Racialized Identitites and the Formation of Black Gangs in Los Angeles

Abstract

This article traces the history of Black gangs in Los Angeles, California and identifies the factors that were most significant in the formation of these gangs during two waves of gang formation in the post-World War II period. The results of this analysis suggest that the racialization of Black youths played a major factor in both waves of gang formation. The more popular explanations based on economic and community deficiencies, themselves a by-product of racialization, are more central to gang maintenance and proliferation than gang formation.