Sociology 293 Term 3 PDF

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An introduction to the sociology of gangs, focusing on the historical development of gangs in New Zealand and the methods which have been taken to control them. Lecturer: Jarrod Gilbert ...

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SOCIOLOGY 293: THE HISTORY OF GANGS IN NZ ASSESSMENT: Weekly Tests (10%): - Open after the lecture for just under a week - 5 multichoice questions - Worth 10% of the grade Essay 1 - Due 22nd August - 2000 words Essay 2 - Due 17th October - 2500 words EXAM/TAKE HOME TEST WHAT IS A GANG? - Academics have attempted to define gangs since the late 1800’s when the concept of gangs began. However, the gang definition has never been perfected. This is because definitions are often written too broadly or too narrow, either collecting unnecessary groups, or leaving out important groups which should be included within the definition. A Gang:  A structured group (of five or more people) that maintains an exclusive membership marked by common identifiers and formal rules that supersede the rules of the state. A Criminal Gang:  A structured group (of five or more people) that maintains an exclusive membership marked by common identifiers, formal rules that supersede the rules of the state, and an organizational focus on profit through crime. Incipient Gang:  A group of youths, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, with a loose structure, few formal rules, a common identifier (colours, a name, hand signals etc.), whose activities are not primarily criminal but involve (mostly) petty crimes, and who see themselves as a gang and are identified as such by others in the community 25/07 LECTURE 2: RESEARCH AND THEORY: 1898-1970 - Biological Tendency Idea, The Pioneers: Henry Sheldon: - Believed we all have an innate drive in us to engage in certain antisocial behaviors, and some cities do not allow for the expression of these behaviors, therefore gangs are formed. Adam Puffer:

Gang forming instinct is deep in the soul of boyhood. Also based on innate human drives as a direct result of inheritance from thousands of generations of savages. - As the early 1900s progressed, the biological explanations for gangs dispersed and gave way to sociological explanations. THE CHICAGO SCHOOL: Frederick Thrasher: - The founding father of gang research. Thrasher conducted a huge study of 1300 gangs. Published in 1927, universally heralded as the true beginnings of gang research. This was part of the Chicago School Tradition – getting into the field, leaving the university to do the research. - Noted that better type (wealthy) areas of the city were practically gangless – geographical component introduced - Believed that due to rapid urbanisation, immigration and high level turnover, gangs formed. Therefore areas of high social dysfunction had higher levels of gangs. - Recognised core gang members and fringe gang members - Groups would bind together and maintain cohesion through conflict with other groups – other gangs. This idea is important Shaw and McKay: - Identified that loosely speaking, you could find gangs in certain areas – the concentric circle theory, based on Park’s Zones of Transition. - Linked delinquency to gangs Taunenbaum (NY interloper) - Inspired by Thrasher - Takes the idea of cohesion through conflict a step further, believing that conflict doesn’t just come between different groups, it can come from social disapproval i.e police interactions, community group disapproval. This pressure on gangs causes them to tighten their ranks. He called this phenomenon the ‘dramatization of evil’ Edwin Sutherland – Differential Association: - No one is undersocialised, we are all socialized differently. Gang behavior is taught in exactly the same way as non delinquent behavior – you are socialized to become a gang member, it is learnt from those around you. William Foote Whyte – Street Corner Society: - Looked at traits of gangs without seeing them as universally negative. Looked into the benefits that gangs provide their members. The gang emerged because boys could accomplish more together than separately, and gave the boys involved feelings of solidarity or belonging. The boys engaged in activities, helped each other financially and discussed issues with one another. POST WAR PERIOD AND DELINQUENCY: - The era of the ‘teenager’ – widespread panic about youth delinquency, different theories established. Albert Cohen – ‘Delinquent Boys’ Strain Theory: - Society sets expectations of people, with signifiers of these successes. However, not everybody in society can achieve these expectations. When the chances of achieving such successes look slim, you get ‘status frustration,’ which makes you react. One of these reactions may be gang membership, or delinquency. Cloward & Ohlin: -

Took Cohen’s Strain Theory a step further, by stating this exists in the gang world as well – you can only become the type of gang member that your street education allows. The specific types of crimes are learned as well – opportunities in the gang realm are as limited as they are in the realm of widespread society. Walter B Miller: - The attributes to the gang are just the attributes of lower class culture distilled. The gangs have taken working class culture and distilled it down into their own. THEORY AND POLICY MERGE – ACTION RESEARCH 1960s: Stanley Cohen: - The idea of moral panic – target an issue through the media and politicians, where the response becomes disproportionate to the issue at hand. Social Conditions: - Strong culture protests forming, an engaged period. This resulted in a question of ‘who makes the laws?’ - Lull in gang research – issues moved on – youth gangs seemed to be less of a big deal, indicating the moral panic period focused on gangs as over. Howard Becker – Labelling Theory: - Book ‘Outsiders’ – A theory explaining labeling someone encourages them to keep up with this label – secondary deviation. This can be seen in the Mongrel Mob where they are labelled mongrels, and thereby they began to act like mongrels. 1970s: - Outlaw motorcycle clubs began to be studed by academics for the first time however they remain understudied. - Gangs and gender were looked at – The Girls in the Gang (Newbold) and Trust (Pip Desmond) - Definitional Debate around gangs – too broad, too narrow. Specific definitions means research can be compared and contrasted across time and geographic locales. 1980-1990s - Massive resurgence in Gang Theories, moving away from grand theories - Social and psychological influences of gang membership  Lower Level Needs: 1. Physiological Needs: Hunger, thirst, shelter, sex, other bodily needs 2. Safety Related Needs: Security and protection from physical and emotional harm  Higher Level Needs: 1. Belongingness: Affection, belonging, acceptance and friendship 2. Esteem: Self-respect, autonomy, achievement, status recognition 3. Self Actualisation: The drive to fulfill one’s potential  Push and Pull Factors: Factors which push people toward becoming into a gang and factors which pull people into becoming gang members from society. Factors which produce gang membership and gangs are incredibly well studied – we know where any why these things occur. - Multiple Marginality idea is important because it highlights to us that gangs are symptoms of wider social and economic issues. -

NZ RESEARCH: - Huge lack of research on gangs in NZ. - The research done is practical and descriptive, not looking at theory.

The 3 theories that exist come from Patched Intimate escalation: Why one incident tends to turn into a war between the gangs. ii. Gang-Community Balance: Why gangs exist in some communities and not others. There must be some tacit approval within the community for a gang to exist. This is because the people in gangs aren’t in other – they are vaguely known. Furthermore, their attitudes are not vastly different to those already in the community, eg. lower class areas are where gangs are more concentrated. However, if the gang starts to get out of line and unbalance the equilibrium, the community will push back and the gang is forced to pull their head in. iii. Blue Vision: The idea that we look at gangs in a specific way – understanding the gangs through media and political commentaries

i.

01.08 BODGIES, MILKBAR COWBOYS AND THE RISE OF ANGELS: Pivotal Changing Point: - 1959 Queen Street – the spot where young people congregated for years. Outside the majestic theatre where a group of males who called themselves the Auckland Outcasts. - Along came Jim Carrico, who began talking to them about the Hells Angels, an American gang – from this point onwards the gang scene in NZ began to form - Direct links between patched gangs we see today and groups of the 1950s from the Bodgies to the Mongrel Mob NZ in the 1950s: Economically: Far greater revenue created through fewer workers – the Korean war created a huge demand, offering further impetus for an emerging economy. Output volumes increased over 300% with value climbing hugely. This long-term economic boom lasted until the early 70s, and the wealth generated was experienced by all workers. The unemployment rates were virtually 0. Because of this, the demand put on workforce meant wages were increased significantly. This impacted on young people as they discovered if they left school they could walk into a job and earn a significant amount of disposable income – overpaid and underqualified; with no responsibilities to spend this money on. Politically: Incredibly conservative. National came into power in 1949 during the period of the cold war, with a strong fear of a nuclear war hanging over NZ. Socially: Youth had a lot of free time – the wealth created within households and technological drives freed up a lot of time. The tri-factor of money, spare time and mobility saw car and motorcycle memberships skyrocketed. For the first time, young people could be actively marketed to as they had the ability to be consumers. This was seen in movies, fashion etc. The Rise of the Teenager: Charges bought before the children’s court leapt dramatically. Bodgie: Australian term, copied the style of the Teddy Boys in the UK. For the first time, international youth trends spread to NZ quickly. Bodgie’s were characterized by long coats, shirts and ties. The term ‘Bodgie’ was a youth subculture, which gangs formed within – rather than a gang themselves. The term Bodgie became a synonym for delinquent. The Milkbar Cowboys: Formed simultaneously with the Bodgies. Trends: - Casual laborers, factory workers – tending to come from lower socioeconomic groups

Tended to come out of state housing areas and development – the problem with state housing areas was that they had no sense of community – eg. no parks, areas to congregate. The government was building state housing areas so quickly they did not have enough time to introduce adequate infrastructure; creating boredom for young people with free time and spare money, resulting in gang formation. Within this Subculture Emerged Gangs:  Important Factors: 1. Made up of young men 2. Pakeha 3. Fluid membership and fleeting in existence, the latter creating a churn 4. No real structure and few if any formal rules 5. Some evolutionary signs 6. Invisibility meant it was a ‘youth problem’ not a gang problem, blamed largely on rock’nroll ANGELS IN AUCKLAND: - The rise of outlaw motorcycle clubs begins with one club – the Hells Angels - The most obvious change with the Hells Angels was the back patch – the adoption of the back patch gave the groups an immediate sense of a common identifier. A patched member was no longer just an individual, he was part of an exclusive collective. The patch created a source of prestige and helped to create intra-gang bonds. They also distinguished gang members from others, creating insider/outsider distinctions, and importantly became akin to a logo. - Introduced a formal hierarchical structure, with leadership positions within the group, eg. President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer. This further introduced fees and rules – creating something that exists beyond its members. This was an important progression at the time because it meant the gang would last regardless of fluid membership changes, achieving longevity. - Clubhouses – physical representation of the gang, the club exists over and above its membership.  All groups that survived overtime in NZ adopted these elements, brought to NZ by the Hell’s Angels. These elements were then adopted by the patched street gangs as well, which is unique to NZ. 1960S SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CONTEXT: - Economy remains strong – full employment is maintained, wages continue to grow. So desperate are we to fill the labor shortage, that we invite migrants to the country, most notably to Pasifika people. - The political situation changes somewhat – we become far less conservative with regards to law and order, because of a partnership between the minister of justice Ralph Hanan and Robson. The duo forged an experimental manner, opening the first detention centers in Auckland in an attempt to reduce the amount of time youths spent incarcerated, youth borstal sentences were dramatically reduced, and the initiative of periodic detention was started. This experimentation was unsuccessful as the rate of juvenile delinquency continued. - Socially, things could not have changed more dramatically between the 1950s and 1960s. Fashion and attitudes significantly changed, part of broader trends which spread around the world, largely to do with international technological advantages -

eg. tv, flights, music, movies. Further, the protest movements began around a variety of different issues. - Rebellion became ‘cool’ – budding outlaw clubs raising hell in small communities, protests at universities, gang activity, the idea of ‘thumbing your nose at the state’ was cool. This crossed over with the idea of the ‘hippies’ – the idea of dressing down and wearing rough clothes was suddenly fashionable. - Free love principles of the hippies were shared by the bikers - Wider social context not only influenced the gangs, but also how they were perceived The Transformation is Complete: - By the end of the 1960s, all of the mainstay gangs that would dominate the NZ gang scene for the next 40 years were in existence MONGRELISM AND MANA: MISSED HALF OF LECTURE 4 – CATCH UP The Mongrel Mob: - Initial members dressed in peacoats and purple socks - Probably formed in Wellington first, but Hawkes Bay is generally seen as the fatherland, particularly Hastings - Significant amounts of people moving from job to job - First recorded evidence of the Mongrel Mob was found in reports from the Hastings Blossom Festivals - At this stage the groups were loose in structure, much more akin to immature groups eg. Bodgies. Had no form of structure, back patches etc – youth collection of youths flying under the same banner – the Swastika (all of the gangs flew under swastikas) This is because swastikas were offensive and outrageous in the conservative society at the time – to demonstrate rebellion - Extremely violent and antisocial – the initial core were Pakeha, but the expansion introduced Maori - Horrific violence thought to be linked to the care the men received as children in foster care and state care – sad, demoralizing, sexual abuse, violence was common - Mongrelism: The worst behaviour was seen as good and encouraged within the gangs Maori Internal Migration: CONFLICT AND CONSEQUENCE: - While groups did clash, there were as many friends and alliances within the gang scene as there were enemies – this remains complicated - 1972: A labour government was elected, headed by Norman Kirk – had a significant impacted on NZ policy reflecting the liberal views of the time; transitioning away from being a working class party; and was becoming a party for the liberal intelligential – left wing eg. uni students and academics – involved in social issues eg. Vietnam War, Apartheid, Nuclear testing. Protests on uni campuses becoming mainstream politics - Promised to take the bikes off the bikies – the first time the gangs in NZ became politicized (this didn’t actually happen, was never even implemented)

Gideon Tait – Christchurch Police Superintendent – example of the more conservative elements – wanted to crush the gangs ‘police could solve anything’ – frustrated by liberals and quick to call fascism if the police resorted to violent measures. - 1973: Blossom festival in Alexandra attended by the bikers, many were arrested but the bikers later got off on a technicality. Tait was not impressed by this, so at New Years Eve when the same biker group celebrated, Tait saw it as an opportunity to ‘get one back’ – waiting for complaints and went in with tear gas and arrested 81 people on unlawful assembly charges – a new piece of legislation. However, this law hadn’t actually been enacted and didn’t go into effect until January 1st 1974. - Tait’s suppressive approach was common to policing at the time, and could lead to cohesion through conflict – the biker federation - The Biker Federation meant the individual clubs didn’t lose any autonomy, but if they were driving through towns they had a clubhouse. Shown through a ‘bf’ logo on their vests. They also only had 1 club from each city, meaning they were the legitimate bike club from each area – none of the bike federation clubs could establish in that city. Stayed in existence for many years, only collapsed in the last decade. THE FIRST GANG WAR 1975:  Gang War: period of ongoing hostility for months. - A serious effort by one side to destroy the other. Occurred because the Devils henchmen established a chapter in Christchurch, and weren’t a part of the Bikers Federation. 1. Devils Henchmen: 15-16, scarcely out of school, came from troubled homes, didn’t initially have motorcycles or patches, didn’t wear patches unless they were on their bikes as they were strictly a motorcycle club. Got their ideas from popular books at the time, but had no idea what they were doing. 2. Epitaph Riders: Early 20s, had been around for 6 years, had battled with different groups, alliances all around the country, seen as one of the staunchest motorcycle clubs in NZ. 3. Conflict: Epitaph Riders attacked the Devils Henchmen at a pub, beginning the First Gang War. The Henchmen knew they couldn’t defeat the Riders in a one on one, so hit them only when they had an opportunity to. - August 1974: Henchmen beat up an Epitaph rider, beat up a group of soldiers, gatecrashed a party. The Epitaph Riders then raided the Henchmen’s clubhouse and the Henchmen ran. These incidents in one day caused the media to get involved, therefore the Henchmen had begun to make a name for themselves. - The importance of the media helped the gangs form their image, gaining the Devils Henchmen the notoriety that they wanted - Henchmen in the early days were talking to police and media – the Epitaph Riders outrage at this began to establish underworld rules – rules that supercede that of the state - John Hopkins: Had a problem with his bike and fell behind the pack during a Sunday Ride. The Devils Henchmen met Hopkins on the way back from their ride, forced him off the road, gave him a fierce beating and took his patch. Henchmen knocked him off his bike again and took his second patch – this was a pivot point in the Henchmen taking over. -

Prison became a badge of honor – doing time for your gang, increases mana. However, prison sentences marked the end of the first gang war with many members meeting the opposing side in prison and calling an end to the war. - Bradley Haora: NZ largest trial for defendants, 9 found guilty, sentenced between 710 years. The first big gang ‘execution’ style murder in NZ. Hells Angels: - Hells angels were locked up in a maximum security prison at a time when drug dealing in NZ began to become significant. This resulted in the Hells Angels receiving an education on how to be proper criminals, these criminal codes through classic differential association and strain theory – what was available to the Hells Angels was an elite education in crime - After they were locked up, the Hells Angels reconnected internationally through a world meeting in 1978. - This criminal education included information on how to cook and sell drugs – members became caught up in the drug trade in NZ - Heroin – exclusively banned universally for gangs - Hells Angels changed the scene by entering the criminal codes and members of the group becoming involved in profitable drug dealing - Econ...