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Publications
Decolonizing Black Gangs: A New Theory of Black Gang formation through pursuits of economic, political, and community power
The Black community’s response to ongoing exclusions from obtaining power, explicit attacks of violence, and underlying processes of systemic racism was and is resistance. One radicalized pathway of resistance for the Black community was labeled and identified by white Americanized society as Black gangs. Synthesizing over four hundred digitized newspaper articles from The Pittsburgh Courier (1940-2010), Braun and Clarke's (2006, 2012, 2013, 2019, 2021a, 2021b) reflexive thematic approach guided the examination of contributory social factors from a Black perspective impacting the subculture of Black gangs. The findings of this research take a historical system-impacted approach by centering Black voices to understand counter-narratives in opposition to the perpetual white hegemonic narrative. Thusly, the continued application of dominant narratives reveals an iterative cycle of birth, death, and re-birth of Black gangs in the Black community. This has (re)formed Black gangs within the Black community by emphasizing the consistent pursuit of community and economic power which transcends eras and generations.
The policy and practice implications of this study are understanding crucial relational components between Black communities and the justice system. Reframing explanations of Black gangs decolonizes gang research to understand assumed behaviors. The assumed
behaviors have been deemed deviant by society for several reasons. These reasons include obtaining political, economic, and community goals which explicitly precluded the Black community by coercive state apparatuses. This work unveils the criminalization of Black communities illustrating that gangs are overtly part of the health and vitality of Black communities. Their criminalization uproots and deconstructs the order of Black life. The counternarratives developed facilitate innovative approaches for police and legal structures to engage neighborhoods of color when gangs are intertwined in the fabric of the community.
The policy and practice implications of this study are understanding crucial relational components between Black communities and the justice system. Reframing explanations of Black gangs decolonizes gang research to understand assumed behaviors. The assumed
behaviors have been deemed deviant by society for several reasons. These reasons include obtaining political, economic, and community goals which explicitly precluded the Black community by coercive state apparatuses. This work unveils the criminalization of Black communities illustrating that gangs are overtly part of the health and vitality of Black communities. Their criminalization uproots and deconstructs the order of Black life. The counternarratives developed facilitate innovative approaches for police and legal structures to engage neighborhoods of color when gangs are intertwined in the fabric of the community.
Courts in Crisis: Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Eviction Court in Georgia
There’s a common quip in Georgia – the fact that the state has 159 counties means there are 159 different ways to do just about anything having to do with local governance. Perhaps surprising for a state its size, Georgia’s abnormally high number of counties is second only to Texas, and nearly three times that of California.1 In addition to its fragmented local government structure, Georgia’s state court system is decentralized, meaning that the state’s more than 900 trial-level courts all function in a slightly different way. Although under normal circumstances this might cause confusion for litigants, frustrate researchers attempting to collect and analyze statewide data, or pose an obstacle for those attempting to implement statewide reform, it has caused unique issues in the context of a pandemic. As courts respond to changing social conditions and orders handed down by the state supreme court, there remain stark contrasts in how courts are functioning and thus how residents can access the judicial process.
Exploring the economic and employment challenges facing U.S. veterans: A qualitative study of Volunteers of America service providers and veteran clients.
2012 Annual Report of Child Deaths in Clark County, Nevada
The primary goal of all Child Death Review Teams is to prevent future child deaths. The child death review process enables jurisdictions to come together in a collaborative, multidisciplinary forum to openly discuss detailed circumstances in an effort to gain a better understanding of child deaths. The team provides a venue for representatives from a variety of both public and private agencies as well as community organizations to share information in a confidential and non-threatening environment. The National Center for Child Death Review (hereinafter, National Center), which is supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the US Department of Health and Human Services, has developed a “Program Manual for Child Death Review”(hereinafter, Program Manual) to assist States in developing and conducting Child Death Review Teams. Many of the recommendations provided in that document have been adopted by both the State and local Child Death Review Teams in Nevada
Liberian Gangs: The Impact of American Gang and Popular Culture
While research in the United States still grapples to understand the formation and persistence of gangs, American gangs' impact and influence on other populations across the globe are astonishing. One of these places of influence, Africa, has a long collective history of social, political, and economic turmoil, creating a space for social inequalities that some would consider the foundational grounds for criminal deviance and social chaos. When providing a comparative criminological lens, gangs tend to emerge from historical trauma, rooted in poverty and fueled in growth by national and international media and cultural influences.
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