

Former gang member turns entrepreneur... by giving tours of LA gangs - abstractbill
http://www.npr.org/blogs/tellmemore/2010/01/cruise_la_gang_turf_for_65_wit.html

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jasonkester
I ran into a guy with a similar idea in Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa. He had
started out doing the standard Township Tour, where you go visit the slum and
take pictures of yourself standing next to poor people. Naturally, it didn't
work out so well for him. Until, that is, an Australian convinced him to
modify the tour into...

"Township Pub Crawl"

So now, he takes you into the township at night, and quickly gets several
beers into you at a few of the local government-issue-shack-turned-bar. Before
you know it, you're arm-in-arm with the local Reggae band doing their Bob
Marley covers on a beat up $5 casio toy keyboard, talking with toothless moms
and holding their babies, and generally having the time of your life.

He's booked solid every night.

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whatusername
Why does it not surprise me that an Aussie suggested a Pub Crawl? Still - from
the sounds of it - meeting the locals at a bar sound much more authentic than
the original idea.

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jasonkester
So the story goes, one time a couple tourists decided it would be a good idea
to go back to the same bars by themselves the next night. They had another
good night about the township, but were intercepted on the way home by a group
of locals that they'd been drinking with an hour earlier, who relieved them of
all their money as well as their shoes.

South Africa is a rough place.

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pavel_lishin
Instantly reminded me of this:
<http://plif.courageunfettered.com/archive/wc282.gif>

That comic was pretty prescient - which isn't terribly hard if you assume the
worst about humanity, and go on from there.

Edit: the link seems to be giving people some troubles; try mirror here:
<http://imgur.com/3NJiL>

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MikeCapone
Doesn't load for me.

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dunhamda
It seems to be checking the referrer (probably to avoid hotlinking). Copy and
paste the link.

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tpyo
No, that also doesn't work. Even going to the actual website doesn't work.

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abstractbill
Firefox cached the bad response for me. Try refreshing.

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MikeCapone
Worked now. Thanks.

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kmcgivney
This reminds me somewhat of the tours they give around Belfast, showcasing the
murals in the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods.

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zackattack
Awesome.

Also recommended is Gang Leader For A Day by Sudhir Venkatesh, whose work with
the crack gangs of Chicago's Robert Taylor homes was featured in Freakonomics.
Sudhir revealed the inner workings and social motivations behind gang
behavior.

<http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594201501/?tag=httpwwwhiph02-20>

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alttab
Freakonomics was a fascinating read! I like your book choices.

The gang's corporate structure was fascinating. One could easily draw
comparison between entry-level day laborers and the management/entrepreneurs
of large businesses.

Kudos!

