Martín Sánchez Jankowski

Images of street gangs in popular culture usually focus on three activities: drugs, sex, and violent crime. Yet few have examined how this idea of gang life was developed and perpetuated, creating a mythic prototype in American culture. During his many years of research on gang life in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles, Martín Sánchez Jankowski analyzed relationships between gang members and the media. In this excerpt from his book, Islands in the Street: Gangs and American Urban Society, he examines how the gang myth is employed by the media and by gangs themselves to fit each of their purposes. The business and professional constraints on producing media in the United States influence how reporters, talk show hosts, and Hollywood directors deliver stories about gangs to the...