Hoe Avenue peace meeting facts for kids

The Hoe Avenue peace meeting was a very important gathering of New York City youth groups, sometimes called gangs, that happened on December 8, 1971. It took place in the Bronx, a part of New York City. The main goal was to suggest a big peace agreement and a new kind of alliance between these groups.

This meeting was called after a young man named "Black Benjie" was killed. He was a peacekeeper for a group called the Ghetto Brothers. Even though a lasting peace wasn't fully set up right away, later talks helped create a way for groups to deal with problems without fighting in the streets. This meeting is special because it was one of the first times different youth groups from various backgrounds tried to make peace.

The Peace Agreement Meeting

After "Black Benjie," a member of the Ghetto Brothers who worked for peace in the community, was killed, a special meeting was set up for youth groups in the South Bronx. Some of the main groups that attended included the Black Spades, Ghetto Brothers, Savage Skulls, Turbans, and Seven Immortals. Many other groups also came to this important meeting. This historic agreement among the South Bronx groups helped keep some peace until the early 1980s.

How the Meeting Happened

The meeting took place at the Boys Club on Hoe Avenue in the Bronx. Many youth groups were there, along with city officials and police. The Ghetto Brothers organized the meeting because their member, 25-year-old Cornell "Black Benjie" Benjamin, was killed while trying to stop a fight between groups. The main goal was to create a peace agreement to honor "Black Benjie," who was known for trying to keep peace.

To make sure the meeting was safe and peaceful, special arrangements were made. Leaders from the different groups, like their presidents and vice-presidents, sat in a circle in the middle of the club's gym. Other members sat in the bleachers. Only a few women were allowed inside, including the leaders of all-girl groups like the Alley Cats and Savage Sisters.

The Hoe Avenue peace meeting is even shown in a documentary film called Flyin' Cut Sleeves.

Spanish Eddie's Vision

Eduardo Vincenti, known as "Spanish Eddie," was 27 years old and worked with the Youth Services Agency's Bronx team that dealt with youth group issues. He had a big idea: to get all the major youth groups in the Bronx to sign a peace agreement and form a large alliance. He wanted to call this big alliance "The Family," where every group would become a part of this larger organization.

This idea was exciting enough that many group leaders were interested. Vincenti believed that if these groups were united under one name, they could achieve a lot if someone guided them with a good social vision. At the time, police estimated there were as many as 10,000 members in youth groups in the Bronx alone.

Vincenti managed to get 68 groups to agree to join this alliance. However, he and 10 other team members were suddenly moved from the Bronx to Brooklyn. There, he was injured while trying to prevent a gun battle. Vincenti recovered and continued to work on his "Brotherhood Family" idea in his free time. Some believed his injury was connected to his efforts to create the peace agreement.

40th Anniversary

In 2011, former members of the Ghetto Brothers and Black Panthers spoke to the New York Daily News newspaper. They talked about a planned event to remember the peace meeting, which was set to happen at the Bronx River Art Center. Joseph Mpa from the Black Panthers said that the peace agreement itself helped lead to the rise of hip hop culture. This is because it made it easier for young people to travel between neighborhoods without worrying about crossing into another group's territory and facing trouble.