Christina Hoag
Peace in the Hood
Working with Gang Members to End the Violence
"A tremendously effective model. The spark of change that will flourish for decades to come."
PETE CARROLL, NFL COACH & FOUNDER, A BETTER LA
Peace in the Hood is a groundbreaking memoir‑manual that lays out a blueprint for training gang members and residents of violence‑impacted neighborhoods to become community peacekeepers. Drawing on more than four decades of frontline work on the streets of South Los Angeles — and later in cities across the United States and abroad — Aquil Basheer reveals how he developed his proven model to break the cycle of violence in high-risk areas.
Co‑authored by Christina Hoag, the book is used as a core text at the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work, UCLA’s School of Public Welfare, and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. As the first book of its kind in the field of community violence reduction, it is also a foundational resource in intervention training programs nationwide and internationally.
From the Author
I first met Aquil Basheer while reporting for The Associated Press, covering gang violence and urban issues in Los Angeles. After writing a feature story on his innovative program that trains gang members to become community peacekeepers, Aquil invited me to help tell the larger story behind his work. That collaboration became Peace in the Hood.
Praise for Peace in the Hood
"Aquil Basheer and co-author Christina Hoag give a unique and heroic memoir that has the blood-haunted and thrilling narrative immediacy of David Simon's The Wire."
CELESTE FREMON, AUTHOR OF G-DOG AND THE HOMEBOYS
"A must read for anyone engaged in violence prevention and community building."
PROFESSOR JORJA LEAP, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES