A secret negotiated truce between two of the most dangerous street gangs in Boston has dramatically reduced bloodshed.

"Violence stopped abruptly in July, when a temporary cease-fire took effect. In the nearly four months since, there has not been a single shooting, and overall violent crime where the gang members live has plummeted by as much as 80 percent."…

Within days of the two gangs shaking hands on the treaty, members of other gangs began contacting clergy and youth workers to ask for similar peace summits. Police and clergy are talking with eight other street gangs, hoping to broker truces — with similar incentives and commitments — across the city.

Many of those involved were also key players in the "Boston Miracle," a collaboration of police, ministers, and community leaders that helped end a murder wave in the 1990s.

(READ the Boston Globe story here)