Code of the Street

Anderson tells the story of a woman he calls “Betty Washington,” a grandmother striving to keep her family together. Betty is the embodiment of the inner-city Black grandmother and demonstrates “a strong sense of commitment to family, especially the children, a desire to live an orderly, respectable life despite the personal and social problems that surround her, and a sustaining faith in God” (219). Betty chronicles her journey through supporting her daughter through drug use and her subsequent need to help raise her grandchildren.

As Betty takes over as the full-time caretaker for her grandchildren, she stops working, dedicating all of her spare time to the children. Instead of relying on work for income, she now turns to welfare. While Betty’s story has its own unique set of complex issues attached to it, Anderson also paints her story as emblematic of the plight—along with the heroism—of the archetypal Black inner-city grandmother, struggling to survive while caring for her children and grandchildren.

As Anderson elaborates on the issue of the scarcity of male role models in the inner city, he explains that young men often reminisce about old heads who used to show care for them. The name given to this metaphorical, folkloric character is “Mr. Johnson.” The Mr. Johnson character would often work a solid, consistent job in manufacturing and would even make money on the side—legally—to boost his income. Mr. Johnson was a family man through and through, whose main motivation in life was to take care of his family.

Mr. Johnson is the epitomized version of the “decent daddy,” the kind of man who attends church regularly and only misses it if he must work. According to Anderson, Mr. Johnson serves as a father figure to many of the young men in the community, as their own relationships with their fathers are complicated, often wrought with pain and disappointment.

John Turner is an important figure in the last chapter of the book, as Anderson shifts to a first-person narrative of how he has observed the code of the street play out in Turner’s life. Anderson first met John at a restaurant, where John approached him in search of advice. Anderson then took a personal interest in John, who at the time of their first meeting was in deep trouble with the law after violating the terms of his probation.

For Anderson, John is emblematic of so many other young men in the inner city who are trying to make a decent living but are often drawn into situations that compromise their ability to do so. Anderson summarizes his view of John by sharing the following insight: “The street proved much more receptive to John than did the wider, more legitimate society, so he was encouraged to invest his personal resources in the oppositional culture” (286). Despite John’s desire to avoid legal trouble and the underground economy, Anderson observes that John was unable to fully step away from the code of the street. This is a pattern that many inner-city men find themselves in, as leaving the code of the street behind is only possible if there are viable alternatives.

Anderson tells the story of Tyree, a young man of only 15, in order to illustrate the nuances of the street code in relation to respect and self-image. After moving to a new neighborhood, he must find a way to gain respect among the young men (“bols”) of the surrounding blocks. On his first trip to the grocery store, Tyree gets badly beaten by a group of bols, then later retaliates by punching one of them in the face. Eventually, after proving himself by fighting, Tyree joins the group of young men, having shown them that he is scrappy, brave, and unafraid.

Tyree has come to understand the intricacies of the street code, where manhood is often measured by nerve. Living with nerve means acknowledging the constant risk or possibility of violence in order to preserve respect and honor on the streets. Tyree’s top priority is to navigate his existence among his peers in the clearest terms possible. Despite the initial altercations, Tyree has worked himself into the group of young men in his new neighborhood, a choice that is deeply connected to his well-being and survival.