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Glossary baby gangster A young gang member; abbreviated as "BG." balloon A prison term that refers to a balloon or condom used to conceal drugs when attempting to smuggle them into a prison or jail. beaten out To have relinquished gang membership and endured a beating similar to that of being courted in, except that being beaten out is far more severe. Rules that prohibit punching to the face in courting in may be suspended, and weapons (e.g., bats) may be used. Members who wish to exit a gang that requires this ritual beating but who refuse to submit to the ritual become the target for extremely severe or even fatal injuries, and there is no limit to the number of beatings they might receive . Each time they are spotted by gang members, they will be beaten or shot at. Gangs express this directive as "stomp on sight" or "shoot on sight." The only way to escape these repeated beatings is to move, according to a former member of a Hispanic gang that has practiced the stomp-on-sight. bunk Heroin that is too weak to stop the pain of withdrawal. clique A group with a long-range plan for a specific purpose. A clique is larger than a tip, has a socioeconomic and political hierarchy, and forms to sell drugs. Some informants use the terms tip and clique synonymously , but that seems to be idiosyncratic. The term klika is used by Hispanic gang members to designate their group. clocking Selling drugs on the street within an allocated time. When the term is used by street-comer drug sellers, or runners, it has several connotations . It means "to work or put in time on the street; to have a limited amount of time to sell drugs" (runners anticipate that the police will spot them, and they'll be forced to flee); "to anticipate arrest" (runners say it's just a matter of time before they'll be arrested). I didn't hear the term used by people selling drugs out of drug houses. Nor is this term used by inmates who sell drugs in jailor prison. 287 Copyrighted Material 288 Glossary duck, ducker To behave as a chicken during a rock high: the smoker bends over, stares at the floor or ground, searching for specks of rock. This behavior, or type of tweek, is called a cluck; someone who is clucking is a clucker. courted in To have withstood a ritual gang-initiation beating. The beating has few rules: the assaulters usually don't use weapons (bats, knives), and don't intend to injure the initiate severely; the initiate may punch back. Gang members say this ritual is a "heart check," a test of a person's willingness to endure pain for the gang. Initiation into a girl's gang also often requires a beating by members. In gangs composed of both males and females, a female initiate may have the choice of either being courted in or having sex with all the male gang members. Female gang members who have been courted into a mixed-gender gang say that the beating gives them a status equal to the males' status. Some gangs require that an initiate "walk the line," that is, walk slowly between two rows of gang members who punch the initiate. Although the rules for walking the line differ among gangs, it's common to find that initiates aren't permitted to punch back; assaulters may not be permitted to punch an initiate in the mouth, eyes, or nose, although punches to the sides of the head are permitted. Some gangs require an initiate to walk the line twice. Street gang members in prison use this type of gang assault to punish a gang member who has violated gang rules or who has refused to give himself sexually to his peer gang members. In this case, the beating is intentionally inflicted on the victim's face, with the purpose of causing severe swelling. After the beating, the victim is displayed in public by marching him around prison grounds. A gang may try to conceal the victim from prison authorities by wrapping a towel around his head. After the beating and while the victim's face is severely swollen, his fellow gang members call him a pumpkin head. Pumpkin heads tell authorities that the injuries are the result of an accident. crack The smokable form of cocaine; also known as rock. A law enforcement source said that...

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