The Circle of Guilt
Contributors: William Bush (Introduction)
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Published: April 2007
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 211
ISBN-13: 9781578069835
Subjects: Criminals & Outlaws; Media Studies; Murder - General; Developmental - Adolescent; Popular Culture - General; Social Science; Biography / Autobiography; Biography; Gang members; Murderers; New York; New York (State); Puerto Rican youth; Sociology
Description: This volume exposes the facts behind one of America's most shocking murders -- the story of Frank Santana, the so-called "hoodlum" who killed so-called "model-boy" Billy Blankenship. Santana, a fatherless boy from Puerto Rico, joined a stick-ball group which evolved into a gang for self-protection. Prejudice in the neighborhood was strong. What was not generally known, however, was that the victim was also a member of a gang who made a practice of beating up Puerto Ricans. The author, a noted psychiatrist who was asked to examine Santana by the defense, describes the events, the background and much data not heard in court. He argues that the media's presentation of the case reflected extreme cultural bigotry and ultimate legal bias against Santana. The author also concludes that people in general were beginning to feel less and less responsible for their actions, and that this was causing more violent crime in America. He suggested that comics and the mass media were contributing to this.