Families and Children in Pain in the U.S. Inner City

Abstract

Draws on personal experience living in the neighborhood to describe the lives of Puerto Rican crack dealers & their families in a housing project in New York City's Spanish Harlem. Life stories point out gendered violence & social suffering, as well as the importance & joy of family life. They paint a poignant picture of parents involved in the preparation, distribution, & use of crack cocaine along with teenagers working as dealers because they cannot find employment in the legal job market. The history of Puerto Rican immigration & the restructuring of New York City's economy are examined as a contextual framework for the violence, terror, & family erosion common in East Harlem. The special plight of children is explored, along with teen pregnancy as the most attractive alternative to female adulthood on the street. The mainstream media's demonization of mothers who use crack is discussed, arguing that the problem will not be solved until these mothers are understood as women searching for meaning in their lives & protesting against the nearly impossible task of raising healthy children in their neighborhood. 31 References. J. Lindroth