NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rival street gangs the Crips and Bloods have agreed to a truce in Newark, New Jersey, aimed at stemming the **** that has plagued the city and gone too far for even the gang members, officials said on Tuesday.
The peace agreement, reached over the weekend, involved 150 members from several gang factions and laid out a 10-point plan including an immediate cease-fire.
The plan also asks gang members to refrain from using gang hand signals, graffiti or other symbols to incite the killing of rivals. Under the truce, gang members also vowed to designate places like schools, churches and parks as neutral zones and to avoid encroaching on each other`s territory without notice.
"Anything that will stem the **** is welcome. Time will tell how effective it is," said Kevin Rehmann, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police.
Newark Deputy Mayor Ras Baraka and the Nation of Islam helped mediate the truce, officials said.
The Crips and Bloods originated in Los Angeles in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Crips often wear blue and Bloods red. Members, who range in age from 13 to 40, often deal in **** such as ****, ****, and marijuana and their rivalry has spawned years of bloodshed for both sides.
While local police declined to estimate gang membership, an FBI Web site estimates each gang has about 10,000 members nationwide.
An aid to Newark`s deputy mayor said talks to draw up the peace deal began two months ago when gang members saw the movie "Redemption," about the life of Crips co-founder Stanley "Tookie" Williams, who now speaks out against **** from his cell on California`s death row.
"These young men were tired of committing **** acts and being blamed for ones they didn`t do," said David Muhammad, an aid to Baraka.
"(The truce) would give the whole community a sense of security. Grandmothers don`t want children outside for fear of stray bullets," Muhammad said.
I was born and raised in southern CALI. I hate to be a pessimist and I really don't know anything about Newark outside of what I am told. But there have been peace treaties, agreements, truces, etc. between the crips/bloods here in CA since before I was born (I am in my early 20s). And needless to say they are still wildin out out here. The media is acting like they knew nothing of this with their so-called
"new revelations of gangs in the south". All I know is the ish is stupid and black people all I can say is if Willie Lynch were alive today he'd be proud. YT doesn't have to do anything anymore. They can just sit back and watch us **** one another *smh*
i honestly dont think it will last and if it does its only gone be in those states. its very hard hard to change someone way of life especially when they were born and lived in those type of enviroment. if the guy who invented the crips couldnt make that much of a difference ,whats the law going to do. its many things that the law phrobited us to do or dont like but people do it anyway.
