South L.A. Gang Intervention Agency Playing Major Role in Citywide Unity Collaboration

LOS ANGELES-Unity T.W.O. Inc., part of The Unity Collaborative, formed to combine efforts in reducing gang violence in Los Angeles, is quietly brokering "understandings" among feuding Swan Bloods and East Coast Crips, among others, the organizations' executive director Kevin Mustafa Fletcher said during a gathering this week.

Fletcher, a former gang member himself, is now leading Unity T.W.O. in its effort to help bring peace between the two factions. Fletcher and his staff have worked diligently behind the scenes to make the "understanding" happen between the two gangs. "It was
worth it, he said. "For what's taking place in our community, what we're trying to do .is out of respect. This is business."

To validate the "truce of understanding," both sets came together to solidify their pact last week at agathering by the Unity Collaborative. Representatives from both gangs stood side-by-side to announce theyhad reached a mutual understanding to stop the
bloodshed.

The Unity Collaborative is a community based gang-intervention network made up of five agencies operating in various parts of the city: Unity TWO and NO GUNS operating in South Los Angeles; Community Self-Determination Institute operating in Watts; Venice 2000 operating in Venice and the west side; and Toberman Settlement House which operates in the Harbor and San Pedro areas.

"We've got to keep the peace in our neighborhoods," said community activist Malik Spellman, who collaborates with Unity T.W.O. "This is historical. These particular sets of brotherhood have never had peace with each other, not even during the historical gang truce. These two brothers are attempting to get an understanding, based on, there are no winners when the violence its black on black."

Los Angeles' taxpayers $1 million for every homicide that takes place in the city. Last year, there were 498 murders recorded in Los Angeles. In 2002, there were 640 murders. Gangs had a hand in a lot of those deaths. The two-year total of casualties in the city would come out to 1, 138, and those numbers would equate to $1.138 billion in costs to taxpayers.

The Collaborative has also placed a high priority on the more recent trend of escalating conflict and violence between Latino and black gangs, by assigning black and Latino gang-intervention teams to work together in the schools, on the streets and with individuals recently released from incarceration.

The Unity Collaborative announced other agreements involving gangs in other parts of South Los Angeles, Venice, West Los Angeles, Watts and the Harbor-San Pedro areas.

Submission by James Bolden
boldnews2004@yahoo.com