The Emergence of Latino Street Gangs in Indianapolis: Migration or Emulation?

像许多中西部大中城市一样，印第安纳州的印第安纳波利斯在过去的十年里见证了拉丁裔街头帮派的增长。这一最近的发展显然与1990年代初开始大量拉丁裔人口涌入该区域有关。本研究抓住分析帮派形成的早期阶段的机会，寻求推进对帮派形成的理论认识。该项目以两种相互竞争的观点为指导，这些帮派是如何以及为什么在中西部出现的。大多数关于帮派在新地区出现的研究都声称，这是一个“本土”问题，是当地贫困加剧和人类适应不断恶化的社会条件的结果。执法官员中常见的另一种观点认为，黑帮成员从美国或拉丁美洲的其他地方战略性地迁移，以此扩大他们的犯罪活动。研究人员将进行广泛的实地调查，在中西部一个大城市调查这一问题，并确定这些过程中哪一个最能解释拉丁裔帮派增长现象。研究小组从2004年夏天开始采访帮派官员、学校工作人员和拉丁裔街头帮派成员，并从那时起一直跟踪那里的事态发展。迄今为止收集到的证据略微倾向于移民解释，而不是本土理论。许多帮派成员声称与加州、芝加哥、纽约和几个拉丁美洲国家有直接或间接的联系。他们声称隶属的帮派都是知名的街头组织，在全国各地都有分支或“据点”。这项研究继续采访了以前和现在的帮派成员，了解他们移民到中西部的原因，以及他们是否带着他们的帮派关系或加入当地成立的团体。一旦完成，这项研究工作将产生最彻底的理解，国内和国际移民是历史上缺乏此类群体的美国城市拉丁裔帮派形成的原因。

Like many medium to large Midwestern cities, Indianapolis, Indiana, has witnessed the growing presence of Latino street gangs over the past decade. This recent development is clearly linked to a substantial Latino population influx to the region that began in the early 1990's. Seizing on the opportunity to analyze the early stages of gang emergence, this study seeks to advance theoretical understanding of gang formation. The project is guided by two competing perspectives on how and why these gangs are emerging in the Midwest. Most research on gang emergence in new locations claims it is a "homegrown" problem, a function of increasing local poverty and human adaptation to deteriorating social conditions. An alternate view, common among law enforcement officials, suggests that gang members strategically migrate from other places in the U.S. or Latin America as a way to expand their criminal operations. The researchers will conduct extensive fieldwork to investigate the issue in a large Midwestern city and determine which of these processes best explains the Latino gang growth phenomenon.The research team began interviewing gang officers, school personnel, and members of Latino street gangs in the summer of 2004 and have followed developments there ever since. The evidence gathered to date slightly favors the migration explanation over the homegrown thesis. Many gang members claim direct or indirect gang ties to California, Chicago, New York, and several Latin American countries. The gangs they claim affiliation with are well-known street organizations with branches or "sets" across the nation. This research continues to interview former and current gang members about their reasons for migrating to the Midwest and whether they brought their gang affiliations with them or joined locally-formed groups. Upon completion, this research effort will yield the most thorough understanding of domestic and international migration as a cause of Latino gang formation in U.S. cities historically devoid of such groups.