Anti-gang rally being organized in south Phoenix

PHOENIX - Some residents of south Phoenix are trying to take back their neighborhood by taking on gangs.

"If you go one block to the east it's the Latin Kings, if you go west it's the Crips and the Bloods," says 16-year-old Antonio, who lives near 27th and Southern avenues.

The problem of gangs in inner cities is nothing new, not even to Phoenix.  But people who work with kids say it's getting worse.

"It's sad," says Tyllisa Randolph, who works with kids at a local recreation center. 

She explained many young men are intimidated into joining a gang for protection and if they won't they will have to face the consequences, meaning those same gang members may attack the kids who refuse.

"Why do kids feel like they have to join a gang for security when all they have to do is talk to an adult or find an outreach program," she says.

Residents in south Phoenix are organizing an anti-gang rally for October 30th at 19th and Southern avenues, hoping to ban together to fight the problem.

Antonio says he's lucky to have a strong mother that tells him right from wrong. 

"I listen to the right people and I know joining a gang will either get you to jail or dead."