1. Socio-Economics & Gang Culture in 1970s NYC
Rubble Kings
Socio-Economics & Gang Culture in 1970s NYC

2. What you listened to...
Ghetto Brothers – “Ghetto Brothers Power” (1972)
Willie Colon & Hector Lavoe – “La Murga” (1972)
Ray Barretto – “Soul Drummers” (1969)
James Brown – “Soul Power” (1971)
Maceo & The Macks – “Soul Power” (1974)

3. De-industrialized South Bronx, 1960s
55% unemployment rate; youth unemployment %
600K manufacturing jobs gone
Urban renewal: started moving poor from other NYC boroughs to the South Bronx
Mostly African American, Cuban, PR, Dominican, or Caribbean
Tower in a park (housing projects)
City was nearing bankruptcy (financially and politically and morally)

5. Cross-Bronx Expressway
Get from gentrified areas easier (Manhattan to Queens, etc)
Real estate was held by slumlords because nobody wanted to own property because of XBE
The Bronx is Burning (1972 Doc)
30,000 fires from
40% of Bronx burned/abandoned s
Blocks upon blocks of ruins and abandoned buildings
“Planned Shrinkage”: closing of schools/youth programs, laying off firemen and police in impoverished areas

6. White Flight & Broken Windows
300K (white) people leave for the burbs; other mostly minority groups stranded in South Bronx
Redlining led to further abandonment
Media covered and sensationalized SBX

7. 1970s Gangs of New York 11K gang members, 70% Puerto Rican
#s largely excluded girl divisions

8. Rubble Kings (2015)

9. Questions for Viewing
What was the point of the gangs and why did they form?
How did urban planning impact gang culture?
What is the Apache Line?
How did the peace treaty tie into hip hop?
As we move into next week, what are some continuities between gang culture and hip hop culture?

10. Gangs to Hip Hop Continuities:
Gang leaders became hip hop leaders (i.e. Bambaataa)
Hip hop “replaced” gang culture and gang “time”
Bricolage, or appropriation of symbols
Colors
Expression through style
Crews
Graffiti, Dance (Apache Line / Rockin)
Empowerment
Fame
Social justice and community building

11. “Apache Line” Enter, leave or mess up within the gang
Apache line is a gang dance known as the Uprock, Rocking, or The Rock
Uprocking morphed into the bboy/girl dance of “toprocking,” which are any moves that are done standing up!
Dancers from opposing crews face one another and act out violence through dance

12. Flyin' Cut Sleeves (1993) Dir. Rita Fecher (teacher at Dwyer Jr. High)
Dir. Henry Chalfant (urban photographer and dir. of Style Wars)
Former gang members and social justice, community building, etc.
“Families” labeled by media as “gangs”
Ghetto Brothers (Benjy Melendez)
Influence of Black Panthers and Young Lords