Sykes and Matza’s Theory of Neutralization in Relation to the Nine Trey Blood Gang
Introduction
Gangs and gang-related crimes have become an international growth concern within recent history. According to Canada (2002), the association of gang members from one district to another appears to have an impact on the criminal activities and involvement of youth, as well as the return of gang-involved youth or adult inmates from correctional facilities. Gang violence continues to be a prominent issue around numerous areas in the world today as most of those involved in these gangs are forced to go along with the engagements that are taken place within the can be pushed away from society and themselves. In fact, in the United States, 'studies of large urban samples show that youth gang members are responsible for a large proportion of all violent adolescent offenses'. This paper will explore how the actions and crime committed by the Nine Trey Gangsters, a United Blood Nation street gang, correlate with Sykes and Matza’s Techniques of Neutralization, a classical theory of crime. The first part of this paper will provide an in-depth explanation of the criminal gang, the Nine Trey Gangsters. The second part of this paper will provide a thorough explanation of Sykes and Matza’s Techniques of Neutralization. Finally, the paper will prove Sykes and Matza’s theory on Techniques of Neutralization in correlation to the Nine Trey Gangsters.
Explanation of the Nine Trey Gangsters Trial: Who Are the Nine Trey Gangsters?
The Nine Trey Gangsters, who are referred to primarily as TreyWay Gangsters, are apart of the Blood Nation Street gang, a form of the LA Bloods. This gang, explained by Daugherty (2016), is a violent street gang that was established in 1993 at the Rikers Island Jail Complex in New York City, and primarily operates on the East Coast of the United States as of today. Over the years, the gang was allegedly engaged in sex trafficking of women and racketeering charges in areas such as North Carolina, Baltimore, New Jersey. More presently, the gang was been accused with the illegal distribution and unloading of numerous narcotics such as heroin, crack, cocaine, PCP, ecstasy, marijuana, and prescription painkillers, towards the streets of Harlem which was aimed at disadvantaged people such as homeless, prostitutes, and children. Additional unlawful accusations that Nine Trey Way Blood Gang have participated include dealing with counterfeit U.S currency, and using that same counterfeit currency to invest in wholesale drug purchases.
Explanation of the Nine Trey Gangsters: Trial
The arrest is apart of a joint investigation between the NYPD, Homeland Security, and the Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The ongoing trial of the Nine Trey Gangsters is associated with eleven alleged members and associates of the street gang Nine Trey Gangsters, including a famous rapper, Daniel Hernandez, who goes by the name “6ix9ine” and his associate Kifano Jordan, who is referred as “Shotti”. The other 10 members include; Ameer Slamani, Fugan Lovick (“Fu Banga”), Jensel Butler (“Ish”), Faheem Walter (“Crippy”), Roland Martin (“Ro Murda”), Aaron Young (“Bat”), Anthony Ellison (“Harv”), Denard Butler (“Drama”), Kintea McKenzie and Aljermiah Mack (“Nuke”).
The current trial included charges from November 18th, 2018 which was based on racketeering, drug distribution, weapon possession, and conspiracy to commit murder, the main person of interest was in fact rapper Daniel Hernandez. Daniel Hernandez “portrayed the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods as a ruthless enterprise whose members used intimidation and violence to coerce enemies and commit crimes”.
On November 19th, 2018, Daniel Hernandez was arrested on federal charges based on racketeering and firearms-related to gang violence crime and activity, in association with the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. Alongside with Daniel Hernandez, three other associates, his ex-manager 'Shotti' and his bodyguard 'Crippy', were taken into custody as well. Mr. Hernandez was all together charged with 6 counts out of an eight-count indictment, 2 charges which carried a maximum sentence of life in prison. To add, Mr. Hernandez's lawyer for the trial stated that 'he was never a gang member but just behaved like one as part of his rap image. An entertainer who portrays a 'gangster image' to promote his music does not make him a member of an enterprise'.
Upon Daniel Hernandez’s’ arrest, he was denied bail and pleaded not guilty to commit all of the crimes listed above. On February 1st, 2019, Daniel Hernandez later pleads guilty and testified against his co-defendants and gang members, in exchange for reduced prison time, after an agreement made with law enforcement. March 28th, 2019, Daniel Hernandez’s former manager, Kifano Jordan plead guilty to the same racketeering charges and admitted to the use, possession, and discharge of firearms for the purpose of crime and violence, Lockett and Haylock (2019). On June 4th, 2019, Lockett and Haylock (2019) stated that another rapper who goes by the stage name 'Kooda B' admitted to the court that Daniel Hernandez had paid him in exchange for getting someone to shoot Chief Keef, another significant rapper/songwriter. Daniel Hernandez pleads guilty to this statement but indicated he did so in prolongation of the Nine Trey Blood Gang. With this agreement, Daniel Hernandez promised to cooperate with the enforcement and commit no further crimes, and as well became the star witness for the government which in return he would avoid a minimum sentence of 47 years in prison allowing him to be free for release on December 18th, 2019.
On September 17th, 2019, Daniel Hernandez testified in court against the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods against 2 specific members, Anthony Ellison and Aljermiah Mack. All of Mr. Hernandez's witness statements were apart of the plea deal with the federal government that would end up with him in witness protection.
In summary, Daniel Hernandez claimed that his primary role in the gang was to make music, make money for the Nine Trey Blood Gang, and in return the criminal gang would offer secure protection.
Sykes and Matza’s Theory of Neutralization
David Matza and Gresham Sykes formed techniques of neutralization based on their work on Edwin Sutherland's Differential Associatio. According to lecture Harel (2019), neutralization theories are very similar to Edwin Sutherland's learning theory as it holds the idea that social learning influences behaviour and also holds the idea that most criminals hold conventional values and beliefs. Within the neutralization theory, the majority of criminals have at least a partial commitment to dominant social order and youth, in particular, do not always complete conformity and/or nonconformity. Syke and Matza's theory states that individuals are always conscious of their moral obligations to abide by the law and that they have the same moral obligation within themselves to avoid unlawful and criminal acts. Hence, when a person commits unlawful acts, the form a mechanism to silence the urge to follow these moral obligations. Siegal (2005) states that Sykes and Matza’s theory was built upon four observations; delinquents express guilt over their illegal acts, delinquents frequently respect and admire honest, law-abiding individuals, a line is drawn between those whom they can victimize and those they cannot, delinquents are not immune to the demands of conformity. Siegal implies that “these theories were brought from positivistic criminology which looked at epistemological perspectives of delinquency'. From the four observations, Sykes and Matza created 5 methods in which they believed delinquents supported their unlawful actions. The first one being the denial of responsibility in which the offender will imply that they were victims of circumstance and were forced into situations beyond their control, and they tend to blame their peers at this stage. The second being the denial of injury in which the offender insists that although their actions were unlawful, it did not cause any harm or damage. The second stage is when individuals tend to rationalize their behaviour by saying phrases related to the fact that nobody was hurt due to my behaviour. The third one being the denial of the victim which ultimately has the offender believing that the victim deserved the outcome action in which they created. In other words, the offender believes that the victim, in this case, holds the being of the wrongdoer. The fourth one being the condemnation of the condemners which Harel (2019) explains that people that are identified as condemners are viewed as hypocrites. Expanding further, the offenders maintain 'that those who condemn their offense are doing so purely out of spite or are shifting the blame of themselves unfairly'. In this stage, a common condemner would be law enforcement/authority. The final method, appeal to higher loyalties, has the offender suggesting that their unlawful act or offense was for the greater good, “with long term consequences that would justify their actions, such as protection of a friend”.
Application of Syke and Matza’s Theory of Neutralization to Nine Trey Gangsters
When observing the Nine Trey Gangsters, and the actions they have committed in the past and specifically looking into Daniel Hernandez, the primary offender in his case, we can layout 4/5 methods of neutralization that's identified within their case. Denial of Responsibility, Denial of Injury, Denial of the Victim and Appear to Higher Loyalties are prominent.
Before his trial with his affiliated gang members, Daniel Hernandez offered to pay $20,000 to one of his associates to shoot at a previously mentioned Chicago rapper, Chief Keef, he stated 'I was in California at the time, and I gave orders to my friend Kooda to shoot at him. Around 4 a.m… Kooda fired a shot in the air, and that was that I did not shoot him but after that happened, it made- it was publicized I mocked Chief Keef'. Here, Mr. Hernandez displays the first method, Denial of Responsibility in which he completely neglected the idea that since he did not directly shoot the other individual, that the crime that took place had nothing to do with him and he was not at fault. To add, Mr. Hernandez is arguing that he was, in fact, a victim of this circumstance and he had no other choice but to commit the crime, but it was NOT his fault, even though he offered $20,000 for the crime to be conducted.
Secondly, when explaining further criminal acts that the gang was associated with in trial, Daniel Hernandez stated that 'as his profile rose, and his ties with Nine try got deeper, everyone was expected to protect one another's honor in both street and rap beef'. To add, when discussing his responsibilities involved within the gang, Daniel Hernandez stated that he was the financial support for the gang and in return he would get street credibility and protection 'Financially support, making money, making money through the records and providing it to the members of Nine Trey, whether it's for their reasons, equipping with gun and in return I grew from my career'. He also stated that he fed the gang in terms of support and that 'It was for the homies, to take care of them. I was the eating. I was O.K. I was making money. My understanding was, making sure they are good financially, you know, stable'. It is clear to distinguish the method of Appealing to Higher Loyalties. Here, Daniel Hernandez argues that his actions, financially supporting the gang in criminal ways, even if it was illegal, it was justified and positive it was for the better, greater good. Daniel Hernandez provided money and conduct illegal activities for his gang because, in the end, he considered them family, and so he had to do it for his family.
Thirdly, in the trial, when discussing another altercation with another famous rapper/songwriter, Trippie Redd, he stated that there was violence and the disputes extend beyond words and internet insults. Here, Mr. Hernandez confirmed that he and his gang members attacked Trippie Redd by stating “Yeah, we attacked him in his hotel, assaulted him and he deserved it”. Further on, another charge laid on the Nine Trey Gangsters, was for robbing “Rap A Lot”, a hip-hop record label, after they prevented Daniel Hernandez from performing a concert in Texas, Coscarelli (2019). Daniel Hernandez stated that he wanted to record the robbery; “to publicize it, that they tried to embarrass us so now we going to rob them in our city”. Here, it is clearly to distinguish the method of Denial of the Victim. Daniel Hernandez argues that the actions caused by him and his gang were all for the reason that Trippie Redd deserved to get assaulted in his hotel room and that the hip hop record label deserved to get robbed because they would not let him perform.
Finally, aside from the rest of the members of Nine Trey Blood Gang’s and the trial, Daniel Hernandez was already facing rape charges and allegations, which initially he was getting sentenced for as well, Locket and Haylock (2019). He claimed to deny all allegations made against him and denied the sexual contact as well. In an interview, he claimed 'I'm not touching the girl, I'm not having sexual intercourse with the girl, I'm not doing nothing, she just nude in some type of way. I didn't rape nobody; the girl wasn’t even raped… I didn’t have no sexual contact with the girl… but I was in the video”. Sykes and Matza's method of Denial of the Victim is distinguishable in this case. Here, Daniel Hernandez claims to argue that although he was involved in the taking of the video, that his actions of him raping the underage female did not harm her as she was not even raped nor was, she touched. He insists that his actions did not cause any harm or damage, but in reality, it did.
Sykes and Matza’s theory of neutralization are hypothetical set of approaches by which those who conduct illegal actions temporarily neutralise such principles within themselves that would usually prevent them from committing such acts as ethics, law enforcement, etc. Sykes and Matza say there are five neutralisation techniques; denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of victim, condemnation of condemners, and appeal for higher loyalty. The trial of Nine Trey Gangsters is a criminal case against eleven alleged members and associates of the East Coast Street Gang Nine Trey Gangsters, including the famous rapper 6ix9ine and his associate Shotti. The violent street gang, Nine Trey Gangsters, and former gang member, Daniel Hernandez, the primary witness in the trial hearing, all together displayed 4/5 of Sykes and Matza’s Neutralization Techniques, an important classical theory of crime. The gang as a whole conducted many criminal and illegitimate acts as justified by Mr. Hernandez himself, which in reality proved that Sykes and Matza’s theory is still moderately relevant in present society such as today.
References
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