Street Therapists by Ana Y. Ramos-Zayas

Author:Ana Y. Ramos-Zayas [Ramos-Zayas, Ana Y.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, General, Anthropology, Cultural & Social, Sociology, Urban
ISBN: 9780226703633
Google: gzmPhtmRZiAC
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 2012-03-15T02:40:22+00:00

FIVE

Of “Black Lesbians,” Hate Crimes, and Crime Talk: The Sexuality of “Aggression” in the City

“I’m pissed! I’m so pissed,” declared Amarilis Guzmán as soon as I got into her car to drive to a North Newark Cuban deli we both liked. Before I could even ask, Amarilis explained: “Ashley was jumped! Can you believe that? And you know how I’m with Ashley. That’s my girl!” At twenty-one, Amarilis, a Puerto Rican woman who had graduated from Barringer High School and lived in North Broadway, appeared unusually mature for her age. After various stints working as a security guard for an insurance company, as a stacker for Home Depot, and a paralegal in a firm in downtown Newark, Amarilis was now teaching karate at an agency she co-owned with Isabel, whom Amarilis referred to as her “wife.” They were well-respected mentors to community youth who were only a few years younger in age, but who seemed ages apart in terms of maturity. Having finally buckled my seatbelt, I had to admit that I was surprised by the news. “She was jumped? What happened?” I asked.

Stories about young women “being jumped” had become almost commonplace in my fieldwork. Ashley was a petite, reserved, studious high school student, and did not fit any of the admittedly stereotypical images of someone who could get involved in a street fight. “What happened is this,” Amarilis proceeded to explain, still visibly upset:

Ashley’s on the phone with me and she can hardly breathe. “Alex, Alex, they’re chasing me. They’re chasing me.” And I’m like “What? Who’s chasing you? What’s going on? Where are you?” But then I hear, “They’re after me. They’re after me!” And a click. So I’m going crazy here, not knowing what’s happening. It turned out, these girls, these morenas [black girls or women] were running after her, because one of them likes her. So Ashley was like, “I’m no gay, but even if I were gay, I wouldn’t go for you!” It was four girls trying to take her down to the ground, but Ashley fought back. She did what she’d learned in karate and didn’t allow herself to be brought down. If they had pinned her down, they’d have beat her up to death! Because it was four girls beating her up and then four other girls in the corner, checking to see who’s coming. . . . This morning I sent someone to go by the school and the girls were expelled, but I’m still pissed off.

Talk of girls “being jumped” or “jumping” other girls, particularly black girls who were or were perceived to be lesbians, was so common among most of the Latino and Latin American students with whom I spoke in North Newark and the Ironbound, that I felt this was a good opportunity to ask Amarilis about this more explicitly. “Why would they choose Ashley in particular? Is it always the same girls that are the jumpers and how do they know who they’re going to jump. I

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