Table Of Content“More People Are Dying”: An Ethnographic Analysis of the Effects
of Neighbourhood Revitalization on the Lives of Criminally
Involved Men
by: Marta-Marika Urbanik
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Sociology
University of Alberta
© Marta-Marika Urbanik, 2017
ABSTRACT
This dissertation interrogates how residents of a Canadian ‘ghetto’—Toronto’s Regent
Park neighbourhood—navigate the fears and dangers of residing in one of Canada’s most
disadvantaged areas during a period of mass neighbourhood change. Based on 156 interviews
and over 10 months of ethnographic field work conducted over 4 summers, this project engages
with criminological and sociological concepts to grasp the complex ways neighbourhood
redevelopment affects those living in the midst of urban renewal, particularly in regards to
criminal processes and structures. It explores how male residents have changed their navigation
of social relations, space, and presentations of self since the onset of neighbourhood
redevelopment, to better suit newer neighbourhood dynamics during this period of instability.
First, contradicting common notions that view major criminal players as a purely negative
phenomenon ; my findings demonstrate that the presence of major criminal players in an
impoverished neighbourhood can benefit communities (i.e., by controlling violence). The
displacement of these actors due to neighbourhood redevelopment robs th e neighbourhood of
means of informal social control, leaving many residents feel ing increasingly fearful about the
supposed changes in predictability and nature of violence. Second, the displacement of many of
the neighbourhoods ’ major criminal players has allowed for a new racialized gang to form,
creating competition over status and resources between established groups and emerging ones,
yet perhaps surprisingly, not leading to intra -gang violence. Here, the shared identity as Regent
Park residents has su ppressed intra -gang violence , with the groups drawing moral boundaries
between each other, instead of drawing weapons. Finally, my results showt hat while
neighbourhood gangs have usually been located in a set space, the proliferation of social media
has expanded the consequences of gan-ginvolvement, affiliation, and neighbourhoodb e‘efs,’
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providing new insights into the nature of street dynamics and the street code. Overall, this
dissertation demonstrates that the destabilization of the neighbourhood’s physical and social
fabric has also destabilized as opposed to eroded its criminal element—as was originally hoped
with the revitalization— and this destabilization is considered to be far more dangerous by my
participants during the neighbourhood’s transitory phase. Accordingly, this dissertation offers
caution about the optimism currently surrounding neighbourhood redevelopment initiatives,
particularly regarding the alleviation of neighbourhood crime and gangs.
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PREFACE
This thesis is an original work by Marta-Marika Urbanik. The research project, of which this
thesis is a part, received research ethics approval from the University of Alberta Research Ethics
Board, Project Name “Revitalizing the 'hood': The Changing Nature of Crime in Regent Park,”
No. PRO00052729, 05/03/2015.
Some of the research conducted for this thesis was conducted as part of a research project with
Dr. Sara K Thompson (Ryerson University), with Dr. Sandra M. Bucerius being the lead
collaborator at the University of Alberta. The data comprising chapter 3 was conducted as part of
this project. Data collection in chapter 4 and 5, and data analysis for 4 chapter, was my original
work, as well as the literature review in chapter 2. Chapter 3 of this thesis has been published as
Urbanik, Marta-Marika, Sara K. Thompson, and Sandra M. Bucerius. 2016. “‘Before There Was
Danger But There Was Rules. And Safety In Those Rules.’” British Journal of Criminology 57
(2): 422-440. I was responsible for the data collection and analysis as well as the manuscript
composition, with Drs. Thompson and Bucerius contributing to concept formation and
manuscript composition. Chapter 5 of this thesis was co-authored with Dr. Kevin D. Haggerty
(University of Alberta). I was responsible for the data collection, with Dr. Haggerty assisting
with concept formation and manuscript composition.
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DEDICATIONS
This thesis is dedicated to my late mother, Grażyna Urbanik, whose endless love and
sacrifice will never be forgotten.
It is also dedicated to the hundreds of Regent Park residents who so warmly accepted me
into their community, shared their wisdom and stories with me, and were a source of continuous
laughter and inspiration during fieldwork.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Sandra Bucerius, who
changed the entire course of my life by drawing me into academia. This research would not be
possible without her tireless mentorship, training, and professional and personal support at the
masters and doctoral level . Warm thanks are also due to my committee members, Dr. Kevin
Haggerty, who served as a constant source of mentorship and advice throughout my studies, and
Dr. Harvey Krahn who was instrumental in shaping this thesis and provided helpful feedback.
Thank you also to Drs. Scott Decker, Lisa Strohschein, and Kevin Jones, for their thoughtful
comments and questions during the defense . I also appreciate the critical insights and direction
provided to me by Drs. Sara Thompson and Bryan Hogeveen, and the community based support
of Joycelyn Amos.
During the course of my doctoral work, I benefited from generous financial support from
the Department of Sociology and the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at the University
of Alberta, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Killam Trusts Foundation,
and the Canadian Federation of University Women.
I would also like to thank members of the Department of Sociology at the University of
Alberta, who provided outstanding support during my doctoral studies. In particular, I would like
to thank Luca Berardi, Vanessa Iafolla, William Schultz, Tyler Dunford, Mitra Mokhtari, Cindy
Owre, Gillian Stevens, Nancy Evans, Pamela Minty, Cris Whalen, and Graduate Program Chairs
Drs. Sara Dorow and Amy Kaler. I have also received ongoing mentorship from outstanding
professors at the University of Toronto, namely Drs. Rosemary Gartner, Anthony Doob,
Matthew Light, and Mariana Valverde.
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My family, Krysztof, Megan, and Caroline, have always been supportive of my education
and career choices. I am also indebted to Sifu Frank Lee, and my teammates at Franklees Muay
Thai, for keeping me focu sed and providing me a second home . To my dear friends, Danielle
Cha, Jahne Baboulas, Brian Allen, Courtney Petriuk, and Carolyn Greene who always kept me
grounded. My sincerest gratitude is also due to Robert, whom I am unable to thank enough for
his endless patience, reassurance, and the many laughs we have shared along the way.
Indeed, the greatest thanks are due to my participants and the rest of the Regent Park
community who openly welcomed me into their lives, homes, community centre, and
neighbourhood, and trusted me with their stories. I will never forget our times in Regent.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATIONS .............................................................................................................................. v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... vi
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ x
LIST OF APPENDICES ................................................................................................................ xi
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1
Research Objectives and Guiding Questions ............................................................................ 6
What are Ghettos? .................................................................................................................... 7
Ghettos in Canada .................................................................................................................... 9
The Importance of Neighbourhoods for Crime and Gang s..................................................... 14
Concentrated Poverty: Policy Initiatives ................................................................................ 15
Social Isolation, Social Disorganization and Socail Mix......................................................... 18
Benefits of Neighbourhood Redevelopmen .t.......................................................................... 20
Criticisms of Neighbourhood Redevelopmen.t....................................................................... 21
Dissertation Structure and Overview ...................................................................................... 26
CHAPTER TWO
Fieldsite and Methodological Consideration s......................................................................... 29
Research Site ......................................................................................................................... .31
The Regent Park Revitalization ............................................................................................. .38
Building Rapport in an Isolated Neighbourhood .................................................................... 41
Gang Members? Rappers? Major Criminal Players? .............................................................. .45
Gaining Access to Closed Off Groups .................................................................................... 49
Interviewing .......................................................................................................................... .54
Participant Observation .......................................................................................................... 56
Data Coding and Analysis ..................................................................................................... 58
Positionality: My Role as a Researche r.................................................................................. 60
CHAPTER THREE
‘Before there was danger but there was rules. And safety in those rules’: Effectosf
Neighbourhood Redevelopment On Criminal Structure s........................................................ 66
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... .66
Effects of Neighbourhood Change on Crime and Social Network .s....................................... 69
The Regent Park Revitalization ............................................................................................. .72
Methodology ......................................................................................................................... .73
Findings and Discussion ........................................................................................................ 78
Increased Violence and Fear of Violence ............................................................................... 79
Targeted Violence .................................................................................................................. 82
The Street Code and Informal System of Criminal Governanc e............................................. 84
The Importance of Criminal Leaders ...................................................................................... 87
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Younger Actors and the Changing Nature of Street Life ......................................................... 89
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 95
CHAPTER FOUR
Drawing Boundaries or Drawing Weapons? Master Status Suppressing Gang Violence ........ 98
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 99
Regent Park, Toronto .............................................................................................................. 103
The Regent Park Revitalization .............................................................................................. 107
Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 108
Findings................................................................................................................................... 113
A Changing Gang Milieu ........................................................................................................ 114
Causes and Consequences of Changes to Gang Competition ................................................. 117
Neighbourhood as Master Status ............................................................................................ 124
Insiders, Yet Outsiders--Drawing Symbolic Boundaries ................................ ........................ 126
Conclusion ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 133
CHAPTER FIVE
“It’s Dangerous”: The Online World of Drug Dealers, Rappers, and the Street Code ........... 135
Drug Dealing, the Street Code, and Social Media ................................ ................................ .. 135
Setting and Methods ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 137
Street Identities in a Online Environment ................................ ................................ ............... 142
Managing Risks ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 146
Affiliation ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ 151
Location ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 154
Provocation ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................. 158
Discussion ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................... 161
CHAPTER SIX
Conclusion ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 165
The Need for a Criminological Spotlight on Neighbourhood Redevelopment ...................... 168
Limitations ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 174
Policy Suggestions ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 180
Future Research Directions ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 187
REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………194
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Map of Regent Park. ...................................................................................................... 32
Figure 2: Borders of Regent Park. ................................................................................................ 33
Figure 3: Original Regent Park Residents, 1950s. ........................................................................ 33
Figure 4: Children play in Regent Park, 1950s. ............................................................................ 34
Figure 5: Aerial photo of low rise apartment buildings in North Regent. .................................... 34
Figure 6: Aerial Shot of South Regent high-rise apartment buildings, pre-revitalization. ........... 34
Figure 7: Toronto Police in Regent Park, 1995. ........................................................................... 37
Figure 8: News article of Regent Park's connection to the Eaton Centre shooting. ..................... 38
Figure 9: Amidst the Regent Park Revitalization ......................................................................... 39
Figure 10: Newly revitalization section of Regent Park. .............................................................. 40
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