Free lnquity- Special Issue #2: Gan,s, Drugs 4c Violence Volume 25 No. I, May I 99 7 Pore 41 OAKLAND CHINATOWN'S FIRST YOUTH GANG: THE SUEY SING BOYS Gregory Vee Mark, University of Hawaii at Manoa ABS~CT R~rdt eoncemedwlh Chinese gangs in the Unilllld States focuses on two sites, San Francisco and NewYork. Thiss=xamlnesOaklandChinatownandthedevelopmentofbflratChlnelein'vnigrantyouth gang,theSUeyStng ,durlnglhelveyearsfn:lm1968-1t73.trely=ondatatrom~IOUICIIS.-uch as inlarviewswlhganarnerranandtleld oblervations. Keytopicafor atheformationoftheSuey Sing boys, the relationship of.the youth gangs to the Chinatown social re, and the relationship between gangs in Oakland and San Franasco. INTRODUCTION (1943), traditional gang research has paid little The gang problem~ an issue of serious or no attention to the Ch~ community. c:oncem 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 linked to lm­ gangs and their activities. The American pub­ agesofChineseand 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, crime ~ gangs continue to be for non-Chinese researchers, and the political major social problems in the United States. and social isolation of the Asian American Altl)ough most Americans can trace their an­ community (Joe 1994). cestry to EU4'0J)e, the literature on youth gangs This paper explores the premise that focuses primarily on African American and Chinatown gangs are not isolated entitles, 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 historical development ofthe gang, the Hwa Chings, which means "young first contemporary youth gang in the Oakland, Chinese," originated in San Francisco Chin• California Chinatown community, 2) the •gang town in 1964. Eventually, branches of this perspedive" 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 convnunity organizations, and 4) the relation­ 1970s, due to escalating violence and ex­ ship between Chinese gangs in different sites, panded criminal activities, Chinese gangs have San Francisco and Oakland. been increasingly viewed as a major social problem in the Chinese American community METtiODOLOGY and as a menace to society-at-large. In gov­ _ ' I began Inquiring about Chineee gangs, ernment reports and the popular media, these in 1968, to understand gang members' expe­ ganga are blamed for the Increasing violence riences and why such garigs form. Oakland, in Chinatowns, shiploads of undocumented California (1960, population 367,548) was an Chinese immigranta, and the massive smug­ ideal city in which to document the develop­ gling of illegal drugs to the United States. ment of a gang. Chlnatowo was located in the Although these eouraes frequently exaggerate heart of the city, adjacent to the downtown the criminality 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 criminal activities, such Chinese groups operating In the area. Unlike as extortion, burglary, robbery, assault, and San Francisco Chinatown, with a myrtad 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 AssO­ Study of Chinese gangs broadens our ciation, the Chinese American Citizen Afti- knowledge of early gang formation and gang ance, and the Suey Sing Tong. - structure, and Illustrates how gangs can inter­ First as a participant observer, my field face with Chinatown organizations within the observations were the foundation to this study. contextofcontemporaryaocialproblems. 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 VVhyte (Padilla 1993; Patrick 1973; VVhyte 1943), the 42 Volume 25 No. /,May 1997 Specio/lssue #2: Gongs, Drugs & Violence - Free Inquiry researchers target a particular community or Chinese gangs and crime in Oakland China­ group to study. In my case, the gang rner\1bers 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 s~ Si{l9 boys. Though not a gang member, and federal law enforcement agencies regard­ I was looked upon as an educated friend Who ing Chinese gangs .~ heroin smuggling. worked for the members' welfare and needs. I Fourth, a few researchers have pub­ had access to the social benefits of gang mem­ lisped books or articles concerning Chinese bership such as intra-group friendship, but gangs in San Francisco and New York (Chin never the responaibilties, 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 marg~ a part of the group, Who could Platt 1978). Noone has studied Chinese gangs commumc.te 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, rconducted numerous informal interviews with San Francisco and Oakland REVIEW OF UTERATURE aduft Suey Sing members and the Oakland There is a multitude of youth gang stud­ Suey Sing boys, in a four and a half year period ies in the United States, most concerned with (SL!mmer of 1968 to early 1973). Conversa­ ethnic minority communities. However, there tions were held at restaurants, bowling alleys, has been a dearth of scholarly research and and the Oakland Suey Sing Clubhouse. I re­ publications concerning the Chinese gangs in corded the gist of thase conversations and the United States. VVhat little there is falls 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 hav8 conducted eight interviews. with ment gang task force reports (Bresler 1981; former Oakland Suey Sing ~ ll1d .their Posner 1988), and 2) descriptiveltheoretical aasociates. According to the authors count studies (Chin 1990; Chin, Fagan 1994; Chin, and key Informants, there went •ofticiaUy" 28 Fagan, Kelly 1992; Joe 1993, 1994; Lyman Suey Sing boys. Two were~ to be 1970; Sung 19n; Takagi, Platt 1978). part of the oakland Suey Sing boys and simul­ Some journalistic accounts gtamorize taneously were partofthe San Francisco Suey Chinese gangs and hefghten the fear of these Sing group. One resided and went to school in gangs llooding 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 8nd was considered to be an influ­ (1981) and Posner (1988), state that adult and ential gang member. IntervieWs, which were young Chinese criminals are trafficking in about 1.5 hours~. were tape recorded (with heroin. Breslefbelieves that there is an inter­ pennission) and transcribed in summary form. nationaletineseaimeconspiracythatishead­ Data collection spanned three years (1993- quartered In Asia. Posner maintains that the 1996)~ QuaHty ranged from little useful infor­ Chinese Trtads are the most powerful form of mation to full desaiptions of events and com­ organized crime in the world and coniequently munity social life. pose the most serious threat to law enforce­ Third, I examined archival sources In ment. Both charge that the Triads in Asia, the newspapers and governmental reports. From tongs 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 York, and related, posing a serious threat. Los Angeles. A study of New Yorlc Ttmes Scholarly works on Chinese gangs con­ articles on Chinese Americans over an SO­ cern two cities. Lyman's (1970) study focused year period showed an abundance of aime on San Francisco Chinatown gangs, describ­ coverage (Auman, Mark 1997). The study ing they were due to changing demographics notes that half of the coverage analyzed was and a tradition of social bandiby from China. crime-related, followed by political events He examined the development of American (25%).~olhernaws, andcullure(Auman,' bomandforeignbomSanFranciscoChinatown Mark 1997). There were only a few articles on gangs; such as the Hwa Chings and the Red free Inquiry - Special Issue #2: Gongs, Drugs & Violence Vohlme 25 No. I, May 1997 Page 43 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 strudure, crime as con­ . most other cities, Chinatown was restricted 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, rooning houses, and junk­ secret societies, the development of Chinese yards.