After 9 months El Salvador continues to experience record lows in the homicide rate of the country as a result of a truce between MS-13 and 18th Street, facilitated through former congressman Raul Mijango and Monsignor Fabio Colindres in March of 2012. As a result of this historic miracle, a multi-disciplinary group of experts in the fields of gang intervention, economic development, mental health, human rights, post conflict work, gang prevention, public safety, arts and culture, and gang truce work formed an 11 member delegation to El Salvador to meet with multiple stakeholders for peace in El Salvador that includes the following: the gang leadership, the mediators, the government, civic society, victims, and NGO’s. This delegation went to El Salvador at the request of Monsignor Colindres, the leadership of both gangs, as well as the government. In October, the Transnational Advisory Group in Support of the Peace Process in El Salvador (TAGPPES) released a report on their findings of the truce and its impact on both El Salvador and the United States.

Join us for this community event presenting a 20 minute video of this visit to El Salvador, specifically inside the gang prisons where both gangs are detained. Members of the delegation will be present to talk about an upcoming report that will focus on the state of prisons in El Salvador and what needs to be done in order to help support the truce. Also invited are Vice Minister of Public Safety in El Salvador Douglas Moreno, and Josua Alvarado, President of Rio Grande Foods in El Salvador that has taken a significant private sector leadership role to address violence there.

This event is free and open to the public but a suggested donation of $5 is requested to help with costs. No one will be turned away.