In Chicago, Derek Brown and Chevez Fitzpatrick were drug kingpins who owed allegiance to Chicago’s Holy City of Vice Lords, a notorious gang known for violence. Bullet holes in the walls of Penn Elementary School attest to their days of gun-toting, gang-banging terror. But now, the very school that they once shot up has seen a reduction in violent behavior that has led school officials to praise Brown and Fitzpatrick.
What transformed Brown and Fitzpatrick was an organization called CeaseFire, which is typical of similar groups that have sprung up in many large cities in the United States. CeaseFire is made up of ex-gang members who have decided to leave their old life-style behind, members of the community and faith-based initiatives. In Chicago, CeaseFire utilizes the life experience of people like Brown and Fitzpatrick to become mentors to at-risk youth. Ex-gang members have street credibility, and young people are more likely to listen to them than to the police. Brown and Fitzpatrick also teach boxing at Penn Elementary, which adds to their popularity.
A major component of organizations like CeaseFire , and AIM4Peace in Kansas City, is intervention. When someone is thinking about joining a gang, or even if they already joined, trained members are sent to talk to that person and offer other options than gang membership. Some organizations, like CeaseFire, also do interventions in a hospital setting when someone is shot. In an effort to stop violence from escalating, ex-gang members will speak to the victim and attempt to convince him that violence can stop right then if retaliation is erased from the picture. Members of the clergy and of the community also offer support to the victim.
Besides helping to reduce violence in communities across America, organizations such as CeaseFire gives former gang members the chance to
redeem themselves by becoming role models to young members of their community.
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