Pallbearers carry the remains of Joseph Briggs from New Zion Grove Missionary Baptist Church following a funeral service on June 20, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. Briggs, who turned 16 in April, was shot in the head during a drive-by shooting while he was sitting on his front porch with his sister on June 9. Briggs was one of nine people killed and 46 wounded by gunfire in Chicago during that June weekend. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
CHICAGO (AP) — When Chicago’s gang war intensified last spring, shootings became so frequent, they sometimes seemed like a ghastly game of tennis, with each senseless attack followed by a vengeful response.
The furious rate of the killing drew national attention and even invited comparisons between Chicago and some of the world’s war zones.
But a closer look shows something else: The pace of homicides and shootings slowed considerably as police stepped up their presence and residents challenged gang members for control of the streets. In at least one of the city’s most notoriously dangerous neighborhoods, homicides have actually fallen.
Lisa Williams is a member of a South Side block-watch group where residents installed their own surveillance cameras. She says her neighbors are not going to stand for the violence anymore.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
