‘Peace Task Force’ to Fight Gang Violence Approved
County supervisors have approved studying efforts that would incorporate grass-roots organizations formed by ex-gang members in an attempt to reduce gang-related violence in the county.
The Peace Process Task Force will be composed of law enforcement, clergy, business leaders and individual groups already working to curb street violence. Its formation was proposed by Supervisors Mike Antonovich and Yvonne Brathwaite Burke.
State Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles) urged the board to include gang members “who have transformed their lives.”
“These people have to be credited with saving a lot of lives in the community,” said Hayden, a supporter of the ex-gang members’ peace treaties and cease-fire efforts.
Dewayne Holmes, a former gang member who founded the organization FACES, told the board: “We have been working to bring the youth out of the darkness of street violence and into the light of peace.”
A committee will review the feasibility of creating the task force and report back to the county within 60 days.
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