12 A. K.D.

QUARTERLY

Summary of
A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO THE GANG*
By ROBERT CHAMBERS
Gamma of New York
Boys' gangs of today are not necessarily criminal in any sense
of the term. They may lift an occasional package of cigarettes or
some other item from a store. But for the most part they do not
participate in confirmed criminal activities. Their outlets are anti-
social in the sense that they "mess up," "shank," or "stomp" other
boys and are in sonticual conflict with other gangs. When we take
into consideration, however, that almost all doors for the healthy
kind of recreation and other sufficiently mature and appealing ac-
tivities are closed to these boys, and that the boys have been afforded
no security or direction in the building up of their natural group,
we may well have our eyes open to the inherent worth of the gang.
For it fills a real need in satisfying the sense of adventure, a natural
urge of all youth. The gang gives its members something exciting
to do and the boys exult in it. Gang members have spirit, initiative
and loyalty. Too many well meaning reformers have failed to ap-
preciate the real, underlying motives of these boys' own creation.
Says Frederic M. Thrasher, "The gang is not inherently bad,
but simply lacks direction. It is a spontaneous attempt on the part
of boys to create a society of their own where none adequate to
their needs exists." The gang affords its members training in meeting
their equals, in learning to cooperate and in struggling to express
their own desiresthings not always permitted in their own families
or schools. Lacking even a semblance of real home life, with no
place made for them in their community, these boys at least have
had initiative enough to create truly "a society where none adequate
to their needs exists". Does not this prove what potentially good stuff
there is in the gangs? This is something our society has not taken
advantage of. Certain fascist countries have done a remarkably good
job of utilizing the attractions of the gang by seizing upon such
fundamental desires of youth and perverting them to their own ne-
farious desires, witnessthe Hitler youth. Let us but change the
gangs' interests away from fighting the gang on the next block or
bordering community; direct its impulses into constructive rather
than anti-social channels; and we shall find them among the most
cooperative groups in the community, healthy in spirit and desires,
*The approach given in these pages is based upon the writer's actual dealings with 11
"conflict gangs" in -New York City. It may also be used when dealing with less active
"street clubs" but must not be taken as an approach that will succeed in the case of
all gangs. All the suggestions given here have been tried and proved successful.
DECEMBER 19 4 5 13

and enterprising in the democratic way of life.

Few agencies have succeeded in doing this. Why? Simply be-
cause for the most part social agencies have not been able to reach
these gangs. For, the very attraction of the gang lies in its pos-
sesion of a "hide-out" or some place that it can call its very own
and in its independence from all outside discipline. There is a solu-
tion to this: It lies in individuals interesting themselves in going into
a gang's own neighborhood, gaining its confidence, working with it
as a group and encouraging the gang by directing it into constructive
activities. These individuals, of course, must deal with gangs of their
own race and sex. To provide at least a minimum of adult influence
and yet retain the gang's attractions of freedom must be our aim.
The readerwhoever he may be, with one or two free evenings a
week and who is young in spiritcan help solve the problem. And
we can assure him a most profitable and exciting time.
The remarks which follow are not to be taken as a program,
but as an approach based on actual dealings with gangs and gang
boys. There are no suggestions given that have not been tried and
proved successful.
Work With the Gang As a Group
That the gang boy has been brought up in an atmosphere of
antagonism, fear and suspicion of others accounts to some extent for
the strong loyalty and solidarity within a gang. Any attempt to
break up the gang formation is doomed to failure. The sense of
security the gang affords its members cannot be discounted. For, its
members will develop even more fear and hostility when that se-
curity is threatened. We should, therefore, not discard the gang
but build on it as a unit and redirect its constructive outlets into
constructive activities. The gang for study must first be located and
its confidence won before any constructive work can be done. This
is a slow drawn out process which calls for many visits, contacts and
lots of cooperation.
Suggestions
I. While winning the gang's confidence do not seek out the "cap-
tain" or leader and try to redirect the interests in the hope that he
will influence his gang. This is suicide. The gang leader in most
cases is known only to his own gang. Any attempt to discover his
identity will only lead to more suspicion of your objective. During
the earlier period of your associating with its members, the leader
will stay in the background and send his "representative" to their first
meeting. Not long afterwards, however, he .will come into the open
and politely ask why you are meddling in the affairs of his gang.
14 A. K. D. QUARTERLY

Tell him frankly that you wish to help his boys secure a clubhouse.
Although suspicious, he will commend your intentions. His con-
fidence, more so than the others, eventually must be secured. Re-
member that the activities of his gang depend to a great extent upon
his wills and caprices. Be friendly with the leader but do not overdo it.
2. Do not ask the boys' names. Tell them you do not wish
to know their names, and if you overhear what they are called do
not address them even by their nicknames. Always keep in mind
that the gang boy has been brought up in an environment of antag-
onism and suspicion-and that all you want to do is to show these
boys your interest. Introduce them to others as members of such
and such a "club".
3. At first do not ask personal questions or permission to take
their pictures. It will be a great temptation to take one and show
it to the boys in the office. Resist the temptation.
4. Never refer to gang boys as members of a ''gang". They
resent it. Always use the word "club". (What differentiaties the
gang from the ordinary street club, that is, conflict with others, to
gang boys is not especially wrong. Gang boys in borderline areas
have been brought up to resent the migration of another race into
their own community. Therefore, to fight them off or to protect
themselves when attacked is to them logical and necessary).
5. Be sure to adapt the activities you are developing to the needs
of the gang boys. Always ask their suggestions and advice in what-
ever you do that in anyway affects the gang. Do not enter into such
a project with boys unless you are willing to learn from them. On
the basis of what you have learned from these boys you will be better
prepared to understand how best to change their pattern and interests.
6. If you wish to treat the boys, take them out for a cup of
coffee and emphasize the word, coffee, so they will not adapt your
suggestion to further wants. Gang boys have appetites like horses.
We have found this out greatly to our misfortune. Offer coffee even
to the youngest; it will make them feel big.
7. Always hold something material before the gang. Show them
what they will gain from your interest and assistance. Gang boys
will never enthuse over ideas as so many "liberals" more than often do.
What gang boys want at first from you is something concretea
clubhouse or some place they can call their own.
8. In all your actions and words just be a "regular guy." If
they swear, do not show a reaction of shock. If they dislike the
local cop, ask them sympathetically why and discuss his defects with
them. At first, take on all their petty fears and antagonisms. You
DECEMBER 1945 15
will have a much better chance later on to get in your edgewise.
^\lso, do not preach about delinquency or racial and religious prejudice.
Try, however, to get in a few words on the consequences of delin-
quent acts and all forms of prejudice and what they lead to.
9. If a member of the gang should sometime become involved
in trouble and get sent to a children's court, do everything in your
power to help him. Find out, by phoning the court, who the Pro-
bation Officer is in charge of the boy's case. Contact him imme-
diatelysay you are interested in the boy's club and offer your as-
sistance. If possible, pay a visit to the boy's family to ascertain a
few of the details. Once a boy, 16 years of age or under, has com-
mitted a delinquent act, he is sent to the Children's Court in his
borough and a probation officer is then assigned to the case. These
men are only too glad to know a little about the boy's background,
especially if it comes from an objective outsider. That there exists
an adult, other than parents, interested in the boy's welfare may
greatly influence the sentence given the boy. The chances are he
will be put on probation in your charge. Your help, of course, will
make a great hit with the other gang members and will put you
high in their estimation.
10. Lastly, keep in mind that no matter how much effort you
expend you are not going to change, at first anyway, the gang boys'
entire attitude and prevent them from participating in an occasional
fight. But they will have found some new interest; their whole at-
titude will be affected by the fact that a "regular guy" has taken
time to meet them and has shown some interest in their own ^roup.
The gang will always remember this. And you can be certain that
although few immediate results will be noticed, their future activities
will be in some way affected. Some members will gain more than
others, of course.
This whole approach is comparable to that of an editorial writer.
The caption above his editorial serves to catch the attention of his
readers. His opening sentence must gain the interest of that reader,
just as you must gain the attention, then the confidence of the gang.
The rest of the editorial is written in the language of the reader,
yet puts forth a new idea. Now the newspaper editor has not the
space to carry that same editorial every day. From time to time,
however, he will put forth the same idea but in different words until
the readers are affected in such a way that they will ultimately act
upon that new idea. The outcome will depend, of course, as it will
with your gang, upon the soundness of the idea; and how much
it attracts, rests on the extent to which it n^eets the desires of the
reader and, in your case, the gang.