NCJ Number
147771
Date Published
1981
Length
181 pages
Annotation
This study examines, from a sociohistorical perspective, Mexicano and Chicano youth gangs operating in the Los Angeles area. By focusing on the period between 1941 and 1943, the study chronicles the creation of a social phenomenon by explaining how and why it was created and subsequent organizational responses that institutionalized this phenomenon.
Abstract
Prior to 1941, no one expressed any concern about Mexicano or Chicano youth gangs; however, by 1943, concern in Los Angeles about the Mexicano youth crime rates made it one of the pressing public issues of the day. This paper maintains that the image of the Mexicano and Chicano gang member was transformed from a bad one with diffuse characteristics to a worse one with specific characteristics. As a result, the public attitude toward these gangs changed while, in fact, there was no growth in the rate of Mexicano or Chicano delinquency during this period. The first two chapters provide a history of Mexicans and Chicanos in California during the first part of the century, and discuss the Servicemen's Riots which broke out in June 1943. The paper also examines the role of the police and the media vis-a-vis the Mexicano community and details the transformation in the portrayals and beliefs about Mexicano youth.