36 Boys
Encyclopedia
The 36 Boys were a gang of primarily Turkish
immigrants
from Berlin-Kreuzberg.
The gang was active from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s. Besides Turkish, other nationalities were also represented in the 300–400 members of the large gang. The gang operated in the area around the Kottbusser Tor
to the residential areas between the Naunynstraße and Waldemarstraße, as well as up to the Görlitzer Bahnhof. The graffiti of the 36 Boys were distributed throughout Berlin. In Kreuzberg, they served also to mark the gang's "turf". The gang took its name from the former Berlin postal borough Südost 36 or SO 36. The idea for the name of the gang came from Attila Murat Aydın, a founder of the Berlin rap scene, who was murdered by a pensioner in 2003.
In addition to the 36 Boys there were the "36 Juniors", who showed a higher potential of violence. In the beginning of the 1990s the 36 Boys fought turf battles with Nazis and Skinheads in the Jungfernheide park. Other rival gangs were the Warriors from the Schlesisches Tor
and the Black Panthers from Wedding
. During the May riots in Kreuzberg, the 36 Boys initially joined the Autonomists, but the alliance was short-lived because of the group's lack of political orientation.
In 2007 the Berlin Senate employed former members of the 36 Boys as Kiezläufer ("neighbour walkers") in Kreuzberg to help prevent juvenile delinquency. The area around the Naunynstraße, the centre of the gang, was declared a no-go area
by the Senate.
After the dissolution of the gang the former gang members went their separate ways. Some remained in the criminal milieu, others such as the cook Tim Raue - awarded by the Gault Millau
- turned to lawful careers. Some became social workers in local housing projects and youth centres. Former member Sinan Tosun has opened a shop near Kottbusser Tor in which he sells clothes with 36 Boys logos. His brother, professional boxer Muzaffer Tosun, was also a member of the 36 Boys, as were the rapper Killa Hakan and the author, film director and media educator Neco Çelik
.
In the German media, the gang is depicted as the prototypical gang of immigrant background.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
immigrants
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
from Berlin-Kreuzberg.
The gang was active from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s. Besides Turkish, other nationalities were also represented in the 300–400 members of the large gang. The gang operated in the area around the Kottbusser Tor
Kottbusser Tor (Berlin U-Bahn)
Kottbusser Tor is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the and . Many Berliners use the affectionate term Kotti.It is located in central Kreuzberg. The area has a bad reputation for the relatively high, mainly drug-related crime rate, instances of which have recently become quite rare in most other...
to the residential areas between the Naunynstraße and Waldemarstraße, as well as up to the Görlitzer Bahnhof. The graffiti of the 36 Boys were distributed throughout Berlin. In Kreuzberg, they served also to mark the gang's "turf". The gang took its name from the former Berlin postal borough Südost 36 or SO 36. The idea for the name of the gang came from Attila Murat Aydın, a founder of the Berlin rap scene, who was murdered by a pensioner in 2003.
In addition to the 36 Boys there were the "36 Juniors", who showed a higher potential of violence. In the beginning of the 1990s the 36 Boys fought turf battles with Nazis and Skinheads in the Jungfernheide park. Other rival gangs were the Warriors from the Schlesisches Tor
Schlesisches Tor (Berlin U-Bahn)
Schlesisches Tor is a Berlin U-Bahn station on the line.-Overview:It is located in eastern Kreuzberg, near Oberbaumbrücke, in the Bohemian quarter commonly known as SO36...
and the Black Panthers from Wedding
Wedding (Berlin)
Wedding is a locality in the borough of Mitte, Berlin, Germany and was a separate borough in the north-western inner city until it was fused with Tiergarten and Mitte in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform...
. During the May riots in Kreuzberg, the 36 Boys initially joined the Autonomists, but the alliance was short-lived because of the group's lack of political orientation.
In 2007 the Berlin Senate employed former members of the 36 Boys as Kiezläufer ("neighbour walkers") in Kreuzberg to help prevent juvenile delinquency. The area around the Naunynstraße, the centre of the gang, was declared a no-go area
No-go area
A no-go area or no-go zone is a region where the ruling authorities have lost control and are unable to enforce the rule of law.-Rhodesia:The term 'no-go area' has a military origin and was first used in the context of the Bush War in Rhodesia...
by the Senate.
After the dissolution of the gang the former gang members went their separate ways. Some remained in the criminal milieu, others such as the cook Tim Raue - awarded by the Gault Millau
Gault Millau
Gault et Millau is one of the most influential French restaurant guides founded by two restaurant critics, Henri Gault and Christian Millau in 1965. Gault Millau is most famous for its rating system, on a scale of 1 to 20. Restaurants below 10 points are almost never listed...
- turned to lawful careers. Some became social workers in local housing projects and youth centres. Former member Sinan Tosun has opened a shop near Kottbusser Tor in which he sells clothes with 36 Boys logos. His brother, professional boxer Muzaffer Tosun, was also a member of the 36 Boys, as were the rapper Killa Hakan and the author, film director and media educator Neco Çelik
Neco Celik
Neco Çelik is a Turkish-German filmmaker.He was born in Berlin-Kreuzberg to Turkish immigrants. His father was a gardener, and his mother a domestic worker. In his youth, before going into film directing and teaching media, Çelik belonged to a gang called 36 Boys, corresponding to the postal...
.
In the German media, the gang is depicted as the prototypical gang of immigrant background.
Sources
- Klaus Farin and Eberhard Seidel-Pielen. Krieg in den Städten: Jugendgangs in Deutschland. Berlin: Rotbuch, 1991. ISBN 3880220441
- Murat Güngör and Hannes Loh. Fear of a Kanak planet: HipHop zwischen Weltmusik und Nazi-Rap. Planegg: Hannibal, 2002. ISBN 3854452101
- This article is based on a translation of the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.