Gang Leader For a Day

Four years into his research, Venkatesh realizes that he could get into a lot of trouble. One day, when he is discussing gang tactics with his professors, he is told to consult a lawyer. After seeking legal advice, he learns that there is no such thing as researcher-client confidentiality and that if he is ever called on to testify in court he will have to tell them anything he knows and if he hears of a plan to physically harm someone he is obliged to report it to the police. Venkatesh is shocked at first, but thinking about the legal dimension of his work forces him to reconsider his research and how he might turn it into a dissertation.

He decides that he needs to make the tenants at Robert Taylor aware of the legal issues and wants to learn more about the kinds of illegal economic activities—or “hustling”—that people engage in to survive. At first he wasn’t sure if people would talk to him about hustling, but he finds they appreciate having their work taken seriously. The tenants are also interested in learning about their competitors. With J.T. and Ms. Bailey’s blessing, he starts interviewing candy-sellers, pimps, prostitutes, tailors, psychics, and squeegee men.