The Impact of Gangs on Community Life in Trinidad

• Published date: 01 October 2021
• Date: 01 October 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/2153368718820577
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

The Impact of Gangs

on Community Life

in Trinidad

Ericka B. Adams

1

, Patrice K. Morris

2

,

and Edward R. Maguire

3

Abstract

Trinidad and Tobago has more than 100 criminal gangs, some of which engage in high

levels of homicide and violence. Recent research has shown that gang members in

Trinidad and Tobago are more likely than nongang members to be arrested for vio-

lent, property, and drug crimes. As gangs continue to proliferate throughout the

Caribbean, there is a pressing need to understand the nature of these gangs and their

impact on the communities in which they are entrenched. Using data from interviews

with community members, police officials, and gang members, as well as ethnographic

observations from 10 high crime, predominantly Black communities in the Port of

Spain area, this article investigates the impact of gang violence and the role of gangs in

these urban communities. Our findings reveal the dominant nature of certain gangs

and their formidable role in controlling turf and using violence to retaliate and

intimidate.

Keywords

Trinidad and Tobago, gangs, Caribbean, race/ethnicity, gang violence, street crime,

crime, drug dealing, drugs

No legitimateemployment opportunitiescan replace the lucrative,illegitimate, gang-based

activities that the “dons,” “community leaders,” and their leading assistants now enjoy.

Griffin and Persad (2013, p. 108)

1

San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, USA

2

Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, GA, USA

3

Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA

Corresponding Author:

Ericka B. Adams, San Jose State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95112, USA.

Email: ericka.adams@sjsu.edu

Race and Justice

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DOI: 10.1177/2153368718820577

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2021, Vol. 11(4) 543–\ 566

Violent crime, particularly homicide, poses a critical threat in Trinidad and Toba-

go’s capital city of Port of Spain, with residents experiencing high rates of homicide in

comparison to the rest of the nation (U.S. Department of State, 2018). In 2005, the

homicide rates for the Besson Street and Morvant police districts, both located in the

Port of Spain area, were 249 and 110 per 100,000, respectively, while the national

homicide rate was 34.5 per 100,000 (Katz & Maguire, 2015). By 2017, the national

murder rate was 35.9 per 100,000 (U.S. Department of State, 2018). Research from

Trinidad and Tobago indicates that areas with higher concentrations of gangs have

significantly more crime and violence. Prior studies have shown that various commu-

nities in Port of Spain have disproportionately high levels of gang-related crime

(Seepersad, 2015). For instance, interviews with police officers from the Besson Street

police district reveal that the majority of homicides there are perpetrated by violent

gangs (Katz & Maguire, 2015).

Gang violence in the Port of Spain area poses specific national- and community-

based problems. First, the level of violence undermines the nation’s potential for

growth, social development, and ability to attract development financing while

simultaneously threatening human welfare and increasing the resources diverted to

security measures (Griffin & Persad, 2013). Second, the levels of violence in the Port

of Spain area make it difficult for government employees to provide consistent access

to social goods such as security and basic infrastructure (Griffin & Persad, 2013).

These community-based problems create a unique opportunity for gangs to fill some

of the roles traditionally handled by the state.

This article makes four contributions to the literature. First, it describes the conflict

between two dominant gangs, the Muslims and Rasta City, and the challenges this

conflict poses for young men in the Port of Spain area, including restrictions on their

movement and limited access to employment. Second, it outlines some of the eco-

nomic initiatives gangs implement, as well as their formidable role in controlling turf

and using violence to retaliate and intimidate. Third, it describes the important

social and economic roles gangs play in their communities due to their economic

strength and the relative absence of the state in many impoverished communities.

Finally, this article situates findings on the nature of gangs in Trinidadian commu-

nities in the larger body of empirical research on gangs, most of which has taken place

in developed nations.

Review of Relevant Literature

Gang Activity in Trinidad and Tobago

In Trinidad and Tobago, many gangs consist of 5–15 core members and have non-

members who “lime”

2

with the group and respect their claim to a designated com-

munity turf. Approximately 90%of gangs in Trinidad and Tobago claim turf/territory

(Deosaran, 2008; Katz, Maguire, & Choate, 2011; Townsend, 2009). Trinidad and

Tobago’s Anti-Gang Act No. 10 (2011) defines a gang as “a combination of two or

more persons, whether formally or informally organized which, through its

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