30 years after landmark gang summit, Spike Moss and Tyrone Terrell say new one badly needed
MINNEAPOLIS – The headlines tell the story. Teenagers, and even younger children, involved in crimes from shootings to carjackings.
Many of the kids are affiliated with gangs or cliques. It's a problem long-time community leader Spike Moss knows a thing or two about. He was instrumental in helping stop a similar gang issue back in the 90s.
Now 30 years later, he's talking only to WCCO's Reg Chapman about what's happening – and what we can do about it
"I'm sick and tired of turning on TV and innocent people are losing their lives," Moss said.
For the past 60 years, Moss has dedicated his life to helping his community. A freedom fighter, Moss has seen the city through the good and the bad. He now has serious concerns about where things are headed
"You've never seen so many gangs," Moss said.
Moss and St. Paul Gang Violence Intervention Coordinator Tyrone Terrell say gangs, cliques or groups of young people are driving this surge in crime.
"Today there are 175," Terrell said.
This number of gangs or cliques operating in the Twin Cities is overwhelming. Moss and Terrell believe a hard stop of their activities is needed.
Both were instrumental the last time the Twin Cities was consumed by gang activity. They helped orchestrate a gang summit that impacted violence in the Twin Cities, and across the country.
"Our old approach was that you got to go where they're at. They're not coming to you," Terrell said. "You got to go out and meet them."
The idea of a United for Peace Gang Summit was born in a room inside the Old City Inc. building in 1992. Run by Moss at the time, City Inc. was an alternative school that had prominent roles in issues like gang violence.
"We have to save young men, young women. We have to give back a future from a generation that this society has wrote off," Moss said in a 1992 interview.
He began by speaking directly to gang leaders to gain access to gang members.
"That relationship is what gave me the opportunity to go to Chicago to speak to the 12 families and get their national leaders to agree to allow me to do a summit, because you could't approach their members without that respect, so you go to the leaders first," Moss said.
He also went to state prisons.
"And find leadership in there that can make calls out here to their own gang, their own brothers, their own cousins, their own best friends to get them to calm down," Moss said.
From Minnesota state prisons to the nation's Capitol, Moss and his team led the charge to hold gang summits in Minnesota and across the nation.
"And we begin to move for the National Peace and Justice Gang Summit all across the country. I will say we saved thousands of lives," Moss said. "It was hard for people to understand that that came straight from Minnesota, and we had the respect of the entire country."
MORE: St. Paul's Black leaders discuss interventions to combat gang violence
That respect reflected in the number of gang members willing to take part in the summit.
"It took us a while to get there, but they were committed to peace, and they were committed to the work of the gang summits," Terrell said.
It eventually led to a ceasefire and a decrease in gang-related activity – something both men say is desperately needed today.
"One day it will go down to the children. That day is here," Moss said. "To see it ain't nothing to see a 10 year old, 11 year old with a gun who will shoot you."
Both men believe a united front is needed and a new approach.
"I'm going to host a meeting with both sheriffs, both chiefs and new commissioner on crime, and all able-bodied Black men who I know have experience in this, and organize our own frontline," Moss said.
A frontline that will be faced with different issues than in the past. Current gang or clique members are young, some not even teenagers. Many of them are using hard drugs like fentanyl and trank, a horse tranquilizer. Past trauma and mental health issues are adding even more fuel to the fire.
Both men believe another summit could be the answer to lasting peace on the streets.
"That's the beginning of getting ready to stand up and push back," Moss said.
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