Female participation in gangs is not a new phenomenon. In fact, “girls have been a part of gangs since the earliest accounts from New York in the early 1800s”. However, throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, female gang activity has seen the sharpest increase in participation, especially in comparison to boys.
For example, a study found that there had been a, “50 percent increase in serious crimes by teenage gins between 1968 and 1974, compared to a 10 percent increase for boys”. In addition, arrests of girls under 18 for violent crimes rose 393 percent between 1960 and 1978, compared to 82 percent for boys” Also, compared to 1950, “youth gangs of the 1980’s and 1990’s are more numerous, more prevalent, and more violent than in the 1950’s, probably more than at any time in the country’s history”.
I remember being in high school and staying away from the violence. I remember seeing guys chased down the streets with machetes, hearing about fights being organised, and seeing people I would have called friends getting seriously hurt or injured as part of this.
Back then it was about Gang Pride, wearing a colour or being of a certain ethnicity and having issues with other ethnicities. It felt like it was always between the Asian or Middle Eastern groups. This evolved to also include the Islanders (Tongans/Kiwis/Samoans).
None of this ever impacted me directly, although the things I saw and stories I heard still stick with me to this day.
The interesting thing that I remember is that the violence never…
Rappers spit a lot of falsehoods in their rhymes for entertainment that cause controversy. Such was the case when Miami rapper Rick Ross likened himself to Big Meech and Larry Hoover on his Blowing Money Fast music single. While the culture regarded the reference as legendary, members of the Hoover family regarded it as completely disrespectful.
American crime figures such as Big Meech and Larry Hoover are often times glamorized by the Hip Hop community for their drug dealing histories but to the family of Larry Hoover the reference negatively impacted their mission to overcome the stigma attached to their name.
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The Hoover camp caught up with the self proclaimed Teflon Don during a trip to Chicago and explained why the name drop was an unwanted one.
Ross maintained that his mention of Hoover was homage to Hoover whom he viewed a political prisoner. Hoover’s camp believe the name referenced alongside drugs and violence and continued to glorify the lifestyle that the former gang leader now denounces.
According to RubyHornet, Jim Allen states:
“Hoover is very remorseful for the things that he’s done as well things done through the street organization. A lot of that goes back to him and we’re trying to change that around and push peace instead of negativity. Larry Hoover Jr. and Jim Allen are pushing peace. That’s the message Larry Hoover is pushing. When his name is mentioned in songs connected to crime, it tarnishes what we’re doing out in the street. There are people all over the country that hear Rick Ross’ music and when he mentions Hoover’s name he makes it seem that this is the life they’re living in the present, which they’re not.”
Allen, just like Larry Hoover Jr. as well as Gator Bradley, were all taken aback by Ross’ reference. Most importantly, they felt that Ross brought up Hoover’s name out of context, linking with a lifestyle he no longer lives nor supports.
Larry Hoover Jr. shared Allen’s sentiments:
“[the reference] is a big deal because he didn’t contact anybody before he did it. It was the fact that he was associating his name in a bad light. He came to town and we reached out to him to right the situation… As long as everyone is a man of their word, everything is fine. He got the understanding that it’s not good to use [Hoover’s] name in the context that he used it. That’s as far away from where we are as ever.”
Hoover has been incarcerated since 1973. He is currently held in Florence, Co under maximum security.
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