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May 31, 2017

Benjamin Melendez, NYC Gang Leader Who Brokered Historic Peace Deal, Dies at 65
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Here in New York City, Benjamin "Yellow Benjy" Melendez, a gang leader
who brokered a historic peace deal between rival gangs in the Bronx and
Harlem, has died at the age of 65. Melendez was a Puerto Rican
nationalist who was radicalized by a young member of the Black Panthers.
In 1971, he was the leader of the Ghetto Brothers gang when one of the
gang's members was murdered. In response, Melendez called for the
historic Hoe Avenue peace meeting, which de-escalated gang violence in
New York City for at least a decade.


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