Hi there @rosy440, this is a fairly detailed look and you have some interesting pictures and observations. I do get the very clear sense however, that the overall tone is not neutral. There is a clear and relentless flow of criticism of, even prejudice towards, the Roma way of life that runs through your post. The picture I get from your presentation is a negative one - you highlight what is 'wrong' with them. What you say about them seems to betray how you feel about the issue. Is there nothing positive to be said about them? I'm not talking about Ottoman times, but now. It is not an easy issue to get a balanced view of, accepted! Perhaps you have personal experiences that influence how you perceive them, I do not know!
Apart from the lack of any celebration of the Roma, what I consider missing from this 'analysis' is the history of persecution that the Roma have been subjected to, and which seems reflected in attitudes towards the Romany people in modern Turkish society. They may have had special status in Ottoman times, but things seems to have changed. Check out this article from a 'Romany' perspective entitled The Perception of Gypsies in Turkish Society. Your conclusions seem to be that they are unwilling to integrate. Isn't the message of the video - which is the final thing you leave the reader with - "look gypsies steal even from those who are trying to help them!" ??
Gypsies/Roma have always been easy targets and scapegoats. Their insularity may also be seen as a defence against a world that refuses to leave them in peace and continues to violently try and force them to submit! To blame them for their insularity and way of life is to ignore centuries-old pain....to do so is to perpetuate the hate, the prejudice, and it does nothing to ease any of the social 'problems' that you discuss.
The conclusion that The Perception of Gypsies in Turkish Society comes to is:
"The common characteristic of the negative images and prejudices about Gypsies is their reference to what is different between Gypsies and the remainder of societies in which they live. The common point of these historically produced images and prejudices is the representation of Gypsies as strangers."
Regards
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RE: Istanbul's gypsy quarters or life beyond the law