Essay Questions

Why does J.T. see himself as Robin Hood?

In the Medieval legend, Robin Hood was an outlaw who stole from the rich to give to the poor. The scourge of Nottingham, it could be argued that he was the first real socialist. J.T. sees himself in a similar vein, because he feels that he is taking from the government and giving to those who live in the projects and helping them to get out of poverty and better their lives.

Is he right? Well, not entirely. J.T.'s help involves encouraging his foot soldiers to become fully fledged gang members, commit crimes on a daily basis and put themselves in harms way every day because of the gun violence that goes hand in hand with gang membership. However, unlike the majority of gang leaders, he does care about those who work for him. For example, he insists on teen gang members staying in school, or getting their GED if they have already dropped out. He insists on a work ethic, and he rewards hard work with bonuses and promotion. In J.T.'s eyes he is running a street version of an opportunity initiative, giving kids on the project something to work for and be part of. In this way, he sees himself as a community hero rather than as a criminal.

Is Ms Bailey truly corrupt?

In short, yes. Ms Bailey is one of the more corrupt officials in the city. However, unlike many other corrupt officials, her corruption is positive rather than negative in that whilst it hugely benefits her, and feathers her nest nicely, she is not taking money away from the people she represents.

Nobody in the projects goes without because of Ms Bailey; in fact, most people are better off because she is their representative than they would have been without her. She makes sure that broken or outdated things are fixed. She makes sure everyone has food and water. She chases up services that are promised and safety precautions that are a necessity. The project is a better place because she has been a part of it.

Ms Bailey's corruption is based predominantly in the shakedown field. In this she does not vary much from J.T. and his associates. When something needs to be fixed, she takes bribes, and incentivizes the bidding process so that the contractor who pays her the most wins the contract. This can sometimes do her constituents out of the best service, because the best contractor might not be the most able. In this way she is able to build her own coffers and still deliver on the promises she has made. She is extraordinarily corrupt, but most people living on the project would not care about her corruption because it still benefits them and improves their day to day life.