The city of Syracuse has had its fair share of violence in the past few years. 50% of the homicides that have resulted from this violence have been gang related. The Syracuse police put forth a truce to the most violent group of gang members that offers social rehabilitation, job training and social counseling, along with drug and alcohol treatment and housing assistance if needed. In order to obtain the benefits, gang members must give police information on crimes committed, and who is taking part in the violence. However, there is a catch; since a treaty has been offered, the police have stated that even if one person is involved in a shooting, all gang members will be tried.
Considering there are 1,472 gang members in the medium- sized city of 145,000, the police of Syracuse are extremely forward thinking in their plan to suppress the violence. $300,000 has been given to the “Syracuse Truce” from the federal government’s Department of Justice’s Violent Gang and Gun Crime Reduction Program. A mother whose son’s life was taken because of gang violence ten years ago spoke to the twenty gang members. Her last words to the young men were “Stop taking each other’s lives, this violence took my son and I don’t want it to take any of you”.
The tactics of the police are pretty unique. Bringing in a woman whose own son died makes the men realize that the deaths that they cause don’t just affect them. And of course the benefits that the gangsters will receive if they choose to give up information far outweigh living a life of darkness on the streets of Syracuse. The police also make it clear that any more violence won’t just affect one gang member, Syracuse police Captain Richard Trudell stated that the crackdown will be hard and “We are going to make that group’s lives miserable”. The purpose of the truce is to stop the violence and give a second chance to the young men who may have lost their path.
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