San Antonio’s Barrio Gangs: Size, Scope, and Other Characteristics

Tapia, Mike

doi:10.1080/01639625.2014.977101

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Ethnocentricity in a modern Chicano gang name suggests that the group has a political conscience that is influenced by older members of their families. This also resembles the value system of the 1950s generation of San Antonio Chicano gangsters (Tapia, 2015).…”

Section: Honoring Traditions and Hybrid Formationsmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…This article is extracted from a larger research project on the barrio gangs and criminal networks of San Antonio, Texas, in a historical perspective (see Tapia, 2015Tapia, , 2017. The broader work traces the evolution of such groups to modern day, noting aspects of the Chicano barrio gang subculture that are durable over time, and aspects that have undergone changes in the face of modernity.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…San Antonio has a rich history of barrio street gang activity dating to the 1920s (Casillas, 1994;Tapia, 2015Tapia, , 2017Telles & Ortiz, 2008). By the early 1990s, its youth gang problem had become one of the worst in the nation (Bolden, 2014;Duff, 1994;Sikes, 1997;Tripplett, 1997).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modern Chicano Street Gangs: Ethnic Pride Versus “Gangsta” Subculture

Tapia

2019

Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences

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This article examines the subcultural characteristics of modern Chicano street gangs, using San Antonio, Texas, as a case study. It is informed by archival material, police data, and multifaceted fieldwork with gang members and police in that city. The result is a broad sweeping analysis of the role of various social forces in shaping the form of contemporary Chicano gangs. I find that gang migration, the social mimicry of Black gangs, and the weakening of ethnic pride have all profoundly affected modern street gang subculture. However, ethnic pride norms have not completely faded away, presenting an interesting bifurcation among modern Chicano gangs. Profiling the most violent and reputable gangs from the early 1990s to 2015 in San Antonio drives this analysis of barrio longevity versus cultural succession. This study concludes that there are “period effects” that are not well accounted for in the current literature on youth gang subcultures.

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Section: Honoring Traditions and Hybrid Formationsmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%