14 / 24
Twice likely to be
killed in inner city
4
ULTRA PROTECTION:
Some inner cities are so
violent and isolated that youth need to be associ-
ated with a more protective group than a corner
crew. For the Kingston Metropolitan Region
(KMR), the 2005 homicide rate was 340/100,000
– and moved to 405 when police killings are
added. Most garrisons have homicide rates
exceeding 450 per 100,000 for males of
the combatant age (14-34 years). This
means that he is twice more likely to
be killed in his community than in Iraq
at full-scale war. Policing of garrisons
is primarily attacks rather than com-
munity policing, so young men have
to protect themselves from rival polit-
ical or drug gangs, as well as from the
police. Joining a gang in communities of extreme
violence is more rational than we often perceive.
Body bags are more
popular than convictions
5
LOW CONVICTION RATE
: In the most
isolated garrisons of the inner city,
conviction rate can be as low as 1 of
10. This means there is little discourage-
ment from gang activity and murder. Body
bags are more popular than conviction in
inner cities – and many young men who
have ‘nothing to live for anymore’ are not
afraid of body bags. “Live like a 100-
watt bulb – bright every day, then you
just blow!” We have to provide young
men with a reason to live in order for
them to be afraid of death. Conviction
rates must go up, too, in order for this to
become a deterrent factor.
Turf identification
equals death
6
TURF-IDENTITY CRISIS:
Whether
or not a youth is a gang member,
he is identified by the community
or turf in which he resides, and can be killed for
this reason. There is, therefore, logic to being
active – rather than being a victim for simply being
associated with an area. Only youth with strong
support systems (parents, Church, and school)
remain outside gangs and crews when their turf is
gang active, and suffer from constant attacks.
Women like bad men
7
GANGSTERS HAVE MORE GIRLS THAN
NERDS!
Petty violence is fashionable and
attractive to many women. In a number
of studies, women have expressed attraction for
‘bad men’, and many see guns and aggression as
symbols of protection and income.
PUBLISHED:
JANUARY 27, 2017