Renegade Dreams: Living Through Injury in Gangland Chicago

Renegade Dreams: Living Through Injury in Gangland Chicago (2014) by Laurence Ralph is an ethnographic study focusing on Eastwood, a West Side Chicago neighborhood. Ralph is a writer, researcher, and professor at Princeton University. Originally from Chicago, Ralph earned his MA and PhD in anthropology from the University of Chicago. Renegade Dreams is Ralph’s first book, published by the University of Chicago Press. The book was influential in the fields of anthropology and ethnography. It received the C. Wright Mills Award from the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) in 2015. Subsequently, Ralph wrote two other books, The Torture Letters: Reckoning with Police Violence (2020) and Sito: An American Teenager and the City that Failed Him (2024). Ralph’s work engages with issues of systemic violence, racial discrimination, urban poverty, drug trafficking, and police aggression.

Although Renegade Dreams is an academic study, it includes elements of fiction. Ralph uses a subjective, intimate voice when portraying the stories of the residents of Eastwood. He often switches back and forth between a narrative, personal tone and an academic, analysis-focused perspective. Renegade Dreams addresses themes such as Injury as Obstacle and Source of Empowerment, Striving for a Different Life, and Isolation Versus Integration.

This guided is based on the print edition published by the University of Chicago Press in 2014.

Content Warning: The source material contains descriptions of gang-related violence, drug abuse, police violence, and suicide.

Summary

Renegade Dreams is an ethnographic study of the Eastwood neighborhood in Chicago, where Laurence Ralph lived from 2007 to 2010. The book is based on the author’s close relationships with the residents. Ralph explores the dynamics of Eastwood through stories of individuals like Justin Cone and Mr. Otis. He depicts the African American Vernacular English that the residents of Eastwood use. The narrative combines ethnographic field notes and fiction to convey Eastwood’s social dynamics, focusing on the residents’ resilience and aspirations despite difficult circumstances.

The Introduction focuses on the figure of Justin Cone, a wheelchair-bound survivor of gang violence. Ralph uses Justin’s story to explore physical and societal injuries in Eastwood, such as redevelopment and the heroin trade. Justin’s transformation into an anti-violence activist highlights the book’s themes of injury, authenticity, assistance, and dreams.

Ralph describes Eastwood residents’ opposition to a redevelopment plan that threatens them with displacement. His analysis focuses on Tamara Anderson and Mr. Otis, who resist the city’s plan of redevelopment and collaborate to build a museum celebrating Eastwood’s history, focusing especially on the gangs’ political roots. The Divine Knights Gang is at the core of Ralph’s analysis. Most of the characters in the book are involved with the gang in one form or another. Ralph discusses the dynamics within Eastwood, where residents and gang members interact in a struggle against negative stereotypes and urban redevelopment.

The text portrays the lives of young gang members at the West Side Juvenile Detention Center in Chicago, focusing on their fascination with sneakers as symbols of status within the gang hierarchy. Ralph contrasts this with the perspectives of older gang members like Mr. Otis, who appreciate other symbols of the gang, such as the cane, which represents leadership and tradition. This reveals a generational divide in the gang’s cultural symbolism. Ralph also highlights the impact of structural changes in American society on gang dynamics and the challenges that young gang members face.

Ralph then centers on a recording studio frequented by young gang members, particularly Blizzard, who tries to navigate authenticity in his rap music. Blizzard has decided to step away from drug trade and gang violence, focusing instead on selling pirated music and movies. Ralph explores the concept of “keeping it real” in hip-hop and its relationship with gang culture and drug trade (88). He also examines the global impact of the heroin trade on communities like Eastwood. Blizzard deals with tension between his gangster rap persona and his reality. However, he is arrested due to his pirating activities, which reflects the cycle of violence and limited opportunities in Eastwood. Ralph explores Blizzard’s shift toward introspection, signified by a poem sent from prison, which marks a departure from glorifying gangster life.

Ralph also examines the role of disability in the context of gang violence in Eastwood. He recounts his interactions with Justin, an anti-violence activist, and Kemo, a gang leader. Ralph highlights the experiences of African American ex-gang members with disabilities and critiques the disability rights movement for overlooking the intersection of race and disability. He explores the relationship between Justin and Kemo and Justin’s position as an activist aided by Kemo due to the internal system of a debt of honour.

The discussion of disability leads to a focus on healing and survival amidst urban poverty. Amy, an 18-year-old HIV-positive woman, learns to navigates her condition and medical treatment. Ralph illustrates the supportive role of religious and medical institutions in Eastwood, like the Healing Hearts organization and the Eastwood Community Church. The narratives of Amy and other Eastwood residents, who share their stories of addiction and disease, emphasize the resilience and community support required to manage chronic conditions.

Ralph concludes Renegade Dreams by discussing the murder of Derrion Albert, a teenager beaten to death in Chicago, using it as a lens through which to examine urban violence and its media portrayal. A video of the murder surfaced on the internet. Ralph challenges the perception of such events as isolated acts of violence, urging a deeper understanding of the social and historical contexts behind them. He emphasizes that both survivors’ and perpetrators’ actions are shaped by broader societal forces. Ralph critiques media portrayals that reinforce stereotypes without acknowledging the complex realities of urban life. He argues for a shift in focus from violence to resilience.

The Postscript reflects on a museum organized by Tamara Anderson and Mr. Otis in 2012 depicting the Divine Knights Gang’s legacy in Eastwood community development and service. The exhibit connects the community’s troubled present with its constructive past. Mr. Otis’s efforts to preserve and promote the gang’s history, despite its transformation over time, lead to a rethinking of the gang’s potential role in the community. The Postscript concludes with Mr. Otis’s death, portraying his life as an inspiration and the fulfillment of a dream to change perceptions of gang members and foster their potential for positive community influence.