Dr. Peter K. B. St. Jean
Any serious effort to reduce gun violence in Chicago, especially homicides, needs to directly include voices of the shooters and illegal gun carriers, themselves. They are seldom included in serious discussions for solutions although they have special insights and are the main agents for change.
From 2002 to 2011, there were 4921 murder victims in Chicago, 3889 (79%) of them, shot. Hand guns were used in 97% of the shootings. What do shooters and illegal gun carriers have to say about the guns that fill our streets?
During my many years of doing field research in some of Chicago’s roughest neighborhoods, I have interviewed, hung out with, and mentored hundreds of shooters, illegal gun carriers, and other survivors of the city’s mean streets in order to better understand the causes, effects, and solutions to violence. Here are a few voices from these survivors of Chicago’s violent streets.
Why carry Illegal guns?
-“It is better to be judged by 12 than carried by 8 to the cemetery…The catching comes before the hanging, and the catching may never happen:” W.A., former mob member turned rehab worker, Black male, age 60.
-“Better have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.” O.L., former gang member turned college student and business man, Hispanic, age 32.
-“Some people carry their gun to the bathroom in case someone breaks in while they are there.” T.K., drug dealer and student, White male, age 22.
-“Fear for your life, gang affiliation, drug dealing. I carried a gun because I was selling drugs; needed to protect my drugs. Things happen and people get killed. In the game, you never trust nobody,” T.J., former gang member and drug dealer, served over 15 years, Black male, age 52.
-“The dusties [age 60-70] carry because they scared… to be robbed by younger people, younger people carry because they scared they will be hurt by other young people.” W.A., former mob member turned rehab worker, Black male, age 60.
-“The older generation failed us. There is a war out there. It’s life or death; kill or get killed; no body wants to die” R.P., former hit man with 1 bullet still in leg, Black male, age 21.
– “Turf battle: you cross over and kill one of us, we kill one of you. Whoever gets caught in the crossfire, is a casualty.” D.O., recently served 4 years for drug dealing, Black male, age 25.
-“We women in certain situations certainly have a gun, because of fear:” A.R., former gang member turned City employee, Black female, age 45.
-“Living where I’m at, and walking down the street, and seeing what I see, for me to have no gun, that would be crazy:” D.I. former gang member and drug dealer, served over 18 years for murder, Black male, age 37.
-“You are taught to go out and have a gun, you are not taught to go out and call the police, and call 911.” R.D., street hustler and burglary still healing from gunshot wound to chest, Black male, age 25.
– “Preachers sold out the community, politicians sold us out, police too corrupt. It is every male for himself to protect family: M.P., former drug dealer and hit male, Army veteran, turned youth advocate, Black male, age 32.
Where do the guns come from?
-“Mobs supply the pistols to protect their supplies. They say, ‘Don’t let people come and take our merch [merchandise]. This is what you protect it with,’ and they give you a gun to protect the CDs [drugs].”W.A., former mob member turned rehab worker, Black male, age 60.
-“Pawn shops, crackheads, people that break into other people’s houses.” T.B., active burglar, gang member, Hispanic male, age 23.
-“Mainly guns get taken from White people neighborhoods. They have lots of guns in the shoe box under they bed, in their cabinets, dresser near they beds, over the fireplace.” D.I. former gang member and drug dealer, served over 18 years for murder, Black male, age 37.
-“Police who are still gang bangers; they take guns off other gang members, and give them to you.” R.P., former hit man with 1 bullet still in leg, Black male, age 21.
-“Army, Navy, Marines—veterans who are still gang bangers. They have gun cards; they may be homeless or not; in a tight financial situation; bam. They gone go ahead and let you get a gun and go do what you gonna do.” M.P., former drug dealer and hit male, Army veteran, turned youth advocate, Black male, age 32.
-“Some people who use drugs have guns they don’t need, so they sell them…. to buy drugs. T.L., former street prostitute turned social worker, White female, age 38.
-“Outside of Chicago; any place without long waits for permit. We got maley from Mississippi.” T.J., former gang member and drug dealer, served over 15 years, Black male, age 52.
– “Anywhere where majority White folks live.” W.B., recently served 6 years for burglary and gun possession, White male, age 38.
Why are handguns so commonly used in murders?
-“Because you don’t got to see the guy after you pull the trigger.” D.I.
former gang member and drug dealer, served over 18 years for murder, Black male, age 37.
-“It’s a coward’s thing. You gone shoot, and you gone run.” R.P., former hit man with 1 bullet still in leg, Black male, age 21.
-“It’s clean, and its easy.” M.P., former drug dealer and hit male, Army veteran, turned youth advocate, Black male, age 32.
-“Cheaper, easier to get, carry, hide, and throw away as opposed to a chopper like Ak47 or assault riffle. D.I. former gang member and drug dealer, served over 18 years for murder, Black male, age 37.
How will laws affect your carrying of handguns?
-“Them laws ain’t for nothing. They gone pass these laws… in a way to deter Black people from carrying guns, and have White people carry more guns.” D.I. former gang member and drug dealer, served over 18 years for murder, Black male, age 37.
-“The way most guns on the streets get used to kill people is not by the law, so change of laws is not on the radar of how this… go down.” R.P., former hit male with 1 bullet still in leg, Black male, age 21.
Any solutions to the gunplay in Chicago?
-“Use people like [gang leaders] Larry Hoovers, Chief Malik who have a voice.”D.I. former gang member and drug dealer, served over 18 years for murder, Black male, age 37.
-“Have more jobs in the community; improve our schools..; more conflict resolution and communications skills.” R.P., former hit male with 1 bullet still in leg, Black male, age 21.
-“Stop telling people that they cannot have a job if they have a background, because…that will … put them back into violence.” D.I. former gang member and drug dealer, served over 18 years for murder, Black male, age 37.
-“Too many of us young and older [people] beefing over petty nonsense. We need to learn how to better relate to each other.” A.R., former gang member turned City employee, Black female, age 45.
-“Preachers and politicians need to stop selling us out and taking the money… that supposed to be used to develop our people and communities.” M.P., former drug dealer and hit male, Army veteran, turned youth advocate, Black male, age 32.
-“We talk about stopping the supplies of guns, but we need to focus more on the demand for guns… in our own communities. It is like we need the guns to survive to the next day.” D.I. former gang member and drug dealer, served over 18 years for murder, Black male, age 37.
– “Stop police corruption so we can trust the police we pay to protect us.” R.P., former hit male with 1 bullet still in leg, Black male, age 21.
Dr. Peter K. B. St. Jean is the Executive Director and Founder of Peaceful World Movement, an adjunct professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Governors State University and University at Buffalo Department of Sociology, and the Coordinator of Pathways to Responsible Fatherhood at Haymarket Center, Chicago. He is also the author of Pockets of Crime: Broken Windows, Collective Efficacy and the Criminal Point of View
