A Comparative Analysis of the Lived Experiences of West and East Coast Gang Members

• In Event: Integrating Perspectives: Developing a multi-faceted understanding of community violence and safety

Abstract

Drawing from critical ethnography and semi-structured interviews with Black and Latino male gang members from the West and East Coast, this study seeks to examine participant’s experiences with community and structural violence. In addition, this study unpacks how the juvenile justice system and adult criminal justice system serve as institutions of oppression that harm minoritized gang members and their communities. Close attention will be paid to participant’s definitions of gangs, and how gangs provide protection, support, and meaning for marginalized gang members.

Author

• Sean Wilson, Farmingdale State College SUNY