23
The walls we build, the bridges we tear down
The history of American gangs is not simply a chronicle of urban violence. It’ s a mirror of who the state decides to help, tolerate or eliminate. White gangsters have been integrated; black gangs have been crushed; Latino gangs are used. And each time, behind the repression or tolerance, there is a policy: one that shapes society by distributing second chances according to skin color, political loyalty or the fear of the moment that wins elections.
Gangsterism, in short, is a shadow cast- the shadow of America’ s choices. And until it illuminates its own blind spots, the ghosts of its devious tolerances will continue to write its legends. While the perennial loser remains the black community, which is once again witnessing the social mobility of a fringe Hispanic community, despite the anti-immigration rhetoric of the day, it’ s fair to say that America isn’ t hiding its violence- it’ s codifying it, legalizing it and dressing it up in a uniform.
The bombing of the Venezuelan coast under the Trump administration, presented as a security or anti-narcotics operation, embodies this chilling logic: a show of force disguised as moral duty. Behind the rhetoric of sovereignty and regional stability, a geopolitical hatred is being expressed- one that targets rebellious states, uncooperative governments, peoples who refuse to bend. It is not order that is imposed, but ritualized punishment, legitimized by the language of law and diplomatic silences. America does not deny its hatred: it transforms it into air strikes, embargoes and decrees. And it demands to be called justice.
Flashmag! Edition 165 Octobre 2025
Hubert Marlin Elingui Jr. Journaliste
23