Gang Life in Two Cities

Robert J. Duran is an associate professor of criminal justice at New Mexico State University. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Colorado-Boulder and his research concerns modern-day racism and community resistance, from gang evolution and border surveillance to disproportionate minority contact and law enforcement shootings.

Robert J. Duran's brilliantly intuitive work covers the literature in the field, and then quickly surpasses it. Having lived the 'life in two cities,' he reveals the genesis of gangs as a challenge to America's structural inequality. If for nothing else, Duran should be read for his eloquent history of racism and society's role in gang formation, an uncomfortable analysis for society's Pontius Pilates. Duran should be appreciated for his insight, praised for his clarity, and lauded for his personal and intellectual courage. -- Ernesto Vigil, author of The Crusade for Justice: Chicano Militancy and the Government's War on Dissent Gang Life in Two Cities is a masterful insider perspective and analysis of gangs, policing, and criminal justice, setting a new standard for research and scholarship in the field. A must read for anyone interested in gangs, gang diversion, and criminal justice. -- Alfredo Mirande, University of California, Riverside Gang Life in Two Cities should be required reading in college courses discussing gangs. Anyone interested in gangs and how society is responding to them should read it, too. -- Nate Carlisle The Salt Lake Tribune Unique and refreshing... [Duran] offers a rich, clear discussion of both the context and meaning of gang participation. -- Elyshia Aseltine Critical Criminology ...an informative and compelling read with a unique approach to gangs. Great Plains Research The personal and empirical narrative and detailed interview excerpts that Duran offers are compelling and convincing... Gang Life in Two Cities develops a new paradigm for understanding gang formation and gang enforcement. Social Forces

• Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Researching Gangs as an Insider 2. The War on Gangs in the Post-Civil Rights Era 3. Racialized Oppression and the Emergence of Gangs 4. Demonizing Gangs Through Religious Righteousness and Suppressed Activism 5. Negotiating Membership for an Adaptation to Colonization: The Gang 6. The Only Locotes Standing: The Persistence of Gang Ideals 7. Barrio Empowerment as a Strategy for Transcending Gangs Conclusion Notes References Index