I think that the news clip parallels Ralph’s observations and conclusions about the gang in On the Run. Like in Mr. Otis’ view of the traditional gang, they are uplifting the community rather than leading its destruction. They denounce looting and burning of businesses, and they lead marches in opposition to the institutionalized oppression of the black community. However, while Mr. Otis’ vision involved a gang full of clean-shaven men wearing cardigans, these men in Baltimore do not have the same traditional ‘respectable’ (and, in our society, this word is often synonymous with the appearances and behaviors of white people) look. Even in a professional setting like a television interview, they still wear casual clothing and bandanas that indicate gang affiliation. They do not adhere to respectability politics by changing their appearance to something atypical of the stereotypical gang member: without letting go of deep rooted aspects of their identity, they are still able to behave like the ideal political gang.

This fact reminded me a lot of the idea of black city makers. These men wield influence that allows them to direct what goes on in their city. They attempt to end police brutality through organized protest, and they speak out against destruction of community buildings, working actively to curb violence among city residents. As we read earlier, black city makers are not often lawmakers of city officials; rather, like these gang members, they are often just residents who take steps to create change in their own communities. Anyone can be a legitimate agent of change – a city maker – even young men who proudly wear their ‘flags’.

A second aspect of the news clip that I wanted to comment on was the depiction of the rival factions/gangs uniting as a threat to the community. This misinformation is an indicator of how gangs are forced to function in the community today. Because so much fear and animosity have been assigned to the gangs by groups outside of the community (like the media), they are often painted as fundamentally destructive forces. Any action that they take, then, is seen through that lens. Even if the gangs were to attempt to work together, providing joint protection for their neighborhoods and eliminating the rivalry that often makes it difficult for students to walk home from school in rival territories, they would likely be portrayed as just a lawless, dangerous coalition. The aim of the police would be to break them up rather than encourage the consolidation, no matter how beneficial it truly would be to the community. Perhaps because of this the modern gang can no longer function the way Mr. Otis remembered it. Now so fragmented, internal as well as external factors would make it extremely difficult for the factions to come back together. And, even if they did, their value as a large, community-oriented organization might be mistaken for and/or publicized as a very bad thing for the community at large. Are gangs, then, destined to forever exist the way they do now (which is often as a very violent presence in the community) or does their identity as black city makers give them the power to unite in the name of improvement?