Topic: South Central Los Angeles

1 chapters across the catalog

Drawing on experiences teaching in South Central Los Angeles, the guests note that 100% of the gang-involved youth they encountered came from fatherless homes. They argue that gangs provide a surrogate sense of protection and hierarchy that is missing when fathers are absent. The decline of traditional rites of passage, such as the Boy Scouts, is cited as a key factor in the vulnerability of young men to system-driven manipulation.