I learned from this documentary that Toronto East Downtown Residents Association (TEDRA), is basically a white and middle class organization that looks to gentrify the four corners. I feel that they are using their position of power-over (class and race) to further marginalize a community that has existed and the four corners for nearly forty years! So, what does this mean? In short, I feel that we have a part of the poor population that is being excluded from society and face the everyday challenges of systematically being blocked from rights, opportunities, housing, healthcare and social integration. Plus, this community is now having to deal with an organization (TEDRA) that perpetuates the fore mentioned transgressions.
As laid out in “Righteous Dopefiend”, the lumpen Edgewater homeless community is very different than what is considered to be socially acceptable today. These people seem to be living in a different world than the one most of society lives in. Many people have never gotten the chance to get an inside look on how the other side lives - a band of dopefiends who are living on the streets, but who are also living as slaves to their addictions. Each of these people have different stories and came into this taboo lifestyles in a variety of ways. The question that many of us have is how so many people got wrapped up in this alternate lifestyle.
This view isn’t just shared by the older generation as we also see the young ladies in the pool hall saying “its dead rough”, (Making Social Lives on City Road, Scene 8). This view is not shared however by the local policeman PC Bob Keohane “You can walk this area 24 hours and day and as long as you apply common sense, you know, you won’t become a victim of crime” , (Making Social Lives on City Road, Scene 6). In this scenario the losers are those who feel they can’t visit the road of a night which may lead to social inequalities, as they are missing out on what the road has to offer of a
Code of the Street In the ethnographic book, Code of the Street, Elijah Anderson, a professor of sociology at Yale University, makes some interesting and insightful assessments amid his in-depth examination of the many pertinent issues surrounding the economical, educational and social factors that exist in the urban community. These developmental conditions affect its social organization, shape the urban culture and heavily contribute to the aggression and youth violence that is so prevalent today. Some of the major problems that plague the impoverished inner city black community are that of the persistent poverty as well as the widespread violence that the young inflict on one another. Professor Anderson attempts to generally approach and address the question of why the quality of life is consistently compromised for so many inhabitants within urban communities. The book discusses that in addition to the alienation that the people who are struggling financially and reside in poor inner city neighborhoods feel from mainstream America, there is still yet another division within this confine, that is of the “decent” family in opposition to the “street” family.
Police officers must always prepare themselves for the worst case scenario in an emergency call. Officers who believe a call is just a simple matter are not prepared that puts themselves at risk in addition to the public at any given time. In this instance the subculture here is to protect and serve. What Steps Might You Take as a Police Administrator to Prevent This From Occurring It can be difficult to prevent subcultures from developing in your jurisdiction. Possibly to recognize and identify the groups that can develop and maintain a diverse staff to prevent subcultures.
It's not going to happen. But the Code is well known by all – from the chief on down. It allows some cops to operate unethically, even criminally, and it prevents good cops from stopping them.” (Quinn, 2005) Quinn claims that the code is the predominant motivator behind police behavior. Quinn also claims that there is a component of self-preservation in police using the code. It may allow them to forget some of the more horrific scenes they have experienced.
This in turn, promotes the street culture that leads to violence. It can be looked at as a means to an end, a way to survive. People of the street culture don’t know anything else so robbing, killing, fighting, and selling drugs are the only way that they could get by in their world. In Code of the streets the street people adopt this code in which they live by. They are tough and have a reputation not to be messed with.
We all decide d that police officers should have the ability to use force, but not in all situations. It is best said by John Anderson, “The difference between the quasi-military and the civilian police officer should never have enemies. Individuals may be criminals as well as, have a violent streak, but they are not enemies that should be ruined. Once that kind of language gets into the vocabulary, it begins to change attitudes.”(Anderson 1985). We as citizens of the United States ask the question is justice created equally and is justice for all?
Stop, Question and Frisk “We are going to increase the pressure on the punk kids in that neighborhood. Whenever you see teenagers hanging around on corners or outside stores, you are to stop them, frisk them, and make sure that they understand that we won’t tolerate any more noise, vandalism, or fooling around that disturbs the older people on the block. One officer raises his hand and asks a question. “Don’t we need some kind of reasonable suspicion about them being armed or planning a crime before we can do a stop and frisk search?” The sergeant responds not to worry about that. This is our version of aggressive patrolling.
As for older gangs that are organized and commit the more violent crimes, prevention usually involves getting the community to protect themselves. They can create a neighborhood watch programs, they have to be willing to advise the police of suspicious activities and not create environment where gangs can thrive. People need to believe that they have equal opportunities to succeed and educate themselves, gangs are less likely to exist. Techniques for gang interventions vary with the division that is handling the case. They all have the same goal, that is to stop gang violence.