Voices of Minnesota

Minnesota Youth Gang Research Project

103 INTERVIEWS

DATE: 1996-1998

INTERVIEWERS: Kate Cavett and others

The Minnesota Youth Gang Research Project was conducted by researchers Kate Cavett and John Harrington and utilized several methods including collecting oral histories to ask the question, "Why do youth join and stay in gangs in Minnesota?" For the project, Kate Cavett interviewed 103 male and female street gang members from a variety of Minnesota communities: urban, suburban, out-state and the ethnic communities of Black, Asian, Latino, European, and Native Americans. The adolescents and young adults describe their backgrounds, motivations and personal experiences with gang life. The research project was undertaken with the objective of creating better methods to prevent, intervene and suppress gang violence and to better educate the public and professionals about the issues that have facilitated the spread and growth of gangs in Minnesota.

Hand in Hand Productions retains copyright in each interview.

A summary report of the project research entitled G is for Gangsta: Introductory assessment of gang activity and issues in Minnesota is cataloged separately.

LENGTH OF INTERVIEWS: 132 hours 48 minutes

TRANSCRIPTS: 2,810 pages