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1-Page Summary of On the Run
Overview
Have you ever seen the HBO show The Wire? It’s a great show, but have you wondered what it would be like to live in a poor black neighborhood and be surrounded by drugs and crime? You’d also have to worry about police officers who are hungry for their next bust.
On the Run is a horrifying account of life for many black Americans in urban ghettos. Goffman’s research was based on her living in Philadelphia’s Sixth Street neighborhood over six years. She found that social alienation, racial tension, and criminalization are all results of America’s prison-industrial complex.
The author describes the lives of people in her neighborhood. She reveals how they live and what their daily life is like. You’ll be shocked by some of the things you read about, but that’s because it could happen to anyone who lives in a city.
In this article, you’ll discover how some people make money from urine and why going to the hospital when injured might not be a good idea. You’ll also learn about Sixth Street women who call the police on their boyfriends.
Big Idea #1: Large swaths of US society live their lives under threat of police arrest.
Sixth Street in Philadelphia is a poor black neighborhood. Many of the people there live that way because they are on the run from the law or have something to hide.
However, where does this culture originate? One major source is the US justice system. The number of people in prison has increased since 1970s when tough-on-crime and war-on-drugs policies were implemented. Today, about 3 percent of US adults sit either inside prison or outside under some type of police supervision (such as under house arrest). This is similar to the labor camps set up by Stalin during the Soviet Union era.
Statistical analysis shows that black Americans are the most targeted group in prison. Black Americans make up only 13% of the U.S. population, but they represent 37% of the prison population. This recent increase was largely driven by welfare cuts and a crackdown on drug trafficking—just when many black communities were forced into dealing drugs to survive economically.
Most people living in poor neighborhoods don’t choose to be criminals. Instead, they become criminals because they have no other way of surviving. For example, some people might sell drugs on the side to make money for their families. However, if you sell drugs, there’s a chance that you’ll get caught and end up going to jail over and over again.
Most of the young people who live in this neighborhood are always on the run.
In this cycle, one event leads to another. For example, a man is arrested for possessing marijuana and as a result loses his driver’s license. Out on probation he drives his brother to school but is then caught driving without a license so he’s arrested and put in jail. His brother gets mad about the bail money and robs a store…and the cycle continues.
Big Idea #2: In a fugitive culture, it’s usually better to run from the police than cooperate.
You might think that the best way to avoid problems with the law is to follow it. However, for many Sixth Street boys, this does not work.
What?
In places like Sixth Street, you are always a target. You could be arrested for even the smallest of reasons. For example, if you live in a fugitive culture and have something on your person that is illegal to possess or perhaps violated the rules of your probation, then it’s likely that an officer will approach you and arrest you for those things.
Chuck, a boy from Sixth Street, explained it to his brother: “If they’re looking for somebody and you don’t fit that description, nine times out of ten they’ll still book you.” To avoid getting arrested by the police, the boys in Sixth Street have learned how to identify them and run away. They’ve picked up on body language and ways to escape. The key is always running. If you’re involved with the fugitive culture as a kid, then you learn quickly what undercover cops look like and how to hide when one spots you.
