In Gang Leader for a Day, Sudhir Venkatesh takes us through six years of his of life from his graduation at UCSD to his teaching job at Colombia University. Sudhir was a sociology graduate student at the University of Chicago looking for a way to better his research of the underground economics and poverty of the inner city. What he got was a whole lot more. He created friendships that will last a lifetime will simultaneously conducting his research and managing his unofficial position as the "Director of Communications" for the crack dealing gang, the Black Kings.
Sudhir was put to the test many times during his life with the gang. He has seen drive-by shootings, dragged an injured man to safety amidst a gunfight, witnessed countless drug deals as well as the inner workings of a well organized gang. Many people would have stopped long before Sudhir did. The FBI had been investigating the Black Kings in Chicago for a couple years and although they never approached Sudhir, they knew of him and his notebooks where he had been keeping all his experiences with the gang. Sudhir's car was broken into and many cops knew of what he was up to. Sudhir knew that he could get his friends arrested side with the cops but after he saw the ways the crooked cops got their share of the gang's revenue as well, he realized that no matter what he does, drug dealing and gangs with never cease. Through his experiences, he also realized how everyone is protected by the gang and to disrupt everything wouldn't just hurt the gang, it would hurt their families and everyone living in the projects and most of the inner city. He saw balance in the projects and aside from the fact that his research has never been matched by any sociologist with regards to inner city poverty and gang life, Sudhir at all costs did what he believed in.
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