Book Excerpt! Views from the Streets, By Roberto R. Aspholm (introduction)

“In this path-breaking book, Roberto R. Aspholm reminds us that our understandings of contemporary gang culture remain mired in nostalgia and urban legend. Views from the Streets provides an unprecedented look at the new social dynamics resulting from public housing demolitions, displacement, and pervasive carceral control. It is indispensable reading for anyone wishing to understand contemporary gangs and for all who hope to end urban violence.”

~Cedric Johnson, author of Revolutionaries to Race Leaders: Black Power and the Making of African American Politics

In order to comprehend the changing state of gang activity in Chicago, you must first understand its history. In this introduction to Views from the Streets: The Transformation of Gangs and Violence on Chicago’s South Side, Roberto R. Aspholm gives context to the persistence and recent transformation of gang culture to set the framework for what can ultimately be done to address the situation.

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