Emma

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

lives would have turned out differently and they would not have experienced social death or social incapacitation. #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

I think Rios brings up an excellent point about how his life changed because he was given the opportunity to learn from his mistakes. These boys needed to be given the same opportunity and actually have people around them that cared for their wellbeing. Maybe then their #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

resources to these communities in order to uplift the people and prevent them from committing crimes for survival. When will enough be enough? #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

Reading the conclusion makes me wonder how many times we are going to have to say that we need to be providing more resources in order to prevent crime and actually support these groups of people. A countless number of times I have read books about needing to give #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

believed and were often correct." #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

It's ironic that the police and authority figures in Oakland want crime to be minimal, but the way they treat these boys ultimately guided them to criminal behavior. On page 160 Rios states "as the boys came of age, and were almost always treated like criminals they #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

It's interesting to think about how the non-delinquents are constantly trying to prove themselves as innocent which ultimately impacts their relationship with their delinquent peers. The non-delinquents are in a no-win situation, which could lead them toward deviant acts #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

Which can eventually lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. This leads to an increase in crime and a never-ending cycle of crime within Oakland. #So345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

This chapter comes back around to how labels impact these kids. Even the students who behaved properly did not commit crimes, and did well in school were still labeled negatively, and once authority figures saw them this way the boys believed it. #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

On page 144, Rios explains how Jaime was a strong student receiving A's and B's but was still viewed as a delinquent. You would think authority figures would treat the kids who do well in school more positively than the kids who didn't care about their work + behave poorly #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

In my opinion, the officer's response seemed more caring for Spider than past interactions because although it was aggressive, he was trying to tell Spider that his ways of trying to prove his masculinity will only cause more harm than good. #So345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

On page 126, I thought Rios's interaction with the police and Spider was interesting. With Spider describing why he had a knife in front of the officers, it seems like it only targets him further? #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

Why do you think masculinity is so important? How would we go about changing the way masculinity is viewed in our society? Would that change the level of crime? #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

Money has a huge role in how men go about showing their masculinity. On page 132, they describe how poor men are more likely to be "violent" or "tough" to show their masculinity, while rich men make money and consume products to show theirs. #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

These boys are easy targets for officers because of their need to be "manly." It continues to reproduce this ideology of what it is like to be a man and how these boys need to appear to their peers, such as the example with Spider at the beginning of the chapter. #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

These boys continued to commit crimes of resistance because the people in authority never believed in them. These authority figures' measures made the boys feel alienated and only enhanced their reasonings to act deviantly. #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

@SydneyGso345 I also thought this. How do we, as a society, change this narrative? I feel like there is still so much judgment and stigma in the world that it makes it extremely difficult to know how to act in certain situations #So345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

It's heartbreaking to think that the system has consistently failed these boys, so out of fear, they join gangs to feel protected and secure. They should not be forced to live this way. #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

It's disheartening to think people choose jobs such as probation officers or police officers and then terrorize the youth. They do not truly care about their jobs or these kids. All that matters to them is the paycheck they receive each week. #so345

[Emma @EmmaS80516]

It's saddening to read about what happened to Spider. The police don't even understand that adding these kids to the database puts a target on their backs versus protecting them. They continue to make these kids believe there is no hope for their futures. #so345