The Little Village Gang Violence Reduction Project in Chicago

expressed concern was now to establish her own service agency. Her ties to the community,which were initially stronger with the Two Six youth and families, began to weaken. A group ofTwo Six youth accused her of “ratting” to the police. In addition, tension between Project policeand M. L. G. increased. The Project police were increasingly distrustful of some of M. L. G.’sefforts to organize the community against the police. She had charged that the local police werefalsely accusing a (non-Project) gang youth of a shooting.M. L. G. suddenly disappeared from the scene. She was more involved in gang-relatedand youth-development meetings across a variety of citywide social agencies and churches. Shedeveloped close relationships with a YMCA program interested in gang outreach recreationalwork on the north side of the city. She was also working part-time in a program at the JuvenileDetention Center of the Cook County Juvenile Court.Nevertheless, she was still involved in the development of NAGV-sponsored residentmeetings in Little Village in late 1995. Two community meetings were held. At the firstmeeting, specific plans for involving youth from the Two Six and the Latin Kings as well ascommunity residents, church representatives and GVRP, were developed. The second meetingin December at La Villita Community Church (organized mainly by the priests from EpiphanyChurch, M.L.G. and GVRP staff) involved four local social agencies, ten local residents and ninemembers of the Latin Kings and Two Six. Also attending were two of the Project probationofficers; the two Project tactical officers were stationed outside the church to prevent and controlany gang activity that might result.The discussion at this meeting, which lasted about one and a half hours, was mainlyabout the needs of gang youth for education, training, and jobs, and also the reduction of gang7.28