The Code of The Street: A Social Structure for Normalcy
Throughout history, people have often cited code to which they live their lives by and these same codes have helped shape societies around the world. For some, there is a history of codes of Honor which people live by as part of societal tradition. For others, there are codes of chivalry where gender roles and roles based on status must be recognized. However, when looking at the idea of a code it is important to remember that it involves out of a necessity within a community either real or perceived by a large group of people. When looking at the code of the streets, the same kind of necessity and shaping of sociocultural norms can be seen when looked at carefully. Threw an analysis of the idea of the code of the streets, the the background of why it was first perceived to be necessary, and the impact that it has had on different groups in society, the true nature and rationalization for naming this set of understood rules as the code of the streets becomes clear.
The first thing to understand is what the code of the streets implies within its existence as a social construct and then also the factors that lead to its need by inner city groups. “Of all the problems besetting the poor inner-city black community, none is more pressing than that of interpersonal violence and aggression. It wreaks havoc daily with the lives of community residents…. Muggings, burglaries, carjackings, and drug-related shootings… are now common enough to concern all urban and many suburban residents” (Anderson, 1994). Whenever this level of violence exists within a community, leaders within the group and those citizens who want to make a change will often try and come up with a way for the official law enforcement to deal with these issues quickly and efficiently. However, within inner-city communities, monetary constraints and heavy societal stigmatization from those from more affluent areas nearby tend to make the enactment of actual legal aid difficult. The result is that the community itself will often have to come together to create its own methodology of dealing with these issues of violence in a way that is both effective and efficient since resources are not as prevalent. This is the foundation for the code of the streets because it creates a set of values by which people live. As shown in a 2010 study, “neighborhood street culture moderates individual-level street code values on violence in neighborhoods where the street culture is widespread. In particular, the effect of street code values on violence is enhanced in neighborhoods where the street culture is endorsed widely” (Stewart & Simons, 2010). However, it is also important to look at the implications on modern Intercity Society as a whole.
The second thing to understand is what the code of the streets implies when looking at modern society for those within and outside of inner city areas. As previously explained, it is often been pointed out that there is a higher level of crime, violence, and interpersonal disputes between people within the community. As a result, law enforcement has a more difficult time enforcing the legal standard set out under the judicial system which, in turn, tends to lead to even more disruptions in what would be considered a normal way of life for people who live in more affluent communities. According to an article published by Anderson in the Atlantic, the inner city code “prescribe[s] both a proper comportment and a proper way to respond if challenged. They regulate the use of violence and so allow those who are inclined to aggression to precipitate violent encounters in an approved way. The rules have been established and are enforced mainly by the street-oriented” (Anderson, 1994). When law enforcement cannot adequately maintain legal precedents and there is not the financial and monetary backing within a community to positively make changes, this code allows for a set of normalcy within the community. This does not mean that what is considered normal in other parts of society would be able to follow the same code but, instead, it was developed to create structure for a lack of structure existed. It is an interesting concept because of the fact that societies as a whole must have some sort of structure or else everything would fall into complete and utter chaos whenever something went wrong with an individual or group of people. The result is that this code of the streets not only provides a secondary support for social structure, but also it provides a sense of secondary security for people who are often downtrodden due to their economic and social position within a greater whole. “The labels “decent” and “street,” which the residents themselves use, amount to evaluative judgments that confer status on local residents. The labeling is often the result of a social contest among individuals and families of the neighborhood” (Anderson, 1999). However, it is also important to look at how how to effectively make changes when they are possible in the same areas. It is a double edged sword modern society must utilize to help those who need it but also it leads to a dispute between the way that the groups want to live and how others perceive their actions.
Anderson goes further in his book to explain the causes for the code as well as the reason that it is maintained within the community. For those who live by the code of the streets, Anderson explains that there is a perception that they need to protect their community and those within it due to the pre-existing issues of violence and disruption to the everyday way of life. However, he also goes further to explain that this creates a separate kind of social hierarchy and feta perceptions within the community that allows for people to feel as though they are doing good for those around them while also limiting the effects of violence and other negative behaviors on their own lives. As a result, it is a domino effect because one person who does not want to be a victim then protect another person who then can protect someone else by trying to help reinforce the underlying use of the code – structure. By enforcing a set of unwritten rules about violence and the ways in which people can interact with one another to give their aid to other members of the community which then allows for everyone to see the benefits at least in some small part. “At the heart of the code is the issue of respect–loosely defined as being treated “right,” or granted the deference one deserves. However, in the troublesome public environment of the inner city, as people increasingly feel buffeted by forces beyond their control, what one deserves in the way of respect becomes more and more problematic and uncertain. This in turn further opens the issue of respect to sometimes intense interpersonal negotiation” (Anderson, 1999). It also goes further because it creates a sort of counter or subculture that exists outside the communities of the inner-city. In order to help curb issues of violence and, subsequently, minimize the perceived need for the code, changes to the way society deals with disenfranchised groups must take place.
“One of the primary reasons that the code exist is to create a sense of structure and communities where there is not a sufficient amount of trust Within the group with regard to those in power and those enforcing the laws that are enacted by the government. When the legal system in law enforcement both failed to protect a community in the inner city, the code of the streets tends to be a reinforcing structure but not only as a means to help to minimize issues of violence and crime between people within the community. In truth, it also creates a way for the community to bond and come together in the face of what they perceive to be a greater issue in which they are not being protected and taken care of by elected officials that they, themselves, voted for or against. The code of the streets is a reality for countless people. This is because “this hard reality can be traced to the profound sense of alienation from mainstream society and its institutions felt by many poor inner-city black people, particularly the young. The code of the streets is actually a cultural adaptation to a profound lack of faith in the police and the judicial system. As a result, the only way to actually help eliminate or counter a street culture that supports violence it’s to help reinforce the legal standing against those individuals who commit violent act. By protecting communities who feel disenfranchised, it would allow for those attending Community to feel as though their voices being heard and feel that the government is actually taking actions to help protect them. What are the underlying principles of the United States government is the idea of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. When individuals constantly feel as though they are living in a situation which could easily become violent, they will do what they must to protect themselves. As a result, without positive reinforcement within the community, violence and a free culture that tries to help minimize this by allowing transgressions to be handled in a certain way will always exist.
In the end, the code of the streets exist as a social system to protect a sense of community and works to create a way to manage violence. It can’t prevent the violence without help, but it allows for a sense of normalcy. Therefore, until changes to help alleviate these stressors exist, it will always have a place in the communities that feel it is needed.
References
Anderson, E. (1994). The code of the streets. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1994/05/the-code-of-the-streets/306601/.
Anderson, E. (1999). Code of the street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City.
Stewart, E., & Simons, R. (2010). Race, Code of the Street, and Violent Delinquency. Criminology. 48(2).
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