Reading Response 09/22

Reading Response 09/22

Philippe Bourgois, author of In search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio discusses the theory of the culture of poverty in East Harlem. He claims that the cultural battle for respect in El Barrio has negatively affected people’s decisions of choosing crime over the legal way to succeed. He also shows examples of structural violence that occurs in neighborhoods like East Harlem.

Ray, who owns crackhouses in East Harlem, is someone who suffers from structural violence. He drives his own cars and has a lot of money, but he does not have a driver’s license or any kind of legal identification. Without any identification, it is very hard to apply for almost anything in this country or prove that you are who you say you are. Bourgois states “He had no concept of how to deal with bureaucracies. New York City’s Department of Motor Vehicles rejected the photocopy of his birth certificate when he applied for a license, insisting that he needed a picture I.D. (Bourgois 28).” This department of the state government is responsible for providing people with their licenses and other forms of identification. He was being deprived of a driver’s license which will eventually cause him to have a run-in with the law if he ever gets caught driving without one. Ray wanted to work as a legal businessman but the “bureaucratic hoops” were keeping him from doing so. This political force has led to the structural violence against Ray who is only trying to create a legal business for himself but he can’t because he is unable to get the necessary documents he need.

We can also see how Ray has a hard time keeping some of his businesses. Bourgois states “The first legal business Ray attempted to establish was a Laundromat. He was unable to wade through the bureaucratic maze of permits, however, and gave up after a few weeks. He then bought the lease on a bodega…..but ran afoul of the bureaucracy once again and abandoned the project (Bourgois 29).” This quote conveys that Ray wanted many times to build something positive for himself but there was always obstacles that faced his way. Ray continued to suffer from structural violence when his businesses were not able to be successful. His social club was successful just until the City shut it down because it was not wheelchair accessible. There are many different types of violence that can occur. In this case Bourgois presents, the government was making it difficult for Ray to legally succeed with his businesses. Crime will continue to increase if people are not given the opportunity to do something legal and positive in their community.