Real Gangstas: Legitimacy, Reputation, and Violence in the Intergang Environment

by Timothy R. Lauger

Street gangs are a major concern for residents in many inner-city communities. However, gangs’ secretive and, at times, delinquent tendencies limit most people’s exposure to the realities of gang life. Based on eighteen months of qualitative research on the streets of Indianapolis, Real Gangstas provides a unique and intimate look at the lives of street gang members as they negotiate a dangerous peer environment in a major midwestern city. Timothy R. Lauger interviewed and observed a mix of fifty-five gang members, former gang members, and non-gang street offenders. He spent much of his fieldwork time in the company of a particular gang, the “Down for Whatever Boyz,” who allowed him to watch and record many of their day-to-day activities and conversations. Through this extensive research, Lauger is able to understand and explain the reasons for gang membership, including a chaotic family life, poverty, and the need for violent self-assertion in order to foster the creation of a personal identity. Although the book exposes many troubling aspects of gang life, it is not a simple descriptive or a sensationalistic account of urban despair and violence. Steeped in the tradition of analytical ethnography, the study develops a central theoretical combinations of street gangs within cities shape individual gang member behavior within those urban settings. Within Indianapolis, members of rival gangs interact on a routine basis within an ambiguous and unstable environment. Participants believe that many of their contemporaries claiming gang affiliations are not actually “real” gang members, but instead are imposters who gain access to the advantages of gang membership through fraud and pretense. Consequently, the ability to discern “real” gang members—or to present oneself successfully as a real gang member—is a critical part of gangland Indianapolis.

Real Gangstas offers an objective and fair characterization of active gang members,  successfully balancing the seemingly conflicting idea that they generally seem like normal teenagers, yet are abnormally concerned with—and too often involved in—violence. Lauger takes readers to the edge of an actual gang conflict, providing a rare and up-close look at the troubling processes that facilitate hostility and violence.

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2012

Reviews

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Real Gangstas: Legitimacy, Reputation, and Violence in the Intergang Environment, depicts the experience and findings of, then graduate student, Timothy Lauger. Lauger completed eighteen months of field research investigating the inner workings of the Down For Whatever (DFW) Boyz, a youth gang in Indianapolis. His research started slowly, as making meaningful contact with active gang members proved to be harder than Lauger first anticipated, though he finally contacted the DFW Boyz with the help of an older, retired gang member. This book provides an insightful ethnographic study of street gangs in Indianapolis, describing how gangs develop and change with the younger generations.
This book expands our knowledge of how violence occurs within the intergang environment and the new dynamic of gangs in Indianapolis. Lauger illustrates how violence or the threat of violence can occur very quickly, such as the encounter illustrated in the previous paragraph. Lauger also highlights how the youth gangs form rivalries or, in many cases, avoid rivalries all together. For example, during his time with the DFW Boyz, Lauger discovered that these newer gangs do not have rivalries at a high frequency because most disputes were settled rather quickly. One reason they were able to do this is because of their expansive networks and high numbers of affiliations.
Lauger’s Real Gangstas also helps increase the understanding of how gossip can be used to further violence within the intergang environment. Since the new generations have adapted to their new geographic placement, gossip can be spread more efficiently within the intergang environment. This is very dangerous especially when good reputations and legitimacy are continually fought for because there exists no rubric of what makes a gang member “real”, gossip can be very damaging. These youth see violence as the best way to stop gossip from ruining their reputation; therefore, the gossip itself justifies their use of violence.
Overall, the research carried out by Lauger is eye-opening. His research in the intergang environment highlights where more research is needed while also showing the limits of collecting data on youth gangs. The book is easily digestible and laid out in a way where people beyond those involved in academia can comprehend it. It also provides first-hand accounts throughout the book to constantly remind the readers how these are not just stories but realities for many youths in these areas.