The Watts peace treaty was a 1992 peace pact between rival street gangs in Los Angeles. It was avowed between warring gangs in the community of Watts just before the 1992 Los Angeles riots. While this treaty was not comprehensively adhered to, the truce was a chief element of the reduction of street violence in the city during the 1990s. After 20 years of internecine warfare that waged across the public housing projects of Los Angeles two rival “sets” within the infamous Crips gang decided to call a ceasefire.
The Grape Street Crips from the Jordan Downs Projects, the P Jay Watts Crips from the Imperial Courts, and the Bounty Hunter Bloods from the Nickerson Gardens Housing Projects met in the Imperial Courts Project gym to negotiate peace. Football legend and activist Jim Brown helped the rivals to negotiate their peace agreement; the groups would go on to draft a formal peace treaty.
A new documentary called ‘Watts Peace Treaty 20 Years Later’ is in the works. The upcoming documentary is being produced Roy Colbert and Daude Sherrils.