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Gangs in Latin America are known for their extreme levels of violence (Marinho and Tinoco 2017; Rodgers and Baird 2015; McDermott 2018). But why do urban residents from marginalized neighborhoods continue to rely on gangs for services, such as employment and social order and control, despite their awareness of the use of often extreme violence from these criminal actors? This article provides insights for Latin American violence prevention and reduction policymakers in their efforts to design and implement policies to address the high levels of violence in the region. Ultimately, it argues the importance of citizen engagement in the development and implementation of policies to ensure that any perceptions urban residents might have of the inadequacy or inability of the state can be adequately addressed.
In Medellín, Colombia, in the mid-2000s, significant investments were made in the marginalized neighborhoods to raise the welfare levels of the poor and to bring government and planning closer to civil society (Echeverri and Orsini 2011; Doyle 2019; Fajardo and Andrews 2014). The city became known internationally for its innovative social urbanism policies and for the significant reduction of homicides (Abello-Colak and Pearce 2015; Cerdá et al. 2012; Jaitman and Guerrero 2015; Muggah 2015; Patiño et al. 2014; UN-Habitat 2007). Yet despite the reduction in homicides, there are estimates of up to 350 different gangs operating in the city and up to 13,500 gang members. These gangs are responsible for up to 60 percent of homicides in the city and other acts of severe violence, such as dismemberment and forced urban displacement (Doyle 2019).
By drawing from qualitative data collected in Medellín, this article provides insights to show that while the criminal actors engage in violence, and often extreme violence, they can be perceived by residents from the marginalized neighborhoods as more effective service providers, in terms of employment and social order and control, than the state.
The purpose of this article is not to provide a discussion of what these gangs are trying to do, but rather, how the community members perceive these actors and the services they provide. The article concludes that Latin American urban policymakers should be concentrating their efforts on acknowledging the perception of the role of the state and of criminal gangs in marginalized neighborhoods,...