Youth Gangs in Detroit

This study will provide a review of Carl S. Taylor's Dangerous Society, an investigation into youth gangs in Detroit. Taylor is eminently qualified to conduct such an investigation, coming from a "disadvantaged background in Detroit" (p. xi) himself, and advancing later to win three degrees from Michigan State University. He achieved success in private business as well.

Taylor paints a dark portrait of gang reality in Detroit specifically, and in the United States in general. Despite the fact that the author offers a number of hopeful breakthroughs in the fight against gangs and their destructive consequences for individuals and society as a whole, the overall picture is not a hopeful one. Perhaps Taylor is aware of this when, in the final chapter, after offering a number of community-oriented methods for countering the power of gangs, he concludes his book with these words: "A 19-year-old gang member commented on the life of drug trafficking: 'I'd probably be doing something if I wasn't rolling. But you know it's just part of life. You don't see nobody trying to stop us from selling dope? If people don't want it, they shouldn't buy it!'" (p. 125).

One of the solutions, says Taylor, is to be found in the home, which he calls "the starting point" in any struggle against the drug culture, "Parents and guardians must teach young people that gangs, drugs and money are not the solution to economic and social problems. Society must reinforce that message" (p. 124). D

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found social, political and economic crises which have led to the gangs in the first place. This should not be taken as a rejection of Taylor's work in its entirety, for such a work is important if we are to understand the depth of the gang problem and the appeal such organizations have for the urban youth of the country. However, it may well be that there is no "solution" to the gang problem in a sense, simply because to solve the gang dilemma may require a restructuring of society and a re-thinking of the materialistic values upon which society is based. Taylor's book is especially useful in delineation of types of gangs and members. Certainly, if the gang problem is to be effectively addressed at the community and/or the national level, it is necessary that the nature of gangs be understood as fully as possible. It is vital to understand, as Taylor points out, that gangs are no longer simply composed of wayward youth loosely gathered together to cause random trouble. To the contrary, as one "local law enforcement agent" puts it, "Dope has given these punks the means to become big operators. They've got guns, cars, fancy clothes, and plenty of girl-friends and lawyers. If they didn't have the money they couldn't recrui

Category: Government - Y