gang leader for a day.

In the book, Gang Leader For a Day, Sudhir Venkatesh explores what life is really like in the housing projects of downtown Chicago.

Early on in the chapter, Venkatesh talks about the two different kinds of sociologists, the quantative ones who rely on facts and statistics and the enthographers who use first hand approaches.

Venkatesh, dismayed with all of the mathematics that he sees going on in sociology, decided to take a different approach. Surveys in hand, he crosses the border between the nicer side of Hyde Park and the projects. When he asks J.T. a gang leader the question, "what's it like to be black and poor?" all of the gang bursts into laughter. After kicking back a few beers with him, J.T tells Venkatesh about drug dealing, shootings, different gangs and weapons. At the end of the chapter, J.T and Sudhir become somewhat friends.

Overall the chapter was long, but fulfilling to read. One part that really stuck out to me was when J.T was talking about the difference between African Americans and N****rs and about how certain black people are trying to get into white suburbia but are getting beat down by the police. The reason that stuck out in my mind was because ever since Lincoln freed the slaves (yay presidents day!) Our country has been in a back and forth civil rights battle, and even when people think that we are getting ahead, we're not. The CHA (chicago housing authority) was going to tear down the housing projects that so many people call home to make more room for apartments and condos. Things like that make me question if equal opportunity actually exsists when authorities are blocking you. Yes, we do have a black president, something that I am so happy for, but the fact that do much racism and hatred still exsists really sucks.

Venkatesh went into the projects as a quantitative person, seein groups of people as statistics and nothing more, and came out an experienced person. If more poeple opened their minds like Venkatesh did (not necessairly saying that people should hang around in the projects) that would at least make room for a lot less stereotypes.