[Gang Truce at Cabrini Green]

A gang truce was negotiated in Cabrini Green following the death of Dantrell Davis. Government officials, law enforcement, and community leaders disagree on whether the gang truce or increased security measures are responsible for the ongoing peace in the project.

0:02Copy video clip URL Since the death of Dantrell Davis in the Cabrini Green housing project, there have been no gang-related murders or gang-related gunfire in the project. Community activist Marion Stamps say that much of the credit for the drop in crime should go to gang leaders who negotiated a peace treaty. Her group, the Tranquility Marksman Memorial Organization, threw a party for the gang leaders.

2:56Copy video clip URL Fred Watkins is an outreach worker for Stamps organization, and he is also the chief of the Traveling Vicelords, a city-wide gang with Cabrini members. He speaks about the former violence in Cabrini Green and the reasons for it. In the past year and a half, Watkins has no longer had to carry a gun to protect himself.

5:43Copy video clip URL Mayor Daley is happy with the drop in crime, but refuses to acknowledge any changes in gang behavior. Daley says that the peace in Cabrini is due to the $26 million in new security measures put in place after Dantrell’s death. Vince Lane, chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority, does not believe that there is a truce and will not recognize the gangs. Commander Robert Guthrey, who is in charge of CHA police officers, thinks it is foolish not to recognize the impact that gang leaders can have in the community.

7:34Copy video clip URL Guthrey authorized the only bike patrol in Cabrini. Three members of the patrol are police officers and part-time rappers, The Slick Boys. They talk to the different factions in the project, giving support and helping to break down the barrier between police officers and gang members. They are also very involved with the children in the project. They think it does not matter if the gangs, the CHA, or the police get the credit for the peace in Cabrini.

10:15Copy video clip URL The first big test of the truce came 8 months after Dantrell’s death, when two young men were gunned down in front of Dantrell’s former home. After the shooting, the Slick Boys worked to keep the truce intact. They learned that the killings were caused by a love triangle, and Guthrey worked to inform the community that it was not a gang incident.

13:26Copy video clip URL End of tape.

 

1 Comment

  1. Matt says:

    Please share video

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