Chapter 19: The Harvest of Tares
Introduction
In this chapter, Riis discusses the "toughs," or gang members, of New York. These gangs held the largest share of criminal history in New York. Riis describes the the life of a gang member, from their childhood apprenticeships to the leadership positions of adulthood. Riis also looks at the acts of violence the gangs committed, and the motivation behind them.
Summary:
From a young age, boys from the tenements started their apprenticeships with their local gang. A growler, or mentor/recruiter, would form a partnership with a boy at a very young age. The growler taught the boy the ways of gang life, and the boy stayed loyal in their partnership for life. Almost each city block had its own gang, and though each gang was different they each had a common goal to defy the law. Each gang member had the ambition to get arrested, so they would seem like heroes in the eyes of their comrades. If a gang member conducted a successful raid he was put in good measure; if he beat up a policeman he would be given a promotion. The gangs were an awful and horrid institution of the city. Riis calls the gangs a "ripe fruit of tenement-house growth." The members were brought up in the retched conditions of the tenements, and they reflected thier poor childhoods in their gang behavior.
The gangs of New York held the largest share of the city's criminal history. Gangs mostly participated in careless and pointless acts of violence. They would assault unoffending policemen, and murder innocent civilians. It is implied that each gang member is a very tough individual, but Riis goes on to say that a member is only strong within his group. Riis walks through various gang crimes that takes place in the city.
The gangs of New York held the largest share of the city's criminal history. Gangs mostly participated in careless and pointless acts of violence. They would assault unoffending policemen, and murder innocent civilians. It is implied that each gang member is a very tough individual, but Riis goes on to say that a member is only strong within his group. Riis walks through various gang crimes that takes place in the city.