Gang Leader For a Day

Venkatesh describes J.T. as “the most formidable person in his life” (19). A young, college-educated and ambitious gang leader, J.T. offers Venkatesh unprecedented access into the world of the Black Kings and to life in the projects. He seems to enjoy—even need—Venkatesh’s attention: it offers him a kind of validation. J.T. is adamant that the gang is a force for good in the community and his repeated references to the gangs of the 1960s suggests that he has a romantic view of himself and the role of the Black Kings. However, this does not prevent him from engaging in violence or using Venkatesh’s research to “tax” tenants more heavily. Over the course of the book, J.T. is very successful and is promoted a number of times. However, by the time that Venkatesh leaves for Harvard things have become more difficult; the FBI busts have created an atmosphere of paranoia and the demolition of Robert Taylor means the disintegration of his faction. He eventually leaves the Black Kings and takes a legitimate job, suggesting that he has become disillusioned with the gang lifestyle and no longer believes in the romantic vision of it he once created. 

Ms. Bailey is another important source of information for Venkatesh during his time at Robert Taylor and, like J.T., she is both respected and feared by the tenants there. A powerful building president who willingly engages in corruption to further her own influence, Ms. Bailey repeatedly challenges Venkatesh’s assumptions about life in the projects by forcing him to consider how external forces like the CHA affect the lives of her tenants. However, her corrupt ways ultimately backfire and she is accused of betraying her tenants. The demolition of Robert Taylor seems to result in the destruction of Ms. Bailey’s power, too. Like J.T., she seems unable to use the influence and authority she wielded in the projects outside of them. 

Ms. Mae is J.T.’s mother, a woman with whom Venkatesh forms an immediate bond. While she is a relatively minor character in the book, she challenges the way that Venkatesh thinks about life in the projects when she asserts that Robert Taylor Homes is a community. Her apartment becomes a kind of refuge for him during his time at Robert Taylor; Ms. Mae provides him with food, space, comfort and conversation. Through talking with her, Venkatesh becomes interested in how women raise families in the projects. 

Clarisse is J.T.’s cousin and a prostitute who works in the building. Her family disapproves of what she does for a living but she refuses to hide it. She works to take care of her two young daughters, although there is a suggestion that she has a drug habit, too. As well as teaching him about prostitution and introducing him to other women who work as prostitutes, Clarisse is a friend to Venkatesh and advises him when he accidentally betrays the building’s hustlers to J.T. and Ms. Bailey. 

An older man, C-Note runs a regular squat in J.T.’s building. He is also something of a leader figure for the male hustlers in the building and he and J.T. clash a number of times as the both try to assert their authority. C-Note is the one who tells Venkatesh what J.T. and Ms. Bailey have done with his research and demands that he reconsider why he’s doing his research.

Price and T-Bone are J.T.’s senior officers and best friends; they are responsible for the gang’s security and finances respectively. Price is a muscular, physically aggressive man who is well-suited to his job. T-Bone is an intelligent man who regrets dropping out of college and is saving money for tuition so he can return and finish his degree. He never gets the chance to, as not long after he gives Venkatesh the gang’s financial records, he is arrested and later dies in prison. 

Autry grew up in the projects and was once a pimp and a hustler. Now, with a young family, he is studying Criminal Justice and working as a research assistant at Chicago State University. He also works at the Boys and Girls Club in Robert Taylor, where he is emerging as an important community leader. He offers Venkatesh another perspective on life in the projects and often gives him advice.