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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rival street gangs the Crips and Bloods have agreed to a truce in Newark, New Jersey, aimed at stemming the violence that has plagued the city and gone too far for even the gang members, officials said 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 violence 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 drugs such as cocaine, heroin, 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 violence from his cell on California's death row.

"These young men were tired of committing violent 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.
05/25/04 17:46

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