Before Crips : Fussin', Cussin', and Discussin' among South Los Angeles Juvenile Gangs / John C. Quicker and Akil S. Batani-Khalfani.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Quicker, John C. (John Charles), 1943- author.

Batani-Khalfani, Akil S., 1943- author.

Series:

Studies in transgression.

Studies in Transgression Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gangs--California--Los Angeles--History--20th century.

Gangs.

Gang members--California--Los Angeles--Interviews.

Gang members.

Juvenile delinquency--California--Los Angeles--History--20th century.

Juvenile delinquency.

South Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Calif.)--Social conditions.

South Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Calif.).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (464 pages) : illustrations.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Temple University Press, [2022]

Summary:

This groundbreaking book opens the door on the missing record of South Los Angeles juvenile gangs. It is the result of the unique friendship that developed between John Quicker and Akil Batani-Khalfani, aka Bird, who collaborated to show how structural marginality transformed hang-out street groups of non-White juveniles into gangs, paving the way for the rise of the infamous Crips and Bloods. Before Crips uses a macro historical analysis to sort through political and economic factors to explain the nature of gang creation. The authors mine a critical archive, using direct interviews with original gang members as well as theory and literature reviews, to contextualize gang life and gang formation. They discuss (and fuss and cuss about) topics ranging from the criminal economy and conceptions of masculinity to racial and gendered politics and views of violence. Their insider/outsider approach not only illuminates gang values and organization, but what they did and why, and how they grew in a backdrop of inequality and police brutality that came to a head with the 1965 Watts Rebellion. Providing an essential understanding of early South Los Angeles gang life, Before Crips explains what has remained constant, what has changed, and the roots of the violence that continues.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Acknowledgments

Map of South Los Angeles in the 1950s

Introduction

Insiders Become Outsiders: Methodology

1. When the South Came West

2. Assemblies of Juveniles

3. The Discovery of Gangs in Los Angeles

4. Street Group Development: A Storied Evolution

5. Slaus Angeles, Villa Fornia 90001: Gang Capital of the World

6. The Big Three: Social Class, Gender, and Race

7. Comin'-from-the-Shoulders: Ethics, Weapons, Fights, and Violence

8. Malicious Mopery on a Public Highway: Crime and Punishment

9. Unable to Embrace the Ideology: The Rise of the Crips

Appendix: South Los Angeles Sets and Car Clubs before 1965

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Photos.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based upon print version of record.

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781439921999

1439921997

OCLC:

1323251158