This qualitative article explores the experiences of two Mexican American families. Both families live in impoverished urban neighborhoods where violence and gang activity are common. Both families have adolescent sons, with varying degrees of interactions with gangs. In-depth interviews with the two adolescent males, enhanced with other family member interviews, are central to this investigation. The purpose of this article is to explore themes and expand on issues surrounding these two adolescents and their families. Specific issues to be uncovered include neighborhood and family dynamics and the adolescents' relationships and interactions with peers and gangs. More specifically, this article will provide insight into the lives of two contrasting adolescents who are embedded in these poor urban neighborhoods. Their stories elucidate the degree to which households and families are connected, or disconnected, with their surrounding neighborhood, community, and gang presence.
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