Rival gang members unite for peaceful streets

Gridlock in Washington. Mud-slinging presidential campaign politics. Tension between blacks and police. Just when it looked like peaceful cooperation was extinct, there's good news from Los Angeles. On July 17 (are you sitting down?), over 2,000 rival southern California gang leaders including Crips and Bloods held a summit at the Church of Scientology Community Center in south Los Angeles to discuss making peace on the streets.

It was a peaceful meeting of gang members, police, and the families and friends of gang victims. When Minister Tony Muhammad called on all who want peace to raise their fists, every arm was raised. In a graphic example of reconciliation, a Blood and a Crip took of their red and blue T-shirts and handed them to each other, embracing. Last year, almost 1,000 people were shot in Los Angeles. "We have to be more positive," said one gang leader. "We have to stop killing one another. Let's unite, make a difference, be the change." Maybe the darkest hour does precede the dawn?