12 o’clock boys

There is a documentary that premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in the United States about a renegade dirt bike group in Baltimore city called the 12 o’clock boys, a group that I saw riding around when I lived in Baltimore during my graduate studies.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/03/opinion/riding-with-the-12-oclock-boys.html?_r=0

I haven’t had an opportunity to see the full length film yet but in the short video segment included in New York Times article, it seems as though several aspects of life in a disadvantaged urban area and the implications for decision making are touched on.  The video short provides a tantalizing peak into what drives youth to join such groups and engage in these activities.  Given the very difficult circumstances in which many of these youth live on a day to day basis might their desire to belong to renegade groups be rational in some way?  It seems that gaining a better understanding of the factors that influence decision making and the underlying reasons why youth choose groups and activities that are fringe and associated with violence and injury are critical to preventing youth and gang violence.

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