Useni Eugene Perkins's The Explosion of Chicago's Black Street Gangs

Useni Eugene Perkins is not a traditional academic, but his sociological work includes this detailed analysis of the rise of black street gangs in Chicago.

From the preface,

...as one who has worked with and observed Black street gangs for over twenty-five years, I believe I do have some insight about them. Furthermore, I believe as a Black social practitioner my insight gives a perspective on Black street gangs that has not been provided by many white academicians and social scientists. What this commentary attempts to do is to trace the evolution of Chicago's Black street gangs and identify those factors that have made many of them the violent gangs they are today. In doing so, I have tried to separate myth from fact and list critical realities we must face if we are to have a significant impact on Black street gangs. Although I do not provide solutions to the Black street gang problem, I believe some strategies for remedying the problem can be extrapolated from my commentary.

Here is Perkins's poem Hey Black Child.