The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation: Street Politics and the Transformation of a New York City Gang

David C. Brotherton · Luis Barrios

Mar 2004 · Columbia University Press

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From Los Angeles and New York to Chicago and Miami, street gangs are regarded as one of the most intractable crime problems facing our cities, and a vast array of resources is being deployed to combat them. This book chronicles the astounding self-transformation of one of the most feared gangs in the United States into a social movement acting on behalf of the dispossessed, renouncing violence and the underground economy, and requiring school attendance for membership.

What caused the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation of New York City to make this remarkable transformation? And why has it not happened to other gangs elsewhere? David C. Brotherton and Luis Barrios were given unprecedented access to new and never-before-published material by and about the Latin Kings and Queens, including the group's handbook, letters written by members, poems, rap songs, and prayers. In addition, they interviewed more than one hundred gang members, including such leaders as King Tone and King Hector. Featuring numerous photographs by award-winning photojournalist Steve Hart, the book explains the symbolic significance for the gang of hand gestures, attire, rituals, and rites of passage. Based on their inside information, the authors craft a unique portrait of the lives of the gang members and a ground-breaking study of their evolution.

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David C. Brotherton, a sociologist, is an associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center. Luis Barrios, a psychologist, is an associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Together they edited (along with Louis Kontos) Gangs and Society: Alternative Perspectives. Luis Barrios is assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice where he teaches courses on Latino psychology and ethnic studies. He has written several articles on gangs and he is the co-editor (with Louis Kontos and David Brotherton) of Gangs and Society: Alternative Perspectives, which will be published by Columbia University Press in Spring 2003.