It’s a cold winter day in Chicago, and Hector is doing what he does almost
every day, standing on his drug spot “serving” customers. Hector,
a 19-year-old member of the Latin Kings street gang, is the son of Mexican immigrants.
He speaks Spanglish skillfully, mixed with urban slang, and wears a uniform
typical of the youth in his neighborhood—puffy coat, baggy jeans, and
meticulously clean, white athletic shoes (in a city where snow salt decimates
entire wardrobes). Hector has never traveled outside of Chicago and only rarely
ventures beyond a three-mile radius of his apartment.
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When Gangs Go Bad
Hector stands at the end of a long and familiar global commodity chain. The
little plastic bags in his palm contain $10 chunks of crack cocaine that look
like jagged, disfigured sugar cubes. By the time the crack hits the streets
of Chicago, it has been touched by more than a dozen people in three countries.
Hector has no interest in its global supply chain. His daily concerns and activities
center on a few city blocks, his aspirations reaching just as far. The majority
of Hector’s day is spent doing what other 19-year-olds do—sleeping,
hanging out with friends, trying to talk to teenage girls, playing video games,
and standing on the street corner laughing. He sells drugs for only a few hours
a day, going home with around $50 profit, little...
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