Like other youth gangs in Chicago, the Diamonds are made up of several sections or subgroups, with corresponding turfs in different geographic areas of the particular neighborhood they claim to have under control. Section turfs are saturated with distinctive cultural symbols of the gang. The most prominent method for communicating or displaying these symbols involves graffiti painted on building walls and car garages. The views and behavior of Diamond members have been influenced by an ideology of cultural resistance-- an oppositional behavior challenging the dominant culture's premise that respect and obedience will ultimately be exchanged for knowledge and success. The story of the Diamonds is recounted in terms of the neighborhood, the school experience, relations with the police, the process of becoming a gang member, gang drug dealing, consequences of gang participation, and the hope of some gang members to make something of themselves. 37 references