FULL ARTICLE
What guts - and what luck. Others have tried to do this and been killed.
Not a lot of information in the article other than Venkatesh's aspiration but it has tickled my mind enough to watch for the book.
Gang Leader for a Day - by an Irvine intellectual
- Thread starter shesulsa
- Start date
FULL ARTICLE
What guts - and what luck. Others have tried to do this and been killed.
Not a lot of information in the article other than Venkatesh's aspiration but it has tickled my mind enough to watch for the book.
Twin Fist
Grandmaster
big pair of brass ones.
I would have to agree
Empty Hands
Senior Master
Much of Venkatesh's experience with those gangs was encapsulated in a chapter of "Freakonomics." Venkatesh was actually able to get hold of the gang's ledger books, and found out some interesting things. Most of the people involved in the gang drug trade were making less than minimum wage. Only a few people high up the distribution ladder were making anything big, and not even that was commensurate to the risk. The head honcho was only pulling down about $100K per year, IIRC.
Just to echo what EH said...
I've been following the story in Freakonomics and in web articles.
One of the things that surprised the author was how much hard work it is. It's a 24/7 management job with serious logistical, legal and personnel difficulties. The money isn't that great. The competition is cutthroat, sometimes literally. A good gang leader has to take a bunch of people who have trouble with authority and sometimes serious impulse control issues and get them pointed in the same direction and working efficiently. It takes skills and aptitude far beyond the gray-suited power-tie capabilities of mass-produced business school graduates.
If the social and economic history of this country were a little different these guys would be well-compensated managers in legitimate companies.
I've been following the story in Freakonomics and in web articles.
One of the things that surprised the author was how much hard work it is. It's a 24/7 management job with serious logistical, legal and personnel difficulties. The money isn't that great. The competition is cutthroat, sometimes literally. A good gang leader has to take a bunch of people who have trouble with authority and sometimes serious impulse control issues and get them pointed in the same direction and working efficiently. It takes skills and aptitude far beyond the gray-suited power-tie capabilities of mass-produced business school graduates.
If the social and economic history of this country were a little different these guys would be well-compensated managers in legitimate companies.
