Code of the Street

This chapter departs from the rest of the book since Anderson becomes a central figure of the narrative. Here, he tells the story of John Turner, an emblematic character for many of the aspects of the code of the street. Anderson met Turner at a restaurant he frequents, and at the time of their meeting, Turner turned to Anderson for help. From that point on, Anderson offered to help him find gainful employment, and eventually even tried to help him join the military. Turner, 21 when Anderson first met him, was already the father of four children. He had little contact with his father and had lived by the street code for most of his life, including a propensity toward resolving disputes through physical violence. Anderson took a special interest in John, who was also genuinely accepting of Anderson’s help. Eventually, Anderson helped him find a job at a restaurant, but John ended up quitting a short while later. Instead of merely lamenting John’s individual difficulties, Anderson ends the chapter by reflecting once more on the systemic inequalities that contextualize the book as a whole. Anderson writes, “many of these young men and their female counterparts are being written off by mainstream society, a truth they know full well. And the world is poorer for their loss” (289).

This chapter is the most personal of the book, as Anderson enters into the narrative in a meaningful way. Yet understanding the dynamics of the code of the street removes his “savior” status from the situation, as he fully understands the big-picture elements that shape John’s life. In addition, perhaps more than any other figure in the book, John is a member of so many of the different groups mentioned in previous chapters. He is a father, he is an active participant in the street code that unites violence and respect, he has demonstrated his sexual prowess by fathering multiple children, and he is an on-and-off participant in the underground economy. Anderson’s first-person account of John is particularly poignant in this final chapter, due to its placement after Anderson’s explications of the systemic factors that shape and ultimately solidify the code of the street. As Anderson’s help does not lift John out of poverty, the book underscores that individual charity or determination is not enough to fix systemic issues in poor, inner-city communities. Rather, these are issues that must be addressed on an institutional level.