Pubdate: Fri, 23 Jan 2015
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html
Website: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Kelly Egan
Page: A2
Referenced: LIFE COURSE OF YOUTH GANG MEMBERS: http://mapinc.org/url/QnbW40uK

STARTLING REPORT ON GANG MEMBERS

In-Depth Ottawa Study Reveals They Defy Many of Our Cliched Assumptions

An in-depth study of gang members in Ottawa, based on jailhouse 
interviews that took two years, is full of surprises and shattered cliches.

Carleton University sociologist Katharine Kelly spoke at length to 16 
gang-involved young men for Life Course of Youth Gang Members, which 
was published in October 2011. Their candour was striking.

"They didn't look like typical gang members that you find, 
particularly in the U.S. literature," Prof. Kelly said this week. 
"They often came from really good families and they were actually 
supporting those families in a variety of ways. "So, that was 
staggering." Among the eye-openers: 10 of the 16 attended church 
services regularly or occasionally.

Of the six who underwent educational testing, five had learning 
disabilities. Mental illness - depression, anxiety disorders, 
post-traumatic stress - was common.

For many, fighting and physical violence was virtually unavoidable at 
school and in the community because of bullying, racism and the need 
to take a stand. "You had to deal," one youth said. It also became an 
early rung on the crime ladder.

10 of the 16 were the oldest sibling, and 13 of the 16 were 
immigrants to Canada. The countries of origin were widespread: Congo, 
Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia and Ukraine.

"The paradox of successful siblings." Many gang members had brothers 
or sisters who were thriving, at work or school.

Good manners, family duty. Some gang members said they don't drink 
alcohol, would never swear in front of their mothers, and admit they 
used drug funds to put siblings though university or "food on the 
table." It would be so much easier, said Kelly, "if they were just 
bad people. But it's more complex."

Nine of the 16 came from single-parent families and eight of those 
were headed by mothers. Only four of the 16 lived with both parents 
during their entire childhoods. Experiences of trauma were common. 
Some fled civil wars, one saw his grandfather gunned down.

Kelly was asked whether the gang members looked thuggish.

"They looked liked ordinary young men. Some guys, clearly, had had a 
rougher time than other people. But, I've interviewed murderers, and 
they look pretty normal, too."

The study, helpfully, explained how a gang is structured. The entry 
job is a "runner." This is usually a youth who knows the 
neighbourhood well and directly sells drugs while recruiting new 
customers. They tend to be flashy, reports Kelly, with cars, money 
and expensive toys.

Next on the chain is the "reup" man. He has access to drugs in larger 
quantities and oversees a system of runners, supplying them with 
cellphones. Above him is the "connect," or main supplier. This is 
where street gangs may link with biker gangs, experts suspect, who do 
the actual importing.

Kelly, who produced the study for Crime Prevention Ottawa, also 
provided a snapshot of the enormous sums of money involved in the drug trade.

One subject said he made $20,000 a month as a "reup" man, while 
another said he pulled down between $500 and $1,000 a day in the same 
job. Others reported making between $2,000 and $4,000 a week. While 
some were drug-addicted or blew the money on gambling, others amassed 
piles of cash - which explains why tens of thousands are so often 
recovered during drug busts.

The large amount of toted cash also creates the need for weapons. 
Kelly said most of her subjects carried knives and were just starting 
to traffic in guns. Today, firearms - witness the 49 mostly gang 
shootings in 2014 - appear to be the norm.

But she says there's a "tension" around owning and using guns because 
the criminal penalties are higher and gang members recognize the 
public anxiety caused by flying bullets.

"For most of the gangs, they really don't want the guns used because 
it does exactly what they don't want, it draws tons of attention."

Our notion of gang life is likely "romanticized," Kelly said. At its 
core, it's a business enterprise. "It's not the Mafia, it's not 
really the Sopranos. It works at a different level." And this 
explains why "turf" is important. Drugs can't be sold at a roadside 
stand, reminded the professor, so quasi-public places like large 
parking lots are fiercely guarded. "People need to find you."

Kelly's analysis of the city's gang response is lengthy, but briefly: 
intervention - at school, by social agencies, by parents - is siloed 
and doesn't take a "whole life" approach to motives and root causes.

The 50-page report is on Crime Prevention Ottawa's website.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom