Others said the ritual had no meaning beyond the fact that neighborhood youth were bored and not respectful.

Another neighborhood youth, who gave his name only as Randy, said the 13-year-old loved playing nasty tricks.

The gang attracted the attention of the police when its members would not accept a neighborhood youth's refusal to join them.

It was just such harassment, they said, that led to the shooting of a neighborhood youth in a stolen car on Tuesday.

In 1857, along with other neighborhood youths, he formed a local baseball club named Young America.

He said his work with neighborhood youth and civic groups offered him a better perspective of the area's needs.

We have implemented a computer training program for 64 at-risk neighborhood youth by partnering with eight other local agencies.

"These kids, they don't go to museums," Bio said of neighborhood youths.

These were the very same drugs he often sold to the neighborhood youths.

We also had a community garden on 33rd Street that included a jazz mural created by neighborhood youth.