“Protectors or Predators: Understanding Urban Gang Violence Around the World” Panel

Urban Gang Violence is widely synonymous with criminality and deviance. However, this conversation showcased examples from Pakistan, Brazil, Ecuador and DR Congo to complicate our understanding of gangs. From violent criminal behavior to service provision and community legitimacy, HFG grantees explored the sometimes paradoxical role of urban gangs and offered suggestions for mitigating the violence they inflict.

Speakers Included:

• Nicholas Barnes | University of St Andrews
• David Brotherton | John Jay College of Criminal Justice
• Adeem Suhail | Franklin and Marshall College
• Rosette Vuninga | University of the Western Cape
• Moderator: Thomas Abt | Council on Criminal Justice & University of Maryland

Watch Video Below

Nicholas Barnes is a Lecturer in the School of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews and an affiliated faculty at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies.

David C. Brotherton is Professor of Sociology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Graduate Center and affiliated with Ph.D. programs in Urban Education, Sociology and Criminal Justice.

Adeem Suhail is an assistant professor in social anthropology at Franklin and Marshall College.

Rosette Sifa Vuninga is Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of the Western Cape’s Centre for the Humanities Research in Cape Town, South Africa.

Thomas Abt is the founding director of the Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction (VRC) and an associate research professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland.

Links shared:

• Atlanta example: https://streetgroomers.org/
• Nyumba kumi example: Ndono, Phyllis Wamaitha, Nzioka John Muthama, and Kariuki Muigua. “Effectiveness of the Nyumba Kumi community policing initiative in Kenya.” Journal of Sustainability, Environment and Peace 1, no. 2 (2019): 63-67.