Abstract
There has been in American history a myth that attributes virtue to small town life and evil and corruption to urban life. This myth has been on the decline in "Delta City,"* a small industrial town in California. The traditional myth allowed Delta City adults to perceive the source of deviance in their community in either external urban influences or in certain limited local groups ("hoods'). Their sudden realization that there was widespread drug use among youth constituted the first vital blow to this myth. This awareness opened a "Pandora's box," producing considerable confusion and anxiety over locat ing the sources of local deviance. The community's confusion and fear were reflected in its response to youthful drug use and crime.
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