Now, for alternative views:
Just as the Mafia of Sicily and the Camarrata of Naples was transplanted to the United States to form the Cosa Nostra, so the emergence of especially virulent gang activity in the African- American community partially reflects the resurgence of cultural forms that had been partially suppressed under a more oppressive regime, and prior to mass urbanization. The kind of tribalism which has wracked Africa has emerged in Watts and Bed- Stuy. With the emergence of crack, the level of violence increased many- fold, as there was quite a bit of cash at stake. Now that territories have stabilized, and use has declined a bit, with most of the perpetrators either dead or incarcerated, the level of urban violence has declined precipitously....
Generally, about 50% of street crime is performed by about 6% of males between the ages of 15 and 40, of all races. After about 30, the propensity to violence and a high degree of risk taking declines sharply, and after 40 few continue in that vein. The super- predators, who are responsible for the bulk of street crime, may continue in criminal careers, but they are likely to engage in comparatively low risk activities. The primary characteristic of super- predators, besides youth, seems to be inadequate socialization. People from broken and chaotic homes, regardless of social class, seem to be more prone to such activity, for example. There appears to be a strong correlation between getting into trouble and fatherlessness.......
According to the "broken windows" hypothesis, advanced by James Q. Wilson, the move away from "community policing" had disastrous results. It used to be that patrolmen were acquainted with their neighborhoods. They could move juveniles along from street corners before there was trouble, and resolve issues before they became explosive. But the main thing is the image of the "broken window": that leaving small things to fester, like failing to repair the results of vandalism, or letting squeegee men accost cars at intersections, creates a sense of demoralization, and makes further violations of public space seem easier to contemplate, and makes the citizens in the neighbor feel as if they are "on there own". The resurgence of community policing in several cities is viewed by some as having affected crime rates as well, especially in cities like New York, which has made a major clean up effort....... |
