“Hoodlums and Thugs” in Boystown

Keeping It Queer
By Erica Chu

“Hoodlums and Thugs” in Boystown

“OMG, did you hear about the mob violence during Pride? Some fucking thugs got all ghetto on some people at Pride, and I hear a police officer was hurt. Those people need to take their ignorant asses out of Boystown till they can act right. This neighborhood sure has gone to shit.”

I got on Facebook and saw a picture posted of several (mostly black) people crowded around a scuffle. The comments were flooded with sentiments similar to those represented above.

I was outraged. I was horrified. And I felt incredibly sad. When crowds and alcohol mix, results are often ugly, but the public rhetoric surrounding that picture is focused completely on race, class, and a very limited vision of who is allowed to be in Boystown and a part of Pride.

Who are the “hoodlums”? Well, poor youth of color of course. Everyone knows that the South and West sides are full of them (and even up north in Uptown). That’s why all the peace-loving folks who can afford it move to places like East Lakeview, where they can eat brunch, party, and shop in a place where they feel comfortable. When other people start occupying the same space and make these respectable people feel uncomfortable, well “Uh-uh! Get these hoodlums and thugs out of our neighborhood!”

These are the times when overt racism and classism bubble up and reveal how prejudiced the community really is.

“Now wait a second, there are lots of people of color in East Lakeview who are welcomed and accepted and who are as mad about the hoodlums as whites.” That is certainly true, but take a moment to paint a mental picture of the people of color who are welcomed in East Lakeview and then compare that picture to the mental picture of people of color who are labeled hoodlums. Does the way they dress, speak, or act have anything to do with it? Yes, and that’s why we’ve got a problem. Whether it’s middle-class folks (white, black, or otherwise) who look down on “white trash” or “ghetto trash,” we’ve got a major problem with prejudice in the form of classism and racism.

We often unfairly turn to blame the people we are otherwise made uncomfortable by.

The people loitering on your favorite corner are no longer middle-class people (mostly whites) in their late twenties to mid-forties sipping Starbucks and greeting you when you walk by. Now there are poor youths (mostly of color) who are hanging around, and they not only fail to smile—they seem actually to resent you. Why do they make you feel so uncomfortable?

Because they are loud? Because they aren’t friendly? Because they resent you? Because they remind you that you are privileged? Because they aren’t as respectable as you?

Here are a few truths to help deal with the answers to those questions:
• Middle-class people tend to tolerate the noise when other middle-class people are the ones making it.
• Poor youth don’t tend to warm up to people who think they shouldn’t be around.
• Middle-class people tend to take pride in the fact they aren’t rich, and they resent the fact that much of what they have and do is considered an extravagance by others.
• People—including poor youth—need space to freely explore their gender and sexuality.
• Middle-class people tend to believe in stereotypes about poor people.
• LGBTQ people have always been criticized for not being respectable.
• Respectability is overrated.

The bottom line: Be critical of your own discomfort.

No one likes being called out for racism or classism, but denying the possibility that you could be demonstrating prejudice only confirms the fact that you probably are. This article could very well contain elements of my prejudice, and I want to be open about that possibility and willing to confront and if possible correct it. I hope the rest of the LGBTQ community can be similarly willing to explore how we need to be more critical, respectful, and diligent in pursuing a safe and just world.

I have much more to say about the “hoodlum problem” in East Lakeview, but it will have to wait until next time. Until then, let me just say violence committed by poor youth of color is a shame, but a bigger shame is the rhetorical and political violence committed against poor youth of color by a community that should seek to welcome all who wish to claim it.



Be sure to read my other posts on this topic:
Working for Safety in Lakeview: 3 Suggestions
Safety Concerns Meet Racism in Lakeview? 



Erica Chu is a student at Loyola University Chicago and is seeking a PhD in English with a concentration in Women Studies and Gender Studies. They manage the blog keepingitqueer.blogspot.com and can be reached at ericachu@msn.com.