Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology Special Collection of At1icles 29

Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology Special Collection of At1icles 29 OAKLAND CHINATOWN'S FIRST YOUTH GANG: THE SUEY SING BOYS Gregory Vee Mark, University of Hawaii at Manoa ABSTRACT Research concerned with Chinese gangs in the United States foc:uMs on two sites, San Francisco and NewYorit. Thia=aminesOakland Chinatown andthedevelopmentofbtntChinese Immigrant youth gang,~ Suey Sing , during the flveyars from 1968-1973.1 relyhuvllyondat8from ~sources such as intlefviewswilh gMg members and field obeervations. Keytopica forinveltigltion.,.theformafionofthe Suey Singboys,therelationahlpoftheyouthgangstotheChinatownsocialstructunt,andtherelationshipbetween gangs in Oakland and San Frandsc:o. INTRODUCTION (1943), traditional gang research has paid little The gang problem is an issue of serious or no attention to the Chinese community. concern to American society. Many people are Reasons include lack of interest by traditional fearful of, and many are adversely affected by, youth gang researchers, often Hnked to im gangs and their activities. The American pub agesofChinese and other Asian Americans as lic demands tougher police tactics, punish the "model minority: the difficulty of gaining ment, and prisons in response. Despite vigor access to Chinese gang members, especially ous efforts, aime and ganga continue to be for OOIH;hinese resurchers, and the political major social problems in the United States. and social Isolation of the Asian American Although most Americans can trace their an community (Joe 1994). cestry to Europe, the literature on youth gangs This paper explores the premise that focuses primarily on African American and Chinatown gangs are not isolated entities, but Hispanic gangs. are a part of, and connected to, the Chinese The 1960s witnessed the emergence of community; gangs impact community life and contemporary Chinese gangs in the United the community impacts gangs. The topics dis States. The first nationally known Chinese cussed are 1) the histol ical development of the gang, the Hwa Chings, which means "young first contemporary youth gang in the Qakland, Chinese,• originated in San Francisco China California Chinatown community, 2) the "gang town in· 1964. Eventually, branches of this perspective• onwhytheyformed a gang, 3) the group and other similar types of gangs spread relationship of the Oakland gang to Chinatown throughout America's Chinatowns. Since the convnunlty organizations, and 4) the relation 1970s, due to escalating violence and ex ship between Chinese gangs in different sites, panded aiminalactivities, Chinese gangs have San Francisco and Oskland. been increasingly viewed as a major social problem in the Chinese American community METHODOLOGY and as a menace to society-at..jarge. In gov I began inquiring about Chinese gangs, ernment reports and the popular media, these in 1968, to understand gang members' expe gangs are blamed for the Increasing violence riences and why such gangs form. Oakland, in Chinatowns, shiploads of undocumented California (1960, population 367,548) was an Chinese invnigrants, and the massive smug ideal city in which to doa.lment the ~ gling of illegal drugs to the United States. ment of a gang. Chinatown was located in the Although theae sources frequently exaggerate heart of the city, adjacent to the downtown the aiminality of the Chinese gang situation, it shopping area and the main police headquar is accurate to state that Chinese gangs are ters, and near city hall. There were no deviant involved in a variety of aimlnal ac::tlvtties, such Chinese groups operating In the area. UnHke as extortion, burglary, robbery, assault, and San Frwx:isco Chinatown, wilh a myriad of murder, that bring hardship and misery, espe social organizations, Oakland Chinatown had cially to the Chinese community. only a few, such as the Wong Family ~ Study of Chinese gangs broadens our ciation, the Chinese American Citizen Alli knowledge of earty gang form8tion and gang ance, and the Suey Sing Tong. structure, and illustr'.tes how gangs can inter First as a participant observer, my field face with Chinatown organizations within the observations were the foundation to this study. contextofcontemporaryiOCialproblems. Since In youth and adult gang studies that utilize the inception of gang studies by researchers observation as the primary methodology Frederick Thrasher (1927) and William 'Nhyte (PadiUa 1993; Patrick 1973; Whyte 1943), the 30 Volum e 30, No. 3, Winter 2003 Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology researchers target a particular community or Chinese gangs and crime in Oakland China group to study. In my case, the gang members town. Government criminal intelligence re adopted me as friend and confidant. My father ports or law enforcement conference papers was a well respected tong member who had an were of little use because of their unreliability excellent rapport with gang members. I was and lack of emphasis on Oakland. Govern also treated with respect and loyalty by the ment reports do show growing concern of state Suey Sing boys. Though not a gang member, and federal law enforcement agencies regard I was looked upon as an educated friend who ing Chinese gangs and heroiJl smuggling. worked for the members' welfare and needs. I Fourth, a few researchers have pub had access to the social benefits ofgang mem lished books or articles concerning Chinese bership such as intra-group friendship, but gangs in San Francisco and New York (Chin neverthe responsibilities, such as participating 1990; Chin, Fagan, Kelly 1992; Joe 1994; in violent confrontations with other groups. I Kwong 1987; Lyman 1970; Sung 19n; Takagi, was marginally a part of the group, who could Platt-1978). Noone has studied Chinese gangs communicate with its members. I obtained in Oakland. Only Gong and Grant (1930) and meaningful and valid information as a semi Chin (1990) examine the tongs to any signifi participant observer. cant extent. Second, I conducted numerous informal interviews with San Francisco and Oakland REVIEW OF UTERATURE adult Suey Sing members and the Oakland There is a multitude of youth gq stud Suey Sing boys, in a four and a half year period ies in the United States, most concerned with (summer of 1968 to early 1973). Conversa ethnic minority communities. However, there tions were held at restaurants, bowling alleys, has been a dearth of scholarty research and and the Oakland Suey Sing dubhouse. I re publications concerning the Chinese gangs in corded the gist of these conversations and the United States. What little there is tans into informal interviews but at that time I was not two major categories: 1) journalistic accounts, involved in any active gang research. ·Since some of which are based upon law enforce.. 1993, I have conducted eight interviews with ment gang task force reports (Bresler 1981; former Oakland Suey Sing boys and their Posner 1988), and 2) descriptivelthe! associates. According to the authors axmt studies (Chin 1990; Chin, Fagan 1994; Chin, and key Informants, there were •officially" 28 Fagan, Kelly 1992; Joe 1993, 1994; Lyman Suey Sing boys. Two were considered to be 1970; Sung 1977; Takagi, Platt 1978). part of the Oakland Suey Sing boys and simul Some journalistic accounts glamorize taneously were part ofthe San Francisc:o Suey Chinese gangs and heighten the fear of these Sing group. One resided and went to school in gangs Hooding the U.S. shores with tons of Oakland but spent a great deal of time in San drugs. Two of these accounts, by Bresler Francisco and was considered to be an influ (1981) and Posner (1988), state that adult and ential gang member. Interviews, which were yooog Chinese criminals are trafficking in about 1.5 hours long, were tape recorded (with beroin~Sntsler believes that there is an inter permission) and transaibed in summary form. nalionaiChinesecrimeconapiracythat is~ Data collection spanned three years (1993- quartered in Asia. Posner maintains that the 1996). Quality ranged from little useful infor Chinese Triads are.the most power:ful form of mation to fuU descriptions of events and com organized crime in thewortd and consequently munity social life. pose the most serious threat to lllw enforce Third, I examined archival sources in ment Both charge that the Triads in Asia, the newspapers and governmental reports. From tonga in Chinatowns, and the Chinese youth 1970 to 1988, there were articles about Chi gangs are in close contact and structurally nese gangs in San Francisco, New Yort, and related, posing a serious threat. Los Angeles. A study of New Yorlc Tmes Scholarly works on Chinese gangs con articles on Chinese Americans over an SO cern two dties. Lyman's (1970) study focused year period showed an abundance of crime on San Francisco Chinatown gangs, describ coverage (Auman, Mart 1997). The study ing they were due to changing demographics notes that half of the coverage analyzed was and • tr8dition of social banditry from China. crime-related, followed by political events He examined the development of American (25%), routine other news, and culture (Auman," bomandforeign bom San Francisco Chinatown Malt 1997). There were only a few articles on gangs, such as the Hwa Chings and the Red Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology Special Collection of Articles 3/ Guards, from the 1950s through the early waterfront and the Oakland downtown/com 1970s. mercial area. By 1880, the location of the pres Sung (19n) examines New York China ent Chinatown was established just a few town gangs using theories of social disor blocks from where City Hall is today. As .in ganization, social structure, crime as con most other cities, Chinatown was restrided to formity to explain the nature, and formation of old, undesirable, commercial districts because these youth gangs. of racial segregation in both housing and com Chin's 1990 book, Chinese Subcqlture mercial enterprises. Thus, Chinatown was and Criminality, focuses on New York China originally established in the midst of ware town gangs, examining Chinatowns, Chinese houses, factories, rooming houses, and junk secret societies, the development of Chinese yards.

Load more