“Stop Talking and Act”: The Battle between Tough on Crime Policing and Guardianship of Black Juvenile Gangs in Philadelphia, 1958-1969

Abstract

The 1958 robbery and murder of international student, In-Ho Oh, by eleven black teenagers in West Philadelphia created public outcry on the issue of black gangs in desegregating neighborhoods. The interracial homicide unofficially sparked a full-fledged tough on crime program by police and city officials. From 1958 to 1969, police and city officials became more concerned about black gangs because they feared white flight and white middle-class disinvestment from inner-city businesses and institutions that fed Philadelphia’s tax base. However, black community activists believed the “gang problem” could be solved with education, recreation, social welfare, and job training. Nevertheless, Philadelphia’s police department and City Council handled black gang activity with tough on crime policing and mass incarceration while black community activists provided “guardianship” to black youth to keep them out of the prison system and promote a positive reputation of black citizens.