What happens when a violent gang tries to refashion itself as a political movement and the authorities don't want to know? Regardless of motive, actions have meanings and consequences that neither side may have foreseen. David Brotherton, Associate Professor of Sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice is co-author of The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation: Street Politics and the Transformation of a New York City Gang, an account of his experience of the notorious New York branch of an American super gang and its decision to go straight. But was its newly politicised stance the result of genuine conversion or, as the New York authorities claimed, just a ruse to disguise on-going criminal activities? David Brotherton gives Laurie Taylor the benefit of his street level view of events Additional information: David Brotherton Associate Professor of Sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the City University of New York. The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation: Street Politics and the Transformation of a New York City Gang David C. Brotherton and Luis Barrios Columbia University Press ISBN 0231114192 Gangs and Society: Alternative Perspectives Louis Kontos, David C.Brotherton, Luis Barrios Columbia University Press ISBN 0231121415