reason behind the creation of the Black P Stones. The blacks struggled against the violence and inequality that influenced their relationship with the people and country. He adopted Gandhi’s model for explaining crimes and resistance. The reason for blacks to engage in protects and violence was to resist against the injustices. They aimed to protest in search of equality, dignity, individualism and reasonableness. Their violent roles emerged as a result of their challenges to the unjust system. The people denied being colonized and decided to change their fate by standing against the unfair society. Their valued convinced them to reject the injustices CITATION Pat09 \l 1033 (Wilmot). The leaders of the Black P Stones convinced the Africans and the minority population that America has failed to provide them with justice. it is their right to stick to their values and reject discrimination. Fanon justified his role by explaining that inequality is the root cause of crimes. He offered a common platform for drug crimes and other violent crimes to the African-Americans. The negative role played by the state and law convinced blacks to engage themselves in criminal lives.

Jeff Fort is a prominent leader of the organization who encouraged people to reject the unfair laws. Jeff identifies different factors that contributed to violent crimes and the formation of the Black P Stones in America. The national gang was established to provide a platform for crimes to the blacks. He formed the largest street gang by engaging the black population in drug sales and violent crimes. the role of Jeff caused significant shifts in the crimes because he motivated many young people to become part of his gang.

The reason for black people's involvement in crimes has struggled for black identity. The author criticizes the role of the American justice system that imposes harsh penalties on drug crimes. This reflects that the state target black population more than whites due to the prevalence of racial discrimination and bias. The nature of crimes vary but the African-Americans receive strict implications from the state. The facts depict that the black population spend more time in jails that undermines their possibilities of becoming normal citizens. Lack of opportunities promotes crimes among black people. Jeff has criticized the role of the justice system and state because it failed to adopt adequate measures that could promote positive behavior in African-American youth. Strict penalties have adverse impacts on the personality development of blacks. The involvement of Jeff in the organization strengthened the platform for crimes. More black people entered the organization under Jeff’s supervision and adopted the criminal lifestyle.

Work Cited

Wilmot, Patrick. "THE ROLE OF VIOLENCE IN THE WORKS OF WRIGHT AND FANON." The Black Scholar 39.2 (2009).

LATimes. Modern Gangs Have Roots in Racial Turmoil of the '60s. 1988. 21 04 2019 <https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-26-mn-8461-story.html>.