Randol Contreras came of age in the South Bronx during the 1980s, a time when the community was devastated by cuts in social services, a rise in arson and abandonment, and the rise of crack-cocaine. For this riveting book, he returns to the South Bronx with a sociological eye and provides an unprecedented insiderÕs look at the workings of a group of Dominican drug robbers. Known on the streets as ÒStickup Kids,Ó these men raided and brutally tortured drug dealers storing large amounts of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and cash. As a participant observer, Randol Contreras offers both a personal and theoretical account for the rise of the Stickup Kids and their violence. He mainly focuses on the lives of neighborhood friends, who went from being crack dealers to drug robbers once their lucrative crack market opportunities disappeared. The result is a stunning, vivid, on-the-ground ethnographic description of a drug robberyÕs violence, the drug market high life, the criminal life course, and the eventual pain and suffering experienced by the casualties of the Crack Era. Provocative and eye-opening, The Stickup Kids urges us to explore the ravages of the drug trade through weaving history, biography, social structure, and drug market forces. It offers a revelatory explanation for drug market violence by masterfully uncovering the hidden social forces that produce violent and self-destructive individuals. Part memoir, part penetrating analysis, this book is engaging, personal, deeply informed, and entirely absorbing.

Randol Contreras came of age in the South Bronx during the 1980s, a time when the community was devastated by cuts in social services, a rise in arson and abandonment, and the rise of crack-cocaine. For this riveting book, he returns to the South Bronx with a sociological eye and provides an unprecedented insider’s look at the workings of a group of Dominican drug robbers. Known on the streets as “Stickup Kids,” these men raided and brutally tortured drug dealers storing large amounts of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and cash. As a participant observer, Randol Contreras offers both a personal and theoretical account for the rise of the Stickup Kids and their violence. He mainly focuses on the lives of neighborhood friends, who went from being crack dealers to drug robbers once their lucrative crack market opportunities disappeared. The result is a stunning, vivid, on-the-ground ethnographic description of a drug robbery’s violence, the drug market high life, the criminal life course, and the eventual pain and suffering experienced by the casualties of the Crack Era. Provocative and eye-opening, The Stickup Kids urges us to explore the ravages of the drug trade through weaving history, biography, social structure, and drug market forces. It offers a revelatory explanation for drug market violence by masterfully uncovering the hidden social forces that produce violent and self-destructive individuals. Part memoir, part penetrating analysis, this book is engaging, personal, deeply informed, and entirely absorbing.

Randol Contreras came of age in the South Bronx during the 1980s, a time when the community was devastated by cuts in social services, a rise in arson and abandonment, and the rise of crack-cocaine. For this riveting book, he returns to the South Bronx with a sociological eye and provides an unprecedented insider’s look at the workings of a group of Dominican drug robbers. Known on the streets as "Stickup Kids," these men raided and brutally tortured drug dealers storing large amounts of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and cash. As a participant observer, Randol Contreras offers both a personal and theoretical account for the rise of the Stickup Kids and their violence. He mainly focuses on the lives of neighborhood friends, who went from being crack dealers to drug robbers once their lucrative crack market opportunities disappeared. The result is a stunning, vivid, on-the-ground ethnographic description of a drug robbery’s violence, the drug market high life, the criminal life course, and the eventual pain and suffering experienced by the casualties of the Crack Era. Provocative and eye-opening, The Stickup Kids urges us to explore the ravages of the drug trade through weaving history, biography, social structure, and drug market forces. It offers a revelatory explanation for drug market violence by masterfully uncovering the hidden social forces that produce violent and self-destructive individuals. Part memoir, part penetrating analysis, this book is engaging, personal, deeply informed, and entirely absorbing.

Have you ever been picked on at school, bossed around, blamed for things you didn't do, or treated unfairly? This book can help. It shows you how to stick up for yourself with other kids, big sisters and brothers, even parents and teachers. It tells you things you can say WITHOUT putting people down, and things you can do WITHOUT getting into trouble. Learn the power to be true to yourself, and feel secure and confident inside -- no matter what.

Jed is known throughout of the streets of Oakland to be one of the biggest drug suppliers in the city. While riding in his city, he and his connect, Rueben, is caught slipping. Meeka and Mickey are known in the city for hooking up with drug dealers and having them set up. Bo Bo and Nick are up-and-coming stick-up kids. They get their jobs from Meeka and Mickey, who are known for their good looks and street smarts. Throughout of the book Stick Up, it will take you through the streets of Oakland where anything goes, from robbery to murder and shootouts. This book will take you on a ride through the streets of Oakland that you haven’t been on before.

This is the first book to look at an increasingly popular form of street art: the paste-up or 'wheatie'. Many street artists don’t graffiti or stencil any more but use pre-prepared paper images that can be taken down, thereby avoiding a vandalism charge. The book shows the work of 20 artists, with photographs of their art in situ, a brief profile, and a fold-out paste-up. The fold-out pages are perforated so they can easily be removed. Some of the paste-ups are laser cut with attaching tags so they can be popped out. There's also an introductory interview with cult street artists Sten & Lex.

With Wise serving a life sentence and his crew dead Crook Ville housing projects are up for grabs and everybody wants to be the next king. Asha fresh home from prison has plans of her own and forms the Grimy Chick clique, a crew of go hard project chicks who make a living from setting hustlers up. In a hood where money, murder, and mayhem is the norm will the Grimy Chick clique last.