Judgments were usually a fine or the return of stolen property, says urban sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh, a junior fellow in Harvard's Society of Fellows. After his release the following day, he embarked on a four-year ethnographic observation of street gangs within their community. I was interested in the very same practices, but for entirely different reasons. The street gangs, already organized and involved in underground economies, were well-placed to capitalize on the emerging crack market and became deeply involved in drug distribution. These are American youths shaped by the same sorts of aspirations that many youths have at that age.
Conspicuous consumption is central to their daily lives.
They're interested in being mobile. They're very conscious of wanting to be fathers and providers and heads of families. Although gang members feel excluded from American society and act in ways that are violent and counterproductive, they also think of themselves as citizens and want to be citizens. Venkatesh worries that his research will be viewed as an overly romantic portrait of inner-city communities. He hopes his work will contribute to a more community-related perspective on urban juvenile delinquency and teenage pregnancy, among other problems.