The effect of gangs in There Are No Children HereThroughout There Are No Children Here , a continuous and powerful tension always lurks in the background. The gangs that operate in the cities of Chicago are at the origin of this tension. At Henry Horner Homes, according to Kotlowitz, someone is beaten, shot or stabbed because of gangs every three days. In one week, during the author's study of the plans, police confiscated 22 guns and 330 grams of cocaine from Horner alone (Kotlowitz 32). For kids in the projects, the pressure to join a gang never lets up. Cash and protection are forces difficult to resist in a world of poverty and violence. However, the role of children in these gangs is less than that of the leaders. At first glance, the concept of membership is quite attractive. According to Lafeyette, one of two brothers profiled in the book, “'When you first join, you think it's good. They will buy you what you want’” (31). However, “'You have to do whatever they tell you to do. If they tell you to kill someone, you have to do it’” (31). What Lafeyette is referring to is shockingly true. In inner cities, gangs often recruit young children to do their dirty work. Shortly after arriving, a fourteen-year-old friend of Lafayette's allegedly shot and killed an older man in an alley half a block north of Lafayette's apartment building (31). According to Kotlowitz, life in the Henry Horner Homes is to a large extent controlled. by gangs, especially conservative vice lords. Residents fear and respect the Vice Lords' control so much that they refuse to call 911 (34). Snitches can kill a resident. Although the Chicago Police Department installed a hotline number and promised confidentiality...... middle of paper ......rhyme, Social Forces, Vol. 75 No. 2 December 1996, p. 619-645.Lo, Chun-Nui, A Social Model of Gang-Related Violence, Free Survey in Creative Sociology, Vol 19 no. 1, May 1991, p. 36-43.Osgood, Wayne et al., Routine Activities and Deviant Behavior, American Sociological Review, Vol. 61 no. 4, August 1996, p. 635-655.Brantley, Gangs, Vol.63, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, May 1, 1994, pp1-8 (Article) Kennedy, Leslie and Stephen Baron, Routine Activities and the Subculture of Violence: A Study of Violence on the Street, Journal of Research on Crime and Delinquency, Vol. 30 No. 1, February 1993, pp. 88-112 (Journal)Lo, Chun-Nui (Celia), A Social Model Of Gang-Related Violence, Free Inquiry In Creative Sociology, Vol 19 No 1, May 1991, pp. 36 -43 (Journal)Shakur, Sanyika, Monster: The Autobiography of a Los Angeles Gang Member, Penguin Book Ltd., 1993